From what I wrote: > > You can view RTF files with WordPad, but much of the functionality of > Word is not there. It is better than a plain text file because much of > the formatting is retained, but you cannot see the codes or create the > index, although you can edit and print them. > Someone might think that you can edit and print the codes and the index with WordPad. That is not what I was trying to convey. You can edit the text and the formatting and even save or print an RTF file with WordPad, but you cannot add an index or view, edit or print the underlying RTF codes. And I sometimes think that OTHER people should take English lessons because their messages are hard to understand <};-) Alfred D. Eller http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~adelr/ ==========================

For the person who needs WORD or another word processor capable of using .rtf files, Microsoft, had in the past, a cd -- Home Essentials98 -- which included Word97. I am not sure if they are still producing such a collection of programs, or one containing Word, but it was relatively inexpensive compared to the office suite and came free with new computers at that time. There used to be an office suite by STAR or STARR publishers that was similar to the Microsoft suite and Word, but could be downloaded for free. I never used it, but a friend said it did almost everthing that the Microsoft Word suite did, so one might do a search on Google and see what you turn up. I did see a program by Starr in a Cosco store on the West coast a couple weeks ago. So someone who uses it, might be able to tell the gentleman if it uses .rtf files. Perhaps a web search for rtf might turn up some possibilities for you for lower cost programs with the capability to create the FO index from an rtf file. Margaret Scheffler

MScheffler wrote: > > For the person who needs WORD or another word processor capable of > using .rtf files, Microsoft, had in the past, a cd -- Home > Essentials98 -- which included Word97. I am not sure if they are > still producing such a collection of programs, or one containing Word, > but it was relatively inexpensive compared to the office suite and > came free with new computers at that time. > > There used to be an office suite by STAR or STARR publishers that > was similar to the Microsoft suite and Word, but could be downloaded > for free. I never used it, but a friend said it did almost everthing > that the Microsoft Word suite did, so one might do a search on Google > and see what you turn up. I did see a program by Starr in a Cosco > store on the West coast a couple weeks ago. So someone who uses it, > might be able to tell the gentleman if it uses .rtf files. > > Perhaps a web search for rtf might turn up some possibilities > for you for lower cost programs with the capability to create the FO > index from an rtf file. > > Margaret Scheffler > There are a few alternatives for those not wanting to buy MS Word, but wanting to create an index from the RTF files that FO generates. Lotus (IBM now) has a software suite that can be bought very reasonable, and the word processor does create an index. WordPerfect also has a very good word processor that will generate an index. Star Office (a new product by Sun) has an excellent word processor that is file compatible with MS Word (it will read a MS Word file, and also write back a file that MS Word will accept)..... I would think it does an index, but I haven't actually tried to do one with it yet. Some of these products can be bought very cheap if you are willing to accept "last year's" version. One on-line shop that sometimes has specials on WordPerfect and Lotus is Direct Deals Dot Com(http://www.directdeals.com/). WordPerfect Office 2002 is selling for just over $20 right now. It's an OEM version, which means that this is the version that's supplied with a computer when you buy a computer that includes Wordperfect. -- Charlie Hoffpauir http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~charlieh/