Whilst Wordpad will obviously work that does not help Hilary (who is using Linux) to send valid files to Richard (although it does help Richard). Actually the  at the start of the file is the Unicode Byte Order Mark (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unicode) so the problem is that OO is saving the file in Unicode (UTF-8) rather than ISO8859-1 as required by WinBMD. This happens because Linux saves the file in Unicode and presumably OO is just continuing with the existing encoding. If when saving the file in OO you select the type as "Text Encoded (.txt)" you get the option to select the encoding. Select Character Code as "Western Europe (ISO-8859-1)". That should do it! Barrie Derek C Hopkins wrote: > <div class="moz-text-flowed" style="font-family: -moz-fixed">Hi Hilary > > While yes it does fix the cr lf problem ir also add 4 > characters at the start and one at the end to identify as a office > file. WinBMD looks for the +INFO which must be the first > characters in the file. > > +INFO,hilary.bh.wright@gmail.com,password,SEQUENCED,BIRTHS > #,9z,Hilary Wright,Richard Oliver,1938B1C0212.bmd,03-May-2009,N,N,N,C,0 > > So this solution will not work > > FreeBMD and Wordpad have no problem with the Linux file > It is just notepad and WinBMD. But any one witha PC can solve > this by simply opening in Wordpad and resaving "Save As" this > fixes the problem on the PC and is what I have always done. MAC > files sent to me often have a similar problem. > > At 06/05/2009 01:37 AM, you wrote: >> Hello Derek, >> >> Here is the linBMD file with CR+LF. I opened the file in OpenOffice >> which gave me the option of appending the CR+LF to every line, I then >> saved the file using OO and I have attached it to this mail. I can't >> tell, though, if the CR+LF has been saved too. >> >> Would you verify that it works in WinBMD? >> >> Thank you >> >> I have contacted the developer of linBMD, Andrew Higgs, and sent him >> Richard's errors. I will send him your comments about CR+LF. Maybe >> there is a configuration option he can use to set this. >> >> Regards >> >> Hilary >> >> >> >> On Tue, 05 May 2009 14:22:54 -0400 >> Derek C Hopkins <derek.hopkins@sympatico.ca> wrote: >> >> > Hi Hilary >> > >> > I was right. it is the end of line that is giving windows >> > the problem. I had no problem in opening the file with Wordpad, but >> > not with Notepad until I forced a save in Wordpad. >> > >> > It will not open in notepad but it will open correctly in >> > wordpad. Then if saved with a blank added at the end of any >> > line (just to force a new save) or a "Save As" with a new >> > name it can be read by notepad and WinBMD on a Windows XP PC. >> > >> > Do you have an option in Linux to write the file with a CR >> > LF as the line terminator. (Windows txt file format) I am >> > contacting my Linux user to see if he knows. >> > >> > At 05/05/2009 02:07 PM, you wrote: >> > >Hi Derek, >> > > >> > >Thank you for your help. >> > > >> > >Here is the file as requested. >> > > >> > >Best regards >> > > >> > >Hilary >> > > >> > > >> > >On Tue, 05 May 2009 13:06:12 -0400 >> > >Derek C Hopkins <derek.hopkins@sympatico.ca> wrote: >> > > >> > > > Hi Hilary >> > > > >> > > > I have Linux ( Ubuntu) and XP-pro. Please send me >> > > > the file in Question. And I will figure out what you have to do. >> > > > >> > > > At 05/05/2009 11:55 AM, you wrote: >> > > > >Dear Derek, >> > > > > >> > > > >Richard Oliver gave me your email address because I recently >> > > > >joined his syndicate and I am having trouble producing a winBMD >> > > > >compatible file from my linux machine using LinBMD. >> > > > > >> > > > >I will be contacting the developer of the linBMD software to ask >> > > > >him if he has any solution and I will provide him with the error >> > > > >messages Richard received. >> > > > > >> > > > >In parallel, could you put in contact with someone in your >> > > > >syndicate who does run linux and is successfully producing >> > > > >compatible files so that I can ask them how its done? >> > > > > >> > > > >Thank you for your help >> > > > > >> > > > >Hilary in Castelnaudary. >> > > > >> > > > >> > > > Cheers Derek >> > > > >> > > > Derek C Hopkins, Phone +1(450)678-7768 >> > > > 6640, Biarritz, Fax +1(450)678-4252 >> > > > Brossard, E-Mail >> > > > derek.hopkins@sympatico.ca QC, Canada, J4Z-2A2. >> > > > >> > > > == FreeBMD - England and Wales - Birth - Marriage and Death >> > > > Transcriptions <http://FreeBMD.rootsweb.com> >> > > > >> > > > == Check out FreeBMD Scan2 Syndicate page (revised daily) >> > > > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/scan2.html >> > > > >> > > > == Check out QFHS Marriage Transcription Project page (revised >> > > > daily) (Quebec Family History Society) >> > > > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/qfhs.html >> > > > >> > > > Check out Abney Park Indexing Project (revised 14 MAR 2008, >> > > > 195,000 names) <http://scan2.ca/nlisa> .html> >> > > > >> > > > Check out the Quebec Family History web page >> > > > <http://www.qfhs.ca/index.html> >> > > > >> > > >> > > >> > >> > >> > Cheers Derek >> > >> > Derek C Hopkins, Phone +1(450)678-7768 >> > 6640, Biarritz, Fax +1(450)678-4252 >> > Brossard, E-Mail >> > derek.hopkins@sympatico.ca QC, Canada, J4Z-2A2. >> > >> > == FreeBMD - England and Wales - Birth - Marriage and Death >> > Transcriptions <http://FreeBMD.rootsweb.com> >> > >> > == Check out FreeBMD Scan2 Syndicate page (revised daily) >> > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/scan2.html >> > >> > == Check out QFHS Marriage Transcription Project page (revised >> > daily) (Quebec Family History Society) >> > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/qfhs.html >> > >> > Check out Abney Park Indexing Project (revised 14 MAR 2008, 195,000 >> > names) <http://scan2.ca/nlisa> .html> >> > >> > Check out the Quebec Family History web page >> > <http://www.qfhs.ca/index.html> >> > >> >> > > > Cheers Derek > > Derek C Hopkins, Phone +1(450)678-7768 > 6640, Biarritz, Fax +1(450)678-4252 > Brossard, E-Mail > derek.hopkins@sympatico.ca > QC, Canada, J4Z-2A2. > > == FreeBMD - England and Wales - Birth - Marriage and Death > Transcriptions > <http://FreeBMD.rootsweb.com> > > == Check out FreeBMD Scan2 Syndicate page (revised daily) > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/scan2.html > > == Check out QFHS Marriage Transcription Project page (revised daily) > (Quebec Family History Society) > Please bookmark our new home http://www.scan2.ca/qfhs.html > > Check out Abney Park Indexing Project (revised 14 MAR 2008, 195,000 > names) > <http://scan2.ca/nlisa > .html> > > Check out the Quebec Family History web page > <http://www.qfhs.ca/index.html> > > > </div> > --Certified Virus Free by 4SecureMail.com ICSA-Certified Scanner--