Dear List,
I would like to explain something I have learned about BSP and files.
If you are creating a file from scratch, you can create three types of
files: hbl, the BrailleSense Word file, (which probably won't read on
anything except the Sense products), .brl, a braille file that will read on
any PC which has Duxbury or another translation software in it, and .txt,
ASCII text, which Duxbury will read, but which DBT doesn't interpret well.
If you're using a braille keyboard, you'll want to create documents in
braille and if you want Duxbury to read these documents, then you'll create
them in .brl. This is assuming you prefer to do most of your editing with
the BSP. This is what I thought Tessa wanted to do.
Suppose you have a file you created on a PC and it's in Word format and you
want to edit it on your BSP. You can open the file, edit it and save the
file. The BSP will keep the extension .doc, but the file will be considered
as a rich text format by your PC. So, if you want to be able to read this
.doc file using Duxbury, you wil first have to use Word or Jarte, to convert
the file back to a Word document, THEN you will be able to open it with
Duxbury.
QWERTY users, like me, will be creating .txt files. If I want the file to
look well in Duxbury, I will first need to convert the .txt file to Word and
then bring it into DBT.
Most transcribers, like Judi, prefer to translate text from print to
braille, because the translation will be more accurate. However, most
people on this list use braille keyboards and they are using braille for
their own personal use. Many of you will translate from braille to print so
a sighted person can read it.
Now, if you have a file you created with Duxbury and you want to be able to
read it on your BSP, you have two choices: You can save the file as a .prf
(print reformatted file) which can be read on the BSP after you have renamed
the extension to .txt. Or, you can translate the .dxp file into braille and
save it as a .brf file. The BSP will read .brf files nicely.
It was my understanding Tessa wanted to read and edit a Duxbury file with
the BSP. That's why I suggested saving the Duxbury file as a .brf (braille
reformatted file).
I know this sounds confusing, and if you have any questions, ask me.
Terri Amateur Radio call sign KF6CA.
