                   TEXT FILE to Word Processing UTILITIES


     I work for a design engineering firm and quite often we have to
     merge our specifications and other documents with the those
     furnished by the various suppliers, architects or clients. The
     standard way was to request that they provide a standard ASCII
     text file for our use.  A long time ago, I wrote the three utility
     programs, STRIP, CRLF and TABS, to prepare the ASCII file for
     loading into Microsoft Word.

     The three programs are:

     1.  STRIP.COM - reads text file and "strips" off the leading and
                     trailing spaces.  Creates an output file with
                     extension "STP".

     2.  CRLF.COM  - reads text file and removes all carriage returns
                     and line feeds EXCEPT where there are two or more.
                     In that case one set of CR/LF remain.  Creates an
                     output file with extension "CRL".

     3.  TABS.COM  - Scans text file for two or more spaces and
                     replaces them with a TAB.  Creates an output
                     file with extension "TXT".


     I used a Batch file, CONVERT.BAT, to somewhat automate the process.
     CONVERT TEXTFILE.TXT    would run the TEXTFILE.TXT through the
     three utilities giving me a new TEXTFILE.TXT which is now ready
     for importing into Microsoft Word.


     WARNING:  TABS.COM creates an output file with the TXT extension.
               DO NOT USE A FILE WITH EXTENTION "TXT" AS INPUT to the
               TABS program!!!!


     Since these utilities were created a long time ago for a specific
     in-house purpose, they were not created for maximum utility.  They
     were just "quick and dirty", but they served MY purpose at the
     time.   Hopefully, others may find them useful also.  Unforturnatelly,
     I cannot locate the orginal source code, so we're stuck with them
     the way they are.


     Bill Hemphill
     March 14, 1996

     Compuserve: 102022,3443
     Internet:   hemphill@odin.stockton.edu
     Ham Radio:  wd9eqd@wd9eqd.ampr.org
