Batch-converting PPT slides from Traditional to Simplified characters

[ann_in_oslo]

I'm assuming this is impossible, but here goes:

I've been asked if it's possible to batch-convert character type in a
PPT presentation. The presentation includes graphics (which obviously
don't need conversion) and traditional characters in various colors.
Short of writing in the new text character for character in Simplified
form, is there any way to convert the entire presentation in one fell
swoop?

[Eric Rasmussen]

On 11/15/06 2:35 PM, "ann_in_oslo" <daves...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've been asked if it's possible to batch-convert character type in a
> PPT presentation. The presentation includes graphics (which obviously
> don't need conversion) and traditional characters in various colors.
> Short of writing in the new text character for character in Simplified
> form, is there any way to convert the entire presentation in one fell
> swoop?

Maybe, if it is possible to select all the text in the document at once.
Just use the SCIM's ³Convert to Traditional Chinese Text" command. At the
very worst, you'd have to go from text field to text field, selecting the
text and then invoking the command. The formatting should remain intact. As
long as the fonts used have simplified characters in them (i.e., are ST
fonts, or SimSun/PmingLiU), this should be no problem. So you might have to
also change the font as you go.

ER

[TenThousandThings]

Eric Rasmussen wrote:
> Maybe, if it is possible to select all the text in the document at once.
> Just use the SCIM's "Convert to Traditional Chinese Text" command.

Argh! I meant the TCIM's "Convert to Simplified Chinese Text" command,
obviously.

Eric

[Magnus Lewan]

I will not exclude that something could be done, but I gave it a brief try and failed.

I tried highlighting all text, but could not then use the "Convert to Traditional Chinese" menu item. I tried exporting all text to an RTF. I could then convert it to Traditional, but I could not find a way to get it back where it came from.

I tried recording a VB macro in Powerpoint, but could not make it record and jump between text boxes. Besides I did not find any way to convert to Traditional using a macro. I think the command is not even in AppleScript.

I then thought it might be easier on Windows, but I just tried it in Windows (English version), and I cannot find any way of doing it here either.

So, it may be possible, but unless the presentation is really long, I think just doing it by hand is the most efficient method. And if it is really, really long, people will hopefully have fallen asleep at the end, and then it does not matter which characters you use!

Cheers
Magnus

[Nathan Sturtevant]

Here is another possibility. It should work although the last step is a bit tough. Someone might be able to suggest something.

The first step is to convert from ppt to keynote. Keynote has a text file format that can be easily edited.

If you look inside a keynote file (Right-click or control-click the file and select show package contents) you will find a file index.apxl.gz. This is the compressed contents of your keynote file. Double clicking should decompress it.

If you open the resulting file (index.apxl) in a text editor you will find a bunch of XML which is hard to read. The key is that any Chinese characters will be written as &#x****; where **** is the hexadecimal of the unicode. For instance the bullet character (•) is 2022 so it is written as "&#x2022;"

The last step is to "simply" replace all traditional characters with their simplified equivalents.

While it's not easy by hand, any competent programmer could take the unicode dictionary and do this within a few hours or less. There may be utilities out there to do this already.

Then you can export back to PPT.

There are possible problems with fonts or the conversion of other graphics in the process, but if you really have a lot of ppt files this may do the trick.

Nathan

[ann_in_oslo]

I feel very ignorant asking this, but the only TCIM and SCIM I am
familiar with, are the ones for my penpower program.

I "spotlit" TCIM, and got "TCIMHaninUserDictionary", which had no
default application to open.

I'm afraid the other solutions offered might take more time and be more
trouble than just doing it by hand, unfortunately (each presentation is
from 20 - 50 slides), but I'd like to know more about TCIM before I
give up.

Thanks!

Ann

[TenThousandThings]

ann_in_oslo wrote:
> I feel very ignorant asking this, but the only TCIM and SCIM I am
> familiar with, are the ones for my penpower program.

TCIM = Traditional Chinese Input Method
SCIM = Simplified Chinese Input Method

These names meant more before Apple divided up the Chinese input
methods in the Input Menu for Tiger. Now you can just activate, for
example, "Hanin" or "ITABC" or several other possible TC or SC Chinese
input methods in System Preferences > International > Input Menu.

But even in Tiger, each of the separate TC or SC input methods still
share the same set of commands in the Input Menu when they are selected
therein.

So just go to System Preferences > International > Input Menu and
select, say, Pinyin. Then go to the Input Menu and select Pinyin there.
Then go to the Input Menu again, and you'll see the TCIM menu, where
you'll find the "Convert to Simplified Chinese text" command.

You'll find most of this explained here:

http://www.yale.edu/chinesemac/pages/tcim_x4.html
http://www.yale.edu/chinesemac/pages/scim_x4.html

Eric

Go Blue!