PUB: WordPerfect Filter Defaults to .DOC Extension (105871)

SYMPTOMS

When you open a WordPerfect document in Publisher, the default extension Publisher uses is .DOC. When you search for WordPerfect documents, only those files that have a .DOC extension appear in the list of found files. Other files are not listed. The default filename extension should be "*" (an asterisk, which symbolizes any combination of characters) instead.

.DOC is the most commonly used filename extension for WordPerfect documents, but because WordPerfect does not add this extension automatically and will accept any file extension, many WordPerfect documents may either have another extension, or no extension at all.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

RESOLUTION

If you are in the Open dialog box, you can change the filename extension in the Publication Name field. You can replace the extension DOC with an * (asterisk), or with the filename extension you used when saving the WordPerfect document.

NOTE: If you are in the Find File dialog box, you cannot modify the filename extension on which Publisher searches. When you search for WordPerfect files, Publisher will look only for files with a .DOC extension.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Problem

Save a WordPerfect document and name it TESTFILE. Do not add a filename extension.
In Publisher, choose Open from the File menu.
In the List Files of Type field, select WordPerfect 5.x, and choose the directory where you saved the file.

Only files with a .DOC extension appear. The document TESTFILE does not.

NOTE: Renaming WordPerfect files to have .PUB extension causes the document to be regarded as a Publisher document and fails to open as well. Renaming the files to have a .DOC extension allows proper file filtering for the text.