What can the C2U tool do for me?

1. C2U can assist in the creation of a TECkit map file that will map each character in a text file to its Unicode equivalent.
2. C2U can assist in the creation of a Keyman keyboard to give you a simple way to enter any character in your text.
3. C2U can assist in the conversion of a Paratext 5 or Paratext 6 project to a new Unicode complaint Paratext 6 project.
4. C2U can convert all of a project?s text files to Unicode or optionally can create a Paratext 6 project that uses a TECkit map to access the text files in their original encoding.

How do I convert a Paratext project?

Short List of Instructions:

1. Create a new conversion and select the Paratext project you wish to convert.
2. For each line in the Conversion Table, verify that the Unicode column looks the same as the Input column. Additionally, edit the Keyman column for any characters that need to be keyed in a special way.
3. Execute the actual conversion from the "File\Convert to Paratext 6 Project" menu.

Detailed List of Instructions:

1. Click on the "File\New" menu to display the "New Conversion" dialog.
2. Click on the correct radio button — either "Convert files in a Paratext 5 project to Unicode" or "Convert files in a Paratext 6 project to Unicode" and then select the Paratext project you want to convert. If your Paratext 5 project is not listed then click on the "Change Folder" button and browse to the correct Paratext 5 program folder — this is the folder that contains the PTW50.EXE file.
3. The program will attempt to fill in all of the properties needed for this conversion. Verify that the conversion properties are correct, especially the fonts for the unconverted and converted files, and then click OK.
   
   

   Note: The font point sizes refer to the sizes specified in the original (source) and converted (target) Paratext projects, but they also determine the size at which the fonts will be displayed in the Conversion Table (see below). You will probably find it helpful to set both point sizes to 16 point or more for the purpose of verifying/correcting the Conversion Table (see below). A large point size is especially helpful in accurately distinguishing between different diacritics. You can then return the point size to the size you desire for the converted Paratext project before performing the actual conversion (or after opening the new project in Paratext, via Tools\Language Properties and Settings).

   
   
4. The program will perform a detailed analysis of each text file in the project and will display the results in the Conversion Table on the left. It will also analyze the font you selected for the converted files and display all of its available codepoints in the Unicode Character Selector on the right.
5. For each line in the Conversion Table, verify that the Unicode column looks the same as the Input column. (This should be performed with great care, as your data integrity is at stake!) You can make corrections by typing directly in the Unicode column or by selecting characters from the Unicode Character Selector via drag/drop, copy/paste, or double click. When typing directly, you may also enter the Unicode hex value followed by Alt-x.
6. Edit the Keyman column for any characters that need to be keyed in a special way, i.e. those characters which have no equivalents on the standard keyboard. Otherwise leave the Keyman column empty.
   
   

   Note: C2U will create your Keyman keyboard with a default icon (similar to the Paratext icon). If you prefer Keyman to use a different icon to indicate that your keyboard is active, you may edit the file c2u.bmp located in the Paratext program folder (normally C:\Program Files\Paratext 6) before continuing.

   
   
7. Start the conversion by clicking on the "File\Convert to Paratext 6 Project" menu. This will display the "Project Properties and Settings" dialog. Make any changes if necessary and then click "OK".
   
   

   Note: This tool will not overwrite an existing Paratext 6 project. You will only be allowed to Convert to a new Paratext project. Change the Paratext project name in the "Project Properties and Settings" dialog if there is a conflict.

   
   
8. If Paratext 6 is already open, you must close it and reopen it in order to see the new project.

How do I convert some miscellaneous files?

Short List of Instructions:

1. Create a new conversion and manually select all of the files you wish to convert.
2. For each line in the Conversion Table, verify that the Unicode column looks the same as the Input column. Edit the Keyman column for any characters that need to be keyed in a special way.
3. Execute the actual conversion from the "File\Convert Text Data" menu.

Detailed List of Instructions:

1. Click on the "File\New" menu to display the "New Conversion" dialog.
2. Click on the radio button "Manually select some files to be converted to Unicode?
3. Edit the conversion properties.
   
   

   Note: Note: The font point sizes determine the size at which they will be displayed in the Conversion Table (see below). You will probably find it helpful to set both point sizes to 16 point or more for the purpose of verifying/correcting the Conversion Table (see below). A large point size is especially helpful in accurately distinguishing between different diacritics.

   
   
4. Select the list of files to convert by clicking on the "Add Files" and "Remove Files" buttons.
5. When you are satisfied with the contents of this dialog, click the "OK" button.
6. The program will perform a detailed analysis of each text file you selected and will display the results in the Conversion Table. It will also analyze the font you selected for the converted files and display all of its available codepoints in the Unicode Character Selector.
7. For each line in the Conversion Table, verify that the Unicode column looks the same as the Input column. (This should be performed with great care, as your data integrity is at stake!) Make your corrections by typing directly in the Unicode column or by selecting characters from the Unicode Character Selector via drag/drop, copy/paste, or double click. When typing directly, you may also enter the Unicode hex value followed by Alt-x.
8. Start the conversion by clicking on the "File\Convert Text Data" menu. This will display a browser that will allow you to select the destination folder for the converted files. Click "OK?

How do I convert hacked font data?

If your project uses a font in which some characters have been substituted, this is called a "hacked" or "custom" font. For example, perhaps the "@" character is displayed as "Ã" in your font. In this case your data will contain "@" characters when displayed using a standard font such as Arial but will show "Ã" when displayed using your hacked font.

To better see the relationship between a standard font and the hacked font enable the "View\Show Raw Data" menu. This will show in additional column in the conversion table. The "Raw" column shows the characters using the system font.

How do I convert special characters used as diacritics, e.g. /a = á

First enter all of your diacritics into the "Characters used as diacritics" text box found on the "New Conversion" dialog. You must also indicate whether diacritics precede or follow base characters.

When you click "OK?, C2U analyzes your text files and will additionally list every diacritic/base character sequence it finds. Simply choose the Unicode character(s) you want to use as replacements. You may edit the list of diacritics as many times as you want through the "Tools\Conversion Properties" menu. C2U will reanalyze the text files each time you make changes to this dialog.

Note! You may have more than one way to specify the Unicode. For example, you could choose a single glyph such as "á" which is codepoint 00E1 (latin small letter a with acute). Or you could specify the separate glyphs such as "a" which is codepoint 0061 (small letter a) followed by codepoint 0301 (combining acute). Which method you use is up to you but you should be consistent.

Important! Please note that diacritics always follow the base character in Unicode.

How do I specify how to keyboard characters?

You can type them directly into the Keyman column or select them using the Unicode Character Selector. Later, when you create the new Paratext 6 project, C2U will build, compile, and install the Keyman keyboard using the name of the conversion. The keyboard will be available when you run Keyman.

How do I avoid corrupting my SFM?s when they use characters that have also been used as non-standard characters?

C2U will automatically handle this problem for you. (Thank you Jonathan Kew)

What if my Paratext project uses MAPIN/MAPOUT?

Enabling the menu item "View\Apply MAPIN.CCT to Input" will cause the data in the Input column to be translated using your MAPIN.CCT table before it is displayed.

It may be helpful to enable the "View\Show Raw Data" menu item which will show in additional column in the conversion table. The "Raw" column displays characters without using your MAPIN.CCT table. The Raw column is displayed using the system font.

Can I convert my digits to Arabic, Persian, ?

No. At this time Paratext requires that all digits in verse and chapter numbers be the decimal ascii digits, e.g. code points 0x0030 to 0x0039

What if I want to keep my current encoding?

Normally, it would be safer and therefore preferable to convert all of your files to Unicode. However, if you wish to continue working with your files in their original encoding then select "99999" for the converted encoding (the codepage to use for the converted files). When your new Paratext 6 project is created, the files will be copied to it with their original encoding. The newly created TECkit map will perform the encoding conversion to and from Unicode whenever Paratext reads and writes the files.

What if I used a backslash as a diacritic or a hacked character?

You will not be able to use this tool without encountering severe problems.

What if I have a complex conversion issue that C2U doesn?t seem to handle?

It is possible to directly edit the TECkit map file to perform more complex conversions. Please send us an email explaining your need as well as a File/Backup of one book and we will research it. c2u@ubs-icap.org