Reply To: How to make a brf interpoint?

I have been asked to answer this one.

SAVING AS .BRF FROM AN .ABT YOU CREATED: This strips away all the underlying file structure that is uniquely .abt and thereby removes the conflict that would prevent such a file from being opened in another program, like DBT or MegaDots. That's why we do it--to enable that braille file to work with different software. A .brf is just a file of ascii braille and form feeds every 25 lines. There is nothing left to conflict with DBT and that's why it works. However, what is holding paragraphs in position at this point, is just position. All the paragraph structure is gone. And so are the interpoint settings, even though nothing has physicall7y changed in the file itself. Everything stays in position.

Therefore, when sending a .brf, NEVER do any editing in the .brf format. Don't even open it to look at it. Do everything in .abt. Save as .brf only when you are ready to send the braille file to its recipient. If you set it for interpoint in .abt, it will retain the interpoint in .brf for the recipient. In fact, delete the .brf right after you send it. Keep the .abt. If any subsequent editing is necessary, do that in the .abt and create another .brf. Don't bother viewing the .brf. As long as your .abt is good, the .brf will be retain everything you did.

WHEN EMBOSSING .BRF's RECEIVED FROM ELSEWHERE THAT YOU DIDN'T CREATE--if the file was prepared as an interpoint file, it will retain that, just as a matter of where the pages break and the presence of a final even sided page at the end of the file. When you open this in Braille2000, as you have to in order to emboss it, the pages will be correct but the file will NOT have the interpoint setting even though it is, in fact, interpoint. If you have your embosser set up to recognize that interpoint setting, you may have a problem because your embosser will think it's single-sided.

You can open the .brf and save it as an .abt. In the .abt copy you can go to Adjust--Document and just click on interpoint. It might even already show that interpoint setting already, but you can change the setting if it doesn't show interpoint. Then you can emboss from this .abt file that is now bearing the interpoint settings that the embosser wants to see.

Please let me know if there are any problems with this and I will consult further and get clarification.

--Joanna