When creating an RTF file in Final Draft Version 7.13 and trying to import it into Scrivener I get the following error message: “Some files could not be imported because they were of an unsupported file type.” The RTF files I created in the past, with an older version of Final Draft, import without a glitch. Is it possible that the RTF files generated in FDR Version 7.13 are incompatible with Scrivener or am I missing something?
Thanks for your help. I have turned into a big fan of the Scrivener/ Final Draft combination for writing and formatting screenplays and hope I can get my FDR exports to work again.
Could you send the problematic RTF file to support AT literatureandlatte DOT com? The next update (which is slated for early next year) should make problems like this a thing of the past, as it supports the import and export of Final Draft FCF files, thanks to the help of the guys at Final Draft themselves.
All the best,
Keith
Thanks for the quick reply Keith. I e-mailed a test file to you. I just tried to open RTF files generated in Final Draft 7.13 in Word 2004, Word 2008 and Text Edit and am getting error messages about the file format not being supported there as well. So maybe there is something wrong with the RTF generator in Final Draft 7.13 or there is a bug in my particular version (Build 42). Has anybody else encountered a similar problem with RTF imports from Final Draft 7.13?
I checked with Final Draft Support and the problem seems to be caused by Word 2008. From what I was told, Final Draft uses the system RTF converter. If you have Word 2008 on your system, Word 2008 will install a new file converter that Final Draft then uses for RTF conversions. And this file converter apparently causes the problem of creating unreadable files… I asked Final Draft Tech Support if this issue will be addressed in future versions of Final Draft but they said it’s not a Final Draft issue, it’s a Microsoft issue. So until Microsoft fixes the problem or Final Draft comes up with a workaround, it seems like installing Word 2008 on your Mac when working with a Scrivener/ Final Draft combination is a bad idea. I am not sure if deleting Word 2008 from a system will solve the problem, since the file converter is already “swapped.” I know it’s only going to be a temporary problem, since the next version of Scrivener will eliminate the need for RTF conversions and maybe Final Draft decides to release some kind of a patch in the near future (maybe by adding their own RTF converter to the software…?).
Okay, back to square one. Another conversation with Final Draft tech support resulted in the information that Final Draft doesn’t use the file converter installed by Word 2008.
I was asked to send some of the problem files to Final Draft and they said they would call me back as soon as they find a solution.
Mark Leitner from Final Draft support e-mailed me the solution to the problem:
Deleting the Word 2008 “Meiryo” font from the font folder library.
After I deleted all of the different “Meiryo” fonts on my system, the RTF exports from Final Draft became importable into other programs - including Scrivener - again.