Can't open appleworks6 documents in pages09 after upgrade to lion

Question

i upgraded to lion a few weeks ago and today tried to access an appleworks 6 .cwk word processing document in pages 09 and it returns an error saying it can not be opened because it is  not a word processing document. 
i have gone into 'get info' to set pages as the default application to open the document with no luck.  i am absolutely sure it is an appleworks 6.2.9 word processing document.  my pages application is up to date.
all of our older business contracts and word processing documents are appleworks 6  files.  any ideas why pages won't open the document?  everything i have read indicates that pages should have no problem opening the file.  our spreadsheet files open fine with numbers. 
any ideas?
thanks.

Answer 1

The fact that Lion no longer support AppleWorks is publicized since more than six months.
Serious users took time to convert their documents before switching to the new operating system.
If Pages doesn't open the documents I'm quite sure that they aren't AppleWorks 6 WP documents.
This short script will tell you exactly which kind of file you drop on its icon.
--{code}
--[SCRIPT which_kind_of_AWdoc]
Enregistrer ce script en tant qu'application sur le bureau.
Exécuter ce script ou déposer l'icône d'un fichier
sur son icône pour identifier le fichier.
Save the script as Application on the desktop.
Run the script or drag and drop a file icon
on its icon to identify the file.
Yvan KOENIG le 28 octobre 2008
-- ===========
on run (*
lignes exécutées si on double clique sur l'icône du script application
• lines executed if one double click the application script's icon *)
          set _ to choose file
          my main({_})
end run
-- ===========
on open (sel) (*
sel contient une liste d'alias des éléments qu'on a déposés sur l'icône du script (la sélection)
• sel contains a list of aliases of the items dropped on the script's icon (the selection) *)
          my main(sel)
end open
-- =========== Routines
on main(sel)
          try
                    my exploreTraite(item 1 of sel, "")
          on error MsgErr number NroErr
                    if NroErr is not -128 then
                              beep 2
                              tell application (path to frontmost application as string) to display dialog "" & NroErr & " : " & MsgErr with icon 0 buttons {" OK "} giving up after 20
                    end if -- NroErr is…
          end try
end main
-- =========== Routines
on exploreTraite(elem, ptree)
          local elem_, laClasse, flag
          set elem_ to elem as text
          tell application "System Events" to set laClasse to (class of item elem_) as text
          if laClasse is in {"file package", "«class cpkg»"} then (* CAUTION, script returns "file package" but App returns "«class cpkg»" *)
                    error elem_ & return & "is a package !"
  --else if laClasse is in {"folder", "«class cfol»"} then (* CAUTION, script returns "folder" but App returns "«class cfol»" *)
  --error elem_ & return & "is a folder !"
          else
                    set flag to my testeAWWP(elem)
                    tell application (path to frontmost application as string) to display dialog "The file " & return & elem_ & return & "is " & flag
          end if -- laClasse is
end exploreTraite
-- ===========
on testeAWWP(f)
          local flag, deb280, versionNum, marqueur, xx
          set flag to "not a Claris/AppleWorks document"
          set deb280 to (read f from 1 for 280)
          if (text 5 thru 8 of deb280) is "BOBO" then (* it's an  AppleWorks document *)
                    set versionNum to ASCII number of (character 1 of deb280)
                    set flag to {versionNum, 0}
                    if versionNum = 6 then
                              set marqueur to 279 -- cas de la version AW6
                    else if versionNum = 5 then
                              set marqueur to 269 -- cas de la version AW5
                    else if versionNum = 4 then
                              set marqueur to 258 -- cas de la version CW4
                    else if versionNum = 3 then
                              set marqueur to 250 -- cas de la version CW3
                    else if versionNum = 2 then
                              set marqueur to 250 -- cas de la version CW2
                    else if versionNum = 1 then
                              set marqueur to 244 -- cas de la version CW1
                    else
                              set marqueur to 0
                    end if -- character 1 …
                    if marqueur > 0 then
                              set xx to (ASCII number (character marqueur of deb280)) (*
0 = CWGR
1 = CWWP exported
2 = CWSS exported
3 = CWDB exported
4 = CWPT
5 = CWPR
                              if versionNum > 4 then
                                        set flag to "Apple"
                              else
                                        set flag to "Claris"
                              end if
                              set flag to "a " & item (xx + 1) of {"Draw", "Word Processing", "Spreadsheet", "DataBase", "Paint", "Presentation"} & " " & flag & "Works " & versionNum & " file."
                    end if -- marqueur …
          end if --  (text 5 thru 8 …
          return flag
end testeAWWP
-- ===========
--[/SCRIPT]
--{code}
Copy it in the clipboard
Paste in a new window of the application "AppleScript Editor" which is located in :
Applications:Utilities
Click on the button displaying a hammer
menu File > Save
Select the format Application
Click the button Save.
Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France)  mardi 8 janvier 2011 22:36:41
iMac 21”5, i7, 2.8 GHz, 4 Gbytes, 1 Tbytes, mac OS X 10.6.8 and 10.7.2
My iDisk is : <http://public.me.com/koenigyvan>
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