Subject: Re: support for Tables
From: Karl Ove Hufthammer (huftis@bigfoot.com)
Date: Fri Oct 13 2000 - 17:49:22 CDT
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Sevior" <msevior@mccubbin.ph.unimelb.edu.au>
To: "Vlad Harchev" <hvv@hippo.ru>
Cc: <abiword-dev@abisource.com>
Sent: Saturday, October 14, 2000 12:06 AM
Subject: Re: support for Tables
> On Fri, 13 Oct 2000, Vlad Harchev wrote:
> >
> > Just curious, how much code is already present in AW to support tables?
> > Is support for tables planned in the not-so-distant future?
> >
> > Seems this is the only major feature AW lacks compared to other word
> > processors.
> >
> > If detailed discussion is available in list archive, I would love to see it
> > too.
>
> There have been discussions but nothing that would really advance the
> cause. We would all LOVE tables support but the concencous is that we
> should complete the current list of features before attempting tables.
I do of course agree, but we could perhaps write a requirement specification on
tables?
Also, I've read that Word 2000 supports vertical lines as tabs (so you get a
vertical line at tab stops). With this, you can at least get table-like
structures.
> For example before tables we should have:
>
> 3. Page setup. We should be able to choose the size and orientation
> (portrait/landscape) of the page as well as headers/footers.
>
> 4. Styles. We should have a nice GUI to allow users to choose and define
> their own style.
>
> 5. Sophisticated fields. I think I'm on the right track here but Paul Rohr
> would like a different design. Given that I have code that's almost ready
> and he has the weight of good arguments I'm in a quandry about what to do.
:)
> 6.? Table of contents. I guess this is a test case for the sophisticated
> Fields implementation. I think I know how to do it with the framework I'm
> working with. This is not on the feature list for 1.0 but it is a good
> proof of concept we're on the right track for sophisticated fields.
Some ideas for other sophisticated fields (for AbiWord >>1.0!):
Indices.
A bibliography field (similar to using BibTeX in LaTeX). This is a *huge*
feature which is probably very difficult implement (we'll have to support
different citation styles (and localized ones)), but would be a *great* feature,
and a very good argument for choosing AbiWord (especially for people having to
write scientific papers/dissertations) instead of other WPs (I don't know of any
word processors which has support for this).
Database connectivity. Again, very difficult.
> At present these are the main features we're lacking for a 1.0 release.
>
> On the way to implementing Tables we should first develop:
> A. Text boxes (like a latex mini-page) that have a defined height and
> width and are formatted on a line like an image.
>
> B. Frames. More sophisticated Text boxes that are basically mini-pages
> which allow images and text to be intermingled. So images and figures can
> have figure caption for example.
Also, linked frames/boxes would be useful (AbiWord turning into a DTP program!
:) ).
> That said, I've been thinking about how we would implement A, B and then
> tables later. As I see it tables are a special case of Text boxes arranged
> to be contiguous and to share a common vertical height.
>
> AbiWord currently has the concept of a "container" that is used to contain
> formatted text. (Look in fp_Column.cpp) These are presently used to
> define columns and headers and footers. I believe it will be pretty easy
> to add new types of containers like text boxes and frames. The part that's
> not done will be to allow these to float around the page as if they are
> images.
How will it be implemented in the file format?
> We will also have to come up with a good GUI design to allow the user to
> easily manipulate these as well as cut/paste and undo/redo support.
>
> Once we have A and B done we will be well on the way to doing tables.
> Having worked through all that was needed for the sophisticated Lists
> support we now have I think it would not be much more work to do text
> boxes and Frames. After that we should look carefully at how other
> programs handle tables.
>
> Regarding equations in gnome there have been at least 3 attempts to start
> an equation editor component but they've all been still born. Maybe after
> Abiword gets bonobo support there will be sufficient motivation to finish
> it off.
BTW, what is AbiCalc? A spreadsheet program?
-- Karl Ove Hufthammer
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