Subject: Re: StarOffice import, first thought
From: Vlad Harchev (hvv@hippo.ru)
Date: Sun Feb 11 2001 - 05:55:28 CST
On Sun, 11 Feb 2001, Hubert Figuiere wrote:
I also think it would be better to wait for XML format of OpenOffice to
stabialize.
As for supporting SDW and XML-based formats - I think there was a consensus
of implementing exporters/importers as dynamically loadable optional modules.
If this approach is taken, I think it would be wiser to use OpenOffice's code
for reading at least SDW and don't care about size of the module then (since
it's optional). I think users prefer huge software that always works than tiny
software that works most of the time. A ugly quick hack would be to call
OpenOffice (if it's installed on the user's system) to export SDW or XML-based
format to RTF, and then use our existing RTF importer to read it in.
> I will discribe the result of my investigations for a StarOffice import filter.
>
> There are 2 file format: StarOffice 5.x and below and OpenOffice 6.0.
> The first is an OLE based binary file format with NO documentation,
> the later is an XML variant with documentation being written, but not
> frozen.
>
>
> The binary format, aka SDW when it comes to word processors.
> It is an OLE file format with several streams inside. This allow to
> have embedded objects and other stuff.
> There is NO documentation for SDW, but there is complete source code
> implementation available, under GPL (and Sun's own license). For
> those who are interested, they can browse it at
> <http://www.openoffice.org/source/browse/sw/sw/source/core/sw3io/>
> This should be IMHO a starting point to write a documentation to then
> rewrite the import filter.
>
> Q: Why not just using the existing code ?
> A: Look at the code dependencies and you'll see that AbiWord may
> double of code size if you add these.
>
> The problem is that this implementation will require adding OLE as a
> module of AbiWord, not only of wv. It will require also to implement
> the StarOffice metafile, available elsewhere
> (http://www.openoffice.org/source/browse/graphics/), because it is
> used by graphics.
>
>
>
> The XML file format, aka SXW.
> This is a ZIP archive with an XML content and images inside. Images
> may be in PNG or in SO graphic metafile.
> So implementing this would require to put unzip code inside AbiWord.
>
> Personnally I recommand waiting as specifications are still work in progress.
>
>
> Hub
>
Best regards,
-Vlad
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