[Libreoffice] Approaches to enable international number format import/export in Calc

[Samphan Raruenrom]

Surprisingly, Calc doesn't support or even handle import/export from/to 
Excel international number format, result in lost of information from 
dates in non-western locale when convert.

For example, these dates in Excel (see i18ndate.xls 
<https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=explorer&chrome=true&srcid=0B__gfZ8MHOEoMDg2YjQ2ZmQtNTlkZi00NDZkLTk4ZGMtNWU4ZmQyMTdjMWUy&hl=en> 
file)


When import to Calc will become


The reason is that Excel international number format (LCID) is 
completely different from Calc's.
See 
https://office.microsoft.com/en-us/excel-help/creating-international-number-formats-HA001034635.aspx

The correct import would generate the following in Calc (see 
manually-fixed i18ndate.ods 
<https://docs.google.com/leaf?id=0B__gfZ8MHOEoYTc5NzY1NjEtZDUyNS00NjBlLWEzODMtOWU4MmNjNzZhYjY5&hl=en>)

(note: still see difference in how Excel and Calc interpret Hijri calendar)

See LibO bug
https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=33089
and the original OOo issue
http://openoffice.org/bugzilla/show_bug.cgi?id=93503

In bugzilla, I and Kohei have made a discussion about the approaches to 
fix this problem :-
1) When import from Excel, convert Excel LCID (4-8 hex digits) to Calc's 
natnum and calendar specifier. When export reverse the process to 
generate the appropriate Excel LCID.
2) When import form Excel, maintain Excel LCID as-is in Calc number 
format. When export use the LCID already there.

Since this is a feature that effect many non-western locales. Each with 
specific details in how they handle local calendars and natnums. I think 
we should make this important decision first, before we start to 
implement it. This will benefit every non-western locales with natnums 
and/or local calendars. I know because this is the top-priority bug in 
Thai, to convert date in buddhist calendar from Excel. Other non-western 
locales must have faced similar problems.

So what do you think?

-- 
_/|\_ Samphan Raruenrom.  Osdev - Open Source Development Co., Ltd.
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