Import filters and Features

[Miklos Vajna]

Hi Tomas,

On Mon, May 27, 2013 at 09:49:41PM +0200, Tomas Hlavaty <tom at logand.com> wrote:
> Inspired by your talk about import filters, I would like to ask what is
> the usual strategy to addressing impedance mismatch between features
> covered in an input file format and LibreOffice internal representation?
> E.g. when a feature is missing in the ODF format?

When you see a feature that is supported by the Word formats, you start
to tweak the filter, then realize that this feature is missing not only
in the filter but in core, then you basically want to add a new Writer
feature.

You typically need to go through the following topics:

- Document model
- UNO API
- Layout
- Filters
- Tests
- UI
- Documentation
- Extending ODF spec

(This is all detailed in
<https://speakerdeck.com/vmiklos/how-to-add-a-new-writer-feature>.)

> spec?  If the later, I guess input filters can never be made to work
> correctly?

The story is better here: we by default write ODF 1.2 Extended, where we
can add our new attributes next to the standard ODF 1.2. Once we have a
working implementation, the new extension can be proposed to be part of
the ODF standard:

https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Development/ODF_Implementer_Notes#LibreOffice_ODF_extensions

If the above long list scares you, then initially just focus on having
something that can be seen: the document model, the layout and the doc
import filter. Then the rest can be done incrementally afterwards.

HTH,

Miklos
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