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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: another suggestion for writing new filters
From:       Thomas Zander <zander () planescape ! com>
Date:       2002-07-08 7:47:30
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On Sun, Jul 07, 2002 at 11:17:03PM +0200, Marco Zanon wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> since KOffice 1.3 is going to move towards OpenOffice format at 
> least for KWord, I tell you all an idea that I already exposed to 
> David Faure some weeks ago (he didn't like it very much :).
> 
> Since we would have to rewrite the filters from scratch or the 
> like, why not changing the idea behind them and create simple 
> command-line programs, instead of libraries?
> We could have, for instance:
> word97-2-openwriter
> rtf-2-openwriter
> wp-2-openwriter
> and so on... Those filters would return the converted file to 
> stdout, and that would be read by KWord.
> 
> My idea is to group those filters into an external project 
> (hosted by Sourceforge?).
> 
> The advantages:
> a) filters made this way would be simpler to create, even for 
> beginners (like I am: I'm not saying that creating an actual 
> KWord filter is impossible, but a simple command line application 
> is better :)

Have you ever tried it? Its really easy to create a KOffice filter
the framework is quite good, the hard part is the logic behind it,
but that has to be done anyway.
If you want you can simply use debug statements to print your stream
if you want, no difference in logic there..

> b) therefore, there would be more programmers (->manpower) 
> interested in writing filters made this way, because
Same as a)

> c) not only this project would be useful for KOffice, but also 
> for other apps (OpenOffice, AbiWord, etc.), and also
That was the idea allready, nothing to do with command line apps,
that can be done using libraries as well.

> d) the application themselves would be quicker to load (for 
> example, OpenOffice would not have to load the filters).

Why? we don't load the filters when starting the app.  It would be slower
to start a shell AND the filter when using a filter one.

> (Obviously, everything I said before could be done gradually, 
> first with KWord - which is the most used app.)

Well, since we use a common framework for all filters that is more work
in the end.
> bye :)

I think your idea needs some refinement, please dive into the filters stuff
and look at what we have now before you try to find out what can be done
to make it better :)

-- 
Thomas Zander                                           zander@planescape.com
                                                 We are what we pretend to be

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