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List:       koffice
Subject:    Re: Making koStore more ... hackable :)
From:       weis () stud ! uni-frankfurt ! de
Date:       1999-06-11 19:40:27
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Hi,

On Fri, 11 Jun 1999, Michael Koch wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> Am Fre, 11 Jun 1999 schrieb David Faure:
> > Currently koStore saves binary data using binary headers
> > (see writeHeader in koStore.cc).
> > This makes it VERY difficult to hack a koffice file
> > containing pixmaps.
> > The goal of XML _is_ to make files hackable, and
> > that's what's so great about it.
> > 
> > Proposal :
> > converting koStore to XML (for the headers only, not for the data !)
> > 
> > koStore would write using KS02 as magic header (version number increased)
> > and would write the headers (filename, size, mimetype, ...) using XML.
> > When reading, it would detect the version number and call the appropriate
> > routine -> keeping current files readable.
> > 
> > Problem : writing XML is very easy.
> > Reading XML is a bit less easy.
> > Should koStore use the XML parser for this, or is it overkill and it should
> > simply read the XML itself, assuming a correct structure and skipping the XML tags ?
> 
> I like this idea.
> 
> We should do as much fileformats as possible in XML. XML ist
> very easy to parse. Other apps (non KDE/KO) can write import filters for KO
> files.
> 
> We can encode binary data with UUencode and store it in the XML-file without
> using a binary format. I know. This bloats the file but only by the factor 8/7
> ~= 1.1428. I think this is acceptable.
> 
> Any comments ?

It is acceptable, but we have to
a) Zip/Unzip automatically to take bloat down again
b) Rewrite some code that uses the IDL interface of KoStore.
  I think you want to write embedded documents, too.

But b) hurts, since we would uuencode all emebdded documents.
If the embedded document itself writes XML, then we would uuencode
XML -> Nobody can read the XML of embedded documents. That is not
with KoStore currently.

I think XML is nice, but if you wish to mix structures data with
binary data like images etc, then you are better off with a binary
file format like koStore has one.

Bye
Torben

> --
> Michael Koch
> 
> KDE fan, enthusiast and developer
> projects: Katabase and KImageShop
> writing documentation of KOM/OP
> 
> student of computer science at
> university of applied sciences
> Darmstadt, Germany
> 
> m_koch@bigfoot.de and mkoch@mail.riednet.wh.tu-darmstadt
> http://www.riednet.wh.tu-darmstadt/~mkoch
> 
> 

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