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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: Explanation on WP vs DTP modes in KWord (Re: Kde-cvs-digest request for information)
From:       Thomas Diehl <thd () kde ! org>
Date:       2002-12-01 10:25:17
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Am Samstag, 30. November 2002 22:37 schrieb Dirk Schönberger:

> I think I understand this "page layout" mode. I haven't worked with the
> "bigger" applications, like Ventura, or FrameMaker, but with some smaller
> application suite, which allows for a similar model.
> But I don't quite understand the differences (e.g. in User Interface) for
> the "large block of text" mode. Care to explain?

In a two-different-apps-approach there would be a lot of overlap, of course. 
But for a page layout program it would probably not be a big priority to have 
indexing, mail merge, database publishing features, spread sheet support, 
version control and diff features, support for external texts and pictures, 
elaborate spell-checking and hyphenation features, footnotes, automatic 
cross-references and a lot of other things which are typical requirements for 
long structured documents (like book publishing, academic and partly office 
work).

This could imply a lot of GUI differences. The WP-oriented program could eg 
look more like KWord, the page layouter more like Karbon (but would need a 
lot more text manipulation features, support for longer documents etc.). It 
would be essential, of course, to make it easy to import stuff from one 
program into the other for the "borderline cases" (like coffee table books or 
graphics intensive catalogs).

> Again, I don't know Ventura Navigator, so please be patient :)
> I have some trouble visualizing a document structure view which mixes
> logical structure (chapters, headings and the like) with layout / visually
> oriented items, like the frames on a page.

The Ventura Navigator does not really "mix" such things. There are different 
Navigator views with extra functionality. And for styles (called "tags" in 
Ventura) there's a separate "Tag Window" (which allows eg drag & drop of 
frame or paragraph settings into style sheets that are shown in the 
Navigator). Maybe this becomes somewhat clearer if you look at the screenshot 
at http://www.dtp-service.com/ventura/ventura_navigator.png 

There you'll see the "Publication Manager" view of the "Navigator" in the 
lower right area. This view allows to easily rearrange style sheets, 
chapters, texts, and pictures, add chapters, embed items or make them 
external, switch between open publications, jump to certain items by 
double-clicking on them etc. It could probably also be used to re-arrange 
single pages if you want to make them an extra item. Using the drop down menu 
you can switch from Publication Manager view to others like "Table of 
Contents", "Index", "Markers/Cross-References", "Page Tags", "Scripts" with 
different functionality (such as updating indices or TOCs). If you have 
enough screen space you can also have several Navigator views at the same 
time.

Above the Navigator you see the Tag Window, in this case with the Frame Tags. 
Via tabs you can switch to Paragraph, Character, Page, and Rule settings (in 
Ventura 10 probably also to Table settings). You can change all basic 
settings directly in this Tag Window, for more special stuff you have to 
resort to the Format menus and their dialogs.

> One of the things I absolutely don't like about the "professional" DTP
> applications is their non-sharing attitude and their
> non-interchangeability, i.e. all applications are specialist tools, but the
> general useability, like common file formats, common clipboard exchange,
> common clipart/graphics support, common GUI ..., is non-existant.

Except -- to some degree -- if they are from the same manufacturer 
(like Adobe or Corel). But on the whole it's the typical attitude of 
proprietary software like anywhere else, due to the complexity and the 
history of some pretty old and mostly Mac-based programs somewhat more than 
anywhere else.

> Somehow I don't have the impression that the Scribus authors are interested
> much in this direction. This make it rather difficult as a KOffice
> component, at least IMHO.

We'll see ...

Thomas

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