File formats that should be supported by Scribus (wish list)

Below is a list of file formats users think should be supported by Scribus. This doesn't mean that they will be actually supported, but the list will save numerous bug reports/RFEs. Feel free to add your suggestions. Please also see the Scribus FAQ on propietary imports

Note: Some of these formats may impossible to support for patent (in the U.S) and/or other practical reasons. Notably, no public documentation or mis-matches where a program X has a feature or vice versa. I have added some comments with * to indicate status or existing request --mrdocs 00:24, 17 March 2007 (CET)

=Import=

DTP

 * PageStream (file format spec is available here)
 * InDesign Exchange files (INX) IN PROGRESS
 * InDesign Markup Language (IDML) IN PROGRESS
 * FrameMaker Interchange Format (MIF). The spec is available (PDF) from Adobe.
 * QuarkXPress Tags – documentation available here and here (PDF) IN PROGRESS
 * Xtags IN PROGRESS
 * Quark QXML files
 * VivaDesigner XML files.

Text

 * AbiWord (initial, but maybe outdated info here and here. Contact the AbiWord developers for further information) IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * AmiPro/WordPro (KWord has an import filter for sam files, OO.o can import lwp files). See also here.
 * Apple Pages *Basic documentation that may be sufficient for useable text import filters can be found here).
 * AppleWorks (AbiWord has an import filter for cwk files). IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * Applix Word (KWord and AbiWord have an import filter for aw files). See also here and here. IN PROGRESS
 * DocBook (AbiWord has an import filter for xml and dbk files). References can be found here and here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * KWord *Kword is moving to Open Document - already supported by Scribus. (AbiWord has an import filter for kwd files). See also here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * LaTeX
 * LyX
 * MHTML (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHTML, http://people.dsv.su.se/~jpalme/ietf/mhtml.html)
 * MS Word 95 *Partly supported via antiword. If Antiword is installed, Scribus will automatically detect this. The Windows versions of Scribus have this already installed with the installer. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * Microsoft Compiled HTML Help Files (CHM) via CHMLIB. See: http://code.google.com/p/htmlhelp/wiki/CHM
 * MS Works (OO.o has an msw importer)
 * MS Write (AbiWord has an import filter for wri files.) See also here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * Papyrus: No public spec available. Ask R.O.M. Logicware for the necessary information.
 * RTF (Cf. librtf) IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * StarOffice Writer 3x-5x (AbiWord has an import filter for sdw files). Basic information can be obtained here and here. IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.
 * TextMaker No public spec available. Ask Softmaker for the necessary information.
 * WordPerfect *A library for that purpose already exists: libwpd IN PROGRESS. See: AbiWord Plugin Project.

Bitmap

 * Corel Photopaint – CPT files are based on TIFF, so that an import filter shouldn't be hard to write, according to Boudewijn Rempt.
 * GIMP -  The GIMP developers have specifically recommended against using XCF as an interchange or import as some of the format relies on GIMP internals. Export TIFF or PNG.
 * IMG/IMG GEM (still used by Corel Ventura Publisher)
 * Kodak Photo CD See here.
 * Krita: According to Boudewijn Rempt from Krita, "the pixel data is 64x64 blocks of as many bytes as needed for a pixel, and the rest is xml and self-explanatory."
 * Mac Pict PICT tech doc from Apple. XaraLX has a PICT import filter.
 * PaintBrush Image (PCX) (See: http://www.qzx.com/pc-gpe/pcx.txt)
 * PaintShop Pro (GIMP has an import filter), See here, here and here.
 * Photoline
 * Picture Publisher
 * Sun Rasterfile File Format Doc ImageMagick can convert it
 * Truevision Targa (TGA/VDA/ICB/VST) – TGA v1 specification, TGA v2 specification
 * Windows Bitmap (BMP, RLE)

Vector
A closer look at ai2svg, an Illustrator to SVG converter written in Python might be useful. Moreover, skencil and sK1 have native ai support.
 * Acorn Draw (Cf. http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=112) UniConvertor can convert AFF to SVG and EPS. The spec is available here. DONE (GSoC 2008)
 * Adobe Illustrator - The native format of Illustrator 9.0+ is actually PDF. PARTIALLY DONE FOR 9+ IN 1.3.5
 * Corel Draw – UniConvertor can convert CDR 7-X4 files to SVG and EPS. DONE (GSoC 2008)
 * Corel Presentation Exchange Format *UniConvertor can convert CMX to SVG and EPS. DONE (GSoC 2008)
 * Dia (See http://svn.gnome.org/viewvc/dia/trunk/doc/)
 * Enhanced Metafile - libEMF is a LGPL library.
 * Karbon14 from KOffice
 * Kivio
 * Macromedia Freehand
 * Micrografx/Corel Designer (DSF)
 * Micrografx Draw (DRW)
 * StarOffice Draw 3x-5x – Use OO.o code? --C schaefer 02:19, 16 February 2008 (CET)
 * MS Visio (vsd) and Visio XML (vdx). See vdxtosvg and the vdx spec. See also: http://www.redferni.uklinux.net/dia/vdx/
 * Windows Metafile *Cf. libwmf MOSTLY DONE IN 1.3.5
 * WordPerfect Graphics *Cf. libwpg-
 * Xara Xtreme – The spec is available here
 * Xfig MOSTLY DONE IN 1.3.5
 * XPS (The spec is available from MS).

Other

 * Acorn !Impression (Cf. http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=115).
 * A spec (sort of) can be found here.
 * Code to read files can be found here.
 * Apple Keynote
 * OpenOffice.org Presentation
 * OpenDocument Presentation
 * PowerPoint 95
 * PowerPoint 97-2003
 * StarOffice Impress 3x-5x

The difficulty with presentation file formats is they often have embedded objects beyond the native graphics.


 * ChordPro (see http://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=3408)

=Export=
 * PDF/X-1a IN PROGRESS
 * PDF/X-4 IN PROGRESS
 * PDF/X-5
 * XPS