1.5.x Roadmap

For the latest developments and release plans see: Scribus 1.5.0 Release Schedule. Both documents should be considered to be communicating pipes.

Legend Status Column:

Import/Export/Printing

 * Integrate UniConvertor. This would enable Scribus to import CorelDRAW 7-X4 (CDR/CDT/CCX/CDRX/CMX), Adobe Illustrator up to version 9 (PostScript based), Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM), Skencil/Sketch/sK1 (SK and SK1) and Acorn Draw (AFF) files. DONE (Note that UniConvertor is currently being rewritten from scratch. Also, as of v. 1.5 Scribus has its own AI and CGM importers, and libcdr has moved well past UniConvertor, so it would probably be better to integrate libcdr.)

Scripter

 * Asynchronous or independently threaded Python execution (qt will provide a lot of this for free without requiring real threads ... if it can be made to work) (see patches in Using Qt from the Python interface) IN PROGRESS 

Misc

 * Ability to clone frames like Inkscape can, allowing, for example, text frames on various layers to have the same size and attributes, except different content (eg layers for various translations of a doc). When one is moved, they all move, when one is resized they all resize etc. .."Linked Layer Objects" ? #1704 (fschmid) DONE

General

 * Make Scribus "headless" (i.e., allow for the development of a server version)
 * New file format and DTD, 100% XML compliant #111 (avox, malex, jghali, fschmid) IN PROGRESS
 * New Colour Storage Format with various options eg, index, name, number, rgba, cmyk, spots, etc. See New Colours Format
 * Database publishing (with support of popular SQL databases both open source like MySQL, PostgreSQL and proprietary systems like Oracle/IBM DB2 as well as XQuery)
 * New non modal Resource Manager dialog IN PROGRESS
 * Improvements to Master Pages (avox, jghali) IN PROGRESS
 * Drop shadows for items (fschmd) DONE

Import/Export

 * Rewrite the SVG import/export code
 * Unified Export dialog for all file formats, including more export options for non-PDF files e.g. EPS, SVG, TIFF). CorelDraw does this exceptionally well.
 * Add more export options (IDML, PUB, ODT etc.)
 * Create the transparency flattener
 * Text import filter for TextMaker (TMD) files (the company owner has offered to let a developer look at the TM source code to figure out what is needed to create a text import filter).
 * Import of complete OpenDocument word processing (ODT) documents
 * XPS/OXPS export/import (fschmid) DONE
 * Investigate what other file formats from the wish list could be imported. IN PROGRESS
 * Preserve fonts when we import a PDF into Scribus.
 * Convert PDF text in real Scribus text block when we import a PDF into Scribus.
 * New file open and save dialog class to handle multiple file location options, e.g. local, NFS, kio, WebDAV. These would be used in import and export plugins, SLA open/save, get/save text functions. They would pass a stream pointer/filename etc to the resulting plugin for the operation. *#1693
 * Enhancements to the PostScript Importer:
 * Fill patterns
 * Gradients
 * Type3 fonts; vector/bitmaps
 * Honour fill rule for clipping
 * Add WordPerfect Importer #3589 IN PROGRESS
 * Add RTF Importer/Exporter
 * Investigate the use of libabiword and AbiWord filters for import of formatted text, as it would provide about 30 new text formats that could be imported. IN PROGRESS
 * Import of CLS, EPS and AI symbol libraries for CorelDraw/Illustrator
 * Import of XML files like DocBook or InDesign Tagged Text

Text Frames/Typography

 * Rewrite the Story Editor
 * Support for OpenType alternate glyphs #1413

Colour Management/Printing

 * Support for all types of digital printing devices
 * Tool to create 3D preview to see leaflet and brochure "in real" and save it in *.tif or print it. Useful to present the graphic concept to the client.
 * Option to print PostScript errors #1441
 * RGB profiled export for bubblejets (Note: CMYK for PDF-X/3 only!) #1697, 1271 (jghali)
 * Add Support for DeviceGray and Indexed Colors #3540 (jghali) PARTIALLY DONE
 * Preflight Enhancements #4569

Scripter

 * Access to the Scribus core from Python outside of Scribus GUI/scripter. (DCOP? CORBA/XML-RPC?) #1675

Usability

 * Font preview in font selectors
 * Enhancement to Scratch Space #1989