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) (jainbasil) IN PROGRESS
 * InCopy Markup Language (ICML).
 * InDesign Markup Language (IDML) (jainbasil) DONE
 * FrameMaker Interchange Format (MIF). The spec is available (PDF) from Adobe.
 * Microsoft Publisher (PUB). While the PUB format isn't documented at all, it seems to use existing MS formats like DOC, WMF etc., so it may be possible to create at least a basic import filter.
 * QuarkXPress Tags – documentation available here and here (PDF) (jainbasil) DONE
 * Xtags
 * Quark QXML files. No spec available.
 * Serif PagePlus PPP files (the new XML-based version). No spec available.
 * VivaDesigner XML files. No spec available.

Text

 * AbiWord (initial, but maybe outdated info here and here. Contact the AbiWord developers for further information)
 * 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 usable text import filters can be found here).
 * AppleWorks (AbiWord has an import filter for cwk files).
 * Applix Word (KWord and AbiWord have an import filter for aw files). See also here and here.
 * DocBook (AbiWord has an import filter for xml and dbk files). References can be found here and here. IN PROGRESS.
 * KWord *Kword is moving to Open Document - already supported by Scribus. (AbiWord has an import filter for kwd files). See also here.
 * LaTeX (might be possible via plasTeX to DocBook)
 * LyX
 * MHTML (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MHTML, http://people.dsv.su.se/~jpalme/ietf/mhtml.html)
 * Better MS Word import (formatting, styles) via wvWare
 * Microsoft Compiled HTML Help Files (CHM) via CHMLIB. See: http://code.google.com/p/htmlhelp/wiki/CHM
 * MS DOCX
 * MS Works (OO.o has an msw importer)
 * MS Write (AbiWord has an import filter for wri files.) See also here.
 * Papyrus: No public spec available. Ask R.O.M. Logicware for the necessary information.
 * RTF IN PROGRESS (jainbasil)
 * StarOffice Writer 3x-5x (AbiWord has an import filter for sdw files). Basic information can be obtained here and here.
 * TextMaker No public spec available. Ask Softmaker for the necessary information.
 * WordPerfect IN PROGRESS (jainbasil)

Bitmap

 * Corel Photopaint (CPT) – CPT files are based on TIFF, so that an import filter shouldn't be hard to write, according to Boudewijn Rempt.
 * GIMP (XCF) – 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. DONE (GSoC 2008, GraphicksMagick)
 * IMG/IMG GEM (still used by Corel Ventura Publisher)
 * Kodak Photo CD See here. DONE (GSoC 2008, via GraphicksMagick)
 * Krita (KRA): 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."
 * Apple PICT (fschmid) DONE
 * Open Raster (ORA) -- Once a reliable spec is available ...
 * PaintBrush Image (PCX) DONE (GSoC 2008, GraphicksMagick)
 * PaintShop Pro (GIMP has an import filter), See here, here and here.
 * Photoline
 * Picture Publisher
 * Sun Rasterfile DONE DONE (GSoC 2008, GraphicksMagick)
 * Truevision Targa (TGA/VDA/ICB/VST) DONE (GSoC 2008, GraphicksMagick)
 * Windows Bitmap (BMP, RLE) DONE (1.3.9+)

Vector

 * Acorn Draw (AFF) DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * Adobe Illustrator (fschmid) DONE
 * Autocad Drawing Exchange Format (DXF) DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * Calamus Vector Graphics (CVG) (fschmid) DONE
 * Computer Graphics Metafile (CGM) (fschmid) DONE
 * Corel Draw DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * Corel Presentation Exchange Format DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * Dia (See http://svn.gnome.org/viewvc/dia/trunk/doc/)
 * DXF DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * Enhanced Metafile - libEMF is a LGPL library.
 * Karbon14 (KARBON) from KOffice
 * KChart (CHRT) from KOffice
 * Kivio (FLW)
 * Macromedia Freehand
 * Micrografx/Corel Designer (DSF)
 * Micrografx Draw (DRW) (fschmid) DONE
 * OpenDocument charts (ODC)
 * Apple PICT (fschmid) DONE
 * Hewlett-Packard Graphics Language (PLT) DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)
 * 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/
 * MS Visio Stencils, i.e.: clipart (VSS/VSX) See: http://www.gnome.ru/fileformats/stencils.html
 * Windows Metafile (jghali) DONE
 * WordPerfect Graphics (fschmid) DONE
 * Xara Xtreme (XAR) (fschmid) DONE
 * Xfig (FIG) DONE
 * XPS (The spec is available from MS).

Resources

 * Swatches (see the format documentation)
 * Adobe formats (acb, acbl, acf, aco, act, ase, bcf, clr) (fschmid) IN PROGRESS
 * AutoCAD (acb) (fschmid) DONE
 * Corel formats (cpl, pal)
 * Generic (eps, ai) (fschmid) DONE
 * GIMP (gpl) (fschmid) DONE
 * OpenOffice.org (soc) (fschmid) DONE
 * Quark (qcl)
 * sK1 (fschmid) DONE
 * Swatchbooker (sbz)
 * VivaDesigner (xml) (fschmid) DONE
 * Gradients
 * GIMP gradients (ggr) (fschmid) DONE
 * OpenDocument gradients (sog) (fschmid) IN PROGRESS
 * Photohop gradients (grd) (fschmid) IN PROGRESS
 * Illustrator gradients (AI/EPS)
 * Patterns
 * Illustrator vector patterns (AI/EPS)
 * Photoshop patterns (pat)
 * GIMP patterns (pat) (fschmid) DONE
 * OpenDocument hatching (soh)
 * OpenDocument pattern table (sob)

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) IN PROGRESS


 * InDesign Proof Profiles (IDPP)

=Export=

Page Description Formats

 * PDF/X-1a DONE
 * PDF/X-4 DONE
 * PDF/X-5
 * XPS

DTP Exchange Formats

 * ICML
 * IDML

Formatted Text

 * ODT
 * RTF
 * XPress Tags
 * Xtags