File formats that should be supported by Scribus (wish list)
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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/fschmid) IN PROGRESS
- FrameMaker Interchange Format (MIF). The spec is available (PDF) from Adobe.
- Microsoft Publisher (PUB). See http://www.libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/microsoft-publisher-converter-officially-released
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- AbiWord (initial, but maybe outdated info here and here.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 RasterfileDONE 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) DONEAutocad Drawing Exchange Format (DXF)DONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)Calamus Vector Graphics (CVG)(fschmid) DONEComputer Graphics Metafile (CGM)(fschmid) DONECorel DrawDONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)Corel Presentation Exchange FormatDONE (GSoC 2008; UniConvertor)- Dia (See http://svn.gnome.org/viewvc/dia/trunk/doc/)
DXFDONE (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) DONEHewlett-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) DONEWordPerfect Graphics(fschmid) DONEXara Xtreme (XAR)(fschmid) DONEXfig (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) DONEGIMP (gpl)(fschmid) DONEOpenOffice.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).
- 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-1aDONEPDF/X-4DONE- PDF/X-5
- XPS
DTP Exchange Formats
- ICML
- IDML
Formatted Text
- ODT
- RTF
- XPress Tags
- Xtags