View Issue Details

IDProjectCategoryView StatusLast Update
0003863ScribusImport / Exportpublic2009-11-01 03:24
Reportermhanski Assigned Tofschmid  
PrioritynormalSeverityfeatureReproducibilityN/A
Status assignedResolutionopen 
Product Version1.3 
Summary0003863: Xara Extreme import/export filter
Description1. Import of Xar files as vector objects
2. Export of pages/selections to Xar files

Xar Format Specification:
http://www.xara.com/support/docs/webformat/spec/
Additional InformationXara Extreme 0.5 http://www.xaraxtreme.org/download.html looks pretty impressive, but it offers only export/import for JPEG and PNG, no EPS/PDF export filters available. Since Xara is on the best way to be the vector program for Linux, it would be good to start thinking about how to implement Xar import/export filters.
TagsNo tags attached.
Patch

Relationships

related to 0003441 closedcbradney request ability to reference external SVGs as images without importing 
related to 0000393 acknowledged SVG inside a picture frame 

Activities

christoph_s

2006-05-24 19:03

administrator   ~0011448

Since the file format seems to be really open, I'd say that supporting it in the future would be worth the efforts. It's, however, more important for Xara to support standards as EPS, PDF or SVG on all platforms.

PLucAuclair

2006-05-26 04:34

reporter   ~0011474

You should rather wait for Xara to support EPS files, I'm pretty sure they'll add it later.

cbradney

2006-05-26 20:07

administrator   ~0011487

Disagree. EPS is an old format and cannot handle the possibilities of the future well. PS already doesn't handle transparency well/at all.

mhanski

2006-05-26 23:25

developer   ~0011492

Xara's list of remaining tasks prior to 1.0 release:

http://www.xaraxtreme.org/developers/general/tasks_remaining_prior_to_1.0.html

There are EPS/SVG/CDR export/import filters on this list, but IMHO the requested native support for Xar would ease future workflows.

ringerc

2006-05-27 09:21

reporter   ~0011496

I'd be rather interested in seeing what can be done with using Xara to support its files, rather than implementing filters. Filters are the immediate choice because we're used to closed-source apps that not everyone has - but I see no problem in saying that to support Xara files, we require the user to have a current install of Xara.

Having Xara able to co-operate would be very interesting. When the user links to a xar file we'd just spawn Xara in the background (GUI-less) and use *it* to do the rendering. That'd offer possibilities like getting Xara Xtreme to send us scaled bitmap renders for the canvas, high-res renders for bitmap export, and even PS or PDF snippets to include in PS/PDF output.

It's just an idea for an alternative approach. I'm not sure if it's better or worse, more work or less. It's worth putting on the table, though. This was discussed a bit at LGM and the Xara guys seemed to think it was an interesting idea, but it was really only an in-passing thing when talking about interop.

mhanski

2006-05-28 22:52

developer   ~0011512

ringerc, good thinking:) And, if you required a current install of Xara and only linked Xar files instead of importing them, using Xara to do all the work in the background, it wouldn't probably be asked too much to have Xara as an external editor for those linked Xar files (the same way it works now with bitmaps and gimp-remote). It's been requested and discussed for SVG files, too --see 0000393 and 0003441.

plinnell

2006-05-31 23:19

viewer   ~0011541

adding this is a later 1.3.x roadmap item

louisdesjardins

2006-06-01 18:29

developer   ~0011546

<quoting Craig Ringer>Filters are the immediate choice because we're used to closed-source apps that not everyone has - but I see no problem in saying that to support Xara files, we require the user to have a current install of Xara.<endquote>

I want to emphasize over the short and enthusiastic comment by mhanski on Craig's idea. This is very interesting, indeed. It's a new way of looking at development and use of free software and I think it is worth mentionning! It is a very different ball game from what we're used to.

mhanski

2006-08-02 08:50

developer   ~0012087

Last edited: 2006-08-02 09:40

ringerc: having second thoughts about the proposed solution. What about Win32 and Mac OSX users? It doesn't look like Xara folks would plan a free Win32 version, and the MacOSX port has not even started.

ringerc

2006-08-02 10:50

reporter   ~0012088

Seems alright to me. Windows users bought windows; they can buy Xara. Later, I'd be surprised if it wasn't possible to bring a stripped down version of Xara LX over for just this use.

I certainly think it's a much better alternative than trying to implement the Xara file format. Seriously. Check out the app's examples in detail and you'll start to see what it can do, and how hard it'd be to handle its capabilities accurately. It's blending alone would be a huge job.

PLucAuclair

2006-08-03 20:25

reporter   ~0012103

Yeah but it doesn't *have to*. We probably will never have fractals and stuff like that, and the user can just rasterize for import.

We already have a limitation with PDF, let's stick to that.

Issue History

Date Modified Username Field Change
2006-05-24 11:01 mhanski New Issue
2006-05-24 19:03 christoph_s Note Added: 0011448
2006-05-26 04:34 PLucAuclair Note Added: 0011474
2006-05-26 20:07 cbradney Note Added: 0011487
2006-05-26 21:43 mhanski Relationship added related to 0000393
2006-05-26 23:25 mhanski Note Added: 0011492
2006-05-27 09:21 ringerc Note Added: 0011496
2006-05-28 21:31 mhanski Relationship added related to 0003441
2006-05-28 22:52 mhanski Note Added: 0011512
2006-05-31 23:19 plinnell Note Added: 0011541
2006-05-31 23:19 plinnell Status new => confirmed
2006-06-01 18:29 louisdesjardins Note Added: 0011546
2006-08-02 08:50 mhanski Note Added: 0012087
2006-08-02 08:52 mhanski Note Edited: 0012087
2006-08-02 09:40 mhanski Note Edited: 0012087
2006-08-02 10:50 ringerc Note Added: 0012088
2006-08-03 20:25 PLucAuclair Note Added: 0012103
2009-11-01 03:24 christoph_s Status confirmed => assigned
2009-11-01 03:24 christoph_s Assigned To => fschmid