Re: WMF export on Linux

[Cyrille Chepelov <cyrille chepelov org>]

Le Wed, Mar 26, 2003, à 11:20:39PM +0100, Hans Breuer a écrit:

> Another way would be to look in the source directory of the exiting
> wmf plug-in and just extend it ;) from dia/plug-ins/wmf_gdi.cpp :
> 
> /*
>  * WMF_GDI is an implementation of Windoze GDI functions required
>  * for saving of Windows Meta Files, if the Win32 API isn't 
>  * available. It isn't finished yet but shoud be easily extendable
>  * for someone interested in Dia WMF support on non Windoze 
>  * platforms.
>  *
>  * (c) 2000 Hans Breuer <Hans@Breuer.Org>
>  [...]
>  */

Yup. (without looking more at the code than the comment snippet you've
posted), it looks like -- licence compliance notwithstanding -- it would be
a good idea to snarf up libwmf's implementation and weld them in the compat
layer you started to write. Or better, just have your compat layer call
libwmf for implementation. Or maybe I'm talking too much out of my socks.

> Last time I looked the only thing libwmf offered was wmf import.
> And I still can't believe that the marshalled gdi mess (aka wmf)
> is the right choice for vector data exchange ...

It's not, but it works (semi) great to put stuff into Word quickly. On a
sanely installed & configured machine, SVG all the way or Postscript
(depending on the application), no doubt.

> The formats which I would try are svg (if the destination program
> is reasonable modern) or wpg for older destinations. Importing
> them into Word or even better WordPerfect worked quite reasonable
> last time I looked.

CGM is another candidate for old-style import attempts. On windows, I always
try WMF, then WPG, then CGM, then fall back on PNG (unless I know for sure
SVG is here, which is, never at this point (museum-grade computer).

	-- Cyrille

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