Re: [office-comment] Committee Draft 01 of ODF 1.2: Formula specificationmissing (change of modal verb and conformance requirement)

[robert_weir@us.ibm.com]

Jesper Lund Stocholm <4a4553504552@gmail.com> wrote on 02/23/2009 03:26:58 
AM:

> 
> Hi all,
> 
> While commenting on Doug Mahugh's blog on
> http://blogs.msdn.com/dmahugh/archive/2009/02/19/building-consensus-
> around-odf-1-2.aspx
> I noticed that ODF 1.2 still lacks a way of specifying formulae used
> in spreadsheets.
> 
> Section 18.648 table:formula states:
> 
> "Every formula should begin with a namespace prefix specifying the
> syntax and semantics used within the formula."
> 
> First,
> 
> I believe the word "should" must be replaced with "shall". Having
> unqualified formulas does not make any sense in this highly critical
> area of spreadsheet usage.
> 

I agree.  We did have such language in an earlier iteration of the draft. 
However, one member was uncomfortable having that forward reference to 
OpenFormula until we had that Part edited and ready for approval as well. 
So we'll finish editing OpenFormula first and then add the appropriate 
language to 18.648.

> Second,
> 
> Q: Is it the intention to have OOF ready for Part 2 for approval of ODF 
1.2?
> 

Yes.  We might do the OASIS public review of the parts independently, to 
make the best use of time.   That way we can finish editing one part while 
the review of the other parts are still being edited.  However, the intent 
is to approve all the parts at the same time, since they are all integral 
parts of ODF 1.2.

> If so, the namespace of
> "urn:oasis:names:tc:opendocument:xmlns:openformula:1.0" should be
> added to the list of known namespaces in section 1.3 thereby making it
> the conformant way of specifying formulae in ODF 1.2.
> 

Yes.

> If OOF will not be ready for ODF 1.2 approval, I think the only viable
> option is to include the way of IS29500 as the conformant way of doing
> formulas in ODF 1.2. I don't think there is a namespace currently in
> use for spreadsheet formulae in IS29500, but I am sure WG4 will be
> helpful with registering one for this purpose.
>

OpenFormula was created with the intent of having it be the value of 
table:formula.  That's why we created the Formula Subcommittee, and that 
is what its charter called for it to do.   I have not heard anyone on the 
TC request recognition for any other formula languages in ODF.  This is 
not surprising, since OpenFormula was created by looking at the formula 
languages used by all of the vendors, OpenOffice, Gnumeric, KSpread, 
Quattro Pro, Excel, 1-2-3, etc.  So most of the vendors are already "on 
board" for OpenFormula and have been since the start.
 
-Rob