Clarification for frame formatting property style:flow-with-text

[Oliver-Rainer Wittmann - Software Engineer - Sun Microsystems<Oliver-Rainer.Wittmann@Sun.COM>]

Dear TC members,

reviewing our OpenDocument specification draft 6 I recognized, that
OpenOffice.org has a more detailed view of the frame formatting property
style:flow-with-text than our OpenDocument specification has.

I've implemented that feature for OpenOffice.org 2.0 according to the
attached OpenOffice.org specification "Follow text flow vs. leaving
layout environment for Writer fly frames", which can be found at
http://specs.openoffice.org/writer/index.html. Later on in the
development of OpenOffice.org 2.0, this feature is adopted for drawing
shapes, too.

Due to this implementation in OpenOffice.org 2.0 this frame formatting
property style:flow-with-text has been proposed by Sun and accepted by
the ODF TC. Unfortunately, the proposal and the corresponding
OpenDocument specification text has been simplified - it covers only one
use case.

In OpenOffice.org the value of frame formatting property
style:flow-with-text in general decides, if an anchored object (frame,
graphic, embedded object, drawing shape) flows with the text of its
layout environment and thus, is captured inside its layout environment
or not. The layout environment of an anchored object is given by the
surrounding environment of its anchor. The following layout environments
exists:
- page's text area, if its anchor is inside body text.
- table cell area, if its anchor is inside a table cell.
- page header/footer area, if its anchor is inside the page header/footer.
- footnote/endnode area, if its anchor is inside a footnote/endnode.
- frame area, if its anchor is inside a frame.
The most inner surrounding enironment of its anchor defines the layout
environment of the anchored object.
E.g., The layout environment of an object, which is anchored at a
paragraph, which is inside a table, which is inside a page header, is
the table cell.

OpenOffice.org's interpretation of style:flow-with-text is the following:
- style:flow-with-text = true means, that the object flows with the text
respectively follows the text flow of its layout environment. It stays
inside its layout environment and if needed due to its position it flows
into the next corresponding layout environment - e.g. for layout
environment page's text area. If no next corresponding layout
environment exists, typical for page header/footer area, the object is
captured inside its layout environment.
There are same exceptions and special behaviors, which can be found in
the attached OpenOffice.org specification.

- style:flow-with-text = false means, that the object doesn't flow with
the text of its layout environment and thus, can leave its layout
environment. It can be positioned somewhere on the page its anchor is on.

Currently, the OpenDocument specification speaks only about the use
case, that the anchor of an object is inside the body text - layout
environment of an object is the page's text area. The other use cases
aren't mentioned.
Thus, from my point of view it would be advantageous to clarify also the
missing use cases.
I want to ask the OASIS ODF TC to consider this clarification for ODF
1.2. If the TC in general agrees I would provide the detailed
clarification, covering also the above mentioned exceptions and special
behaviors.


Regards, Oliver.

follow_text_flow_vs_leaving_environment.sxw