Re: [office] Tabulator (TAB) questions to implementors

["C. Boemann" <cbo@boemann.dk>]

On Monday 14 October 2013 14:05:25 Svante Schubert wrote:
> Are tabulators being inherited in ODF XML similar as style properties are?
> Perhaps the first question should be: Are all other style properties
> being inherited in all circumstances?
> 
> Regarding Tabs:
> Within a content (or styles) XML file within a package a TAB declaration
> may look like:
> <style:style style:name="Heading_20_1" style:display-name="Heading 1"
> style:family="paragraph">
>     <style:paragraph-properties>
>         <style:tab-stops>
>             <style:tab-stop style:position="2cm"/>
>             <style:tab-stop style:position="3cm"/>
>             <style:tab-stop style:position="5.001cm"/>
> 
> Explained by ODF 1.2 via
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/os/OpenDocument-v1.2-os-part1.html#el
> ement-style_tab-stops
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/os/OpenDocument-v1.2-os-part1.html#e
> lement-style_tab-stop
> 
> and inheritance is mentioned for <style:style>
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/os/OpenDocument-v1.2-os-part1.html#el
> ement-style_style
> 
> From a simple test in one ODF application it seems TABs are NOT being
> inherited, which seems wrong at the first sight, but when taking a look
> OOXML, where TABs are being inherited, but can be ignored on paragraph
> level via a 'clear' attribute, the absolute writing of TABs would
> guarantee interoperability.
> 
> Please note, the inheritance within the XML, does not say anything about
> about the inheritance during run-time. Even without inheritance, full
> absolute TAB positioning for every paragraph there would be run-time
> inheritance possible.
> 
> If we want to inherit TABS during run-time, we would on the other hand
> require something similar to 'clear' to guarantee interoperability among
> the ISO Office format standards.
>
not quite sure what you mean with run-time, but in Calligra the tabs are 
inherited.

If by run-time you mean that we keep the style-inheritance tree and are able 
to save it back, then yes Callgra does that as well but apart from it being a 
requirement for roundtripping i don't see how this is relevant to the standard 
as such.

As far as a clear attribute for tabs, then the standard is to have the normal 
repeatng tabs after the last tab, so ifyou want to "clear" you would just make 
a definition with no tabs

> PS: In addition we might want to define the following attribute for TABs
> as well
> http://docs.oasis-open.org/office/v1.2/os/OpenDocument-v1.2-os-part1.html#at
> tribute-text_relative-tab-stop-position as currently the position dependent
> on the following settings.xml flag:
> 
> <config:config-item config:name="TabsRelativeToIndent"
> config:type="boolean">false</config:config-item>
> 
> It defines, if the left-margin have to be added to the tab position.
Yeah I agree this is something that in a perfect world needs to be closer to 
the real standard, but not something set for each style either.

So let's document but if we move this setting elsewhere we are just ntroducing 
even more complexity.

best regards
Camilla Boemann