[ODFPlugtest] Mail from Thierry Hoornaert

[Michiel Leenaars]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: RE: Test items
Date: Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:44:15 +0200
From: Thierry Hoornaert <thierry.hoornaert at lettergen.com>
To: Michiel Leenaars <michiel at nlnet.nl>

Hi Michiel,

Our LetterGen is a professional document generation solution that is 
using xml data and predefined ODF files (with variables and embedded 
logic) to create very personalized documents (letters, contracts, forms 
etc.) with speed and professional quality. The result are ODF files.
These ODF files should have the same looks in OpenOffice,  LibreOffice, 
MS Word or any other (ODF-compatible) wordprocessor.
These files could also be converted to PDF and DOC/DOCX format without 
loss of quality nor content.

Things we/our users struggle with in OpenOffice and LibreOffice:
- Selecting text that is in front of graphics is not possible without 
the keyboard (click and drag, shift-click).
- Frames (very important to us) crashes the application if one decimal 
tab is placed in the (smaller) cell.
- It is somewhat difficult to select text that is close to frames. A 
magnet zone of around 3 mm around frames to help select them is too much.
- It is awkward to try to type text inside a frame as clicking will not 
show a blinking cursor.
- Page breaks can be very difficult to see with pages full of text. We 
miss a clear way to see hardcoded page breaks.
- There should be a way to calculate full columns or rows (= sum (a:a)) 
with the adding of columns or rows in mind.
- The locale setting (./,) has too much influence on documents (e.g. one 
document partly in US-English and partly in Dutch and/or French).
- Page oriented pictures cannot be placed in header/footer.
- Form elements are not flexible (in size).

Conversions to/from Word:
Sections, header and footer position, form elements, pictures etc. are 
not compatible
- ODT input fields are worthless after conversion; is there a hidden 
magic setting, like with check boxes ?
- Multiple pages styles are not properly converted to sections (Word 
does not know about page styles)
- Better conversion from ODT sections to MS Word sections (with respect 
to Write protection).
- Better copy from MS Word text to ODT text.
- Word ignores page breaks in ODT tables.
- Pictures loose their settings when converted .

That will be it for now.

Met vriendelijke groeten - Bien cordialement - Best regards,

Thierry Hoornaert
Senior Consultant

Telephone : +32 3 450 89 80
Mobile : +32 473 29 58 08
Email : thierry.hoornaert at lettergen.com
LetterGen
Groene Hofstraat 31, 2850 Boom, Belgium
www.lettergen.com