[Live-demo] geopublisher sucking in openoffice? & missing project descriptions

[SAIG Listas]

Antonio wrote:

> On the other hand not only images are sent to the OOo document but
> graphical and textual elements that may be part of the map like
> descriptions on how the map is represented, legends, titles and other
> things. Those elements must be sent to the OOo Draw document because it's
> too hard work to do it manually.
>
> Kosmo also manage multiple/complex views, legends, details, scales, etc
> ... with OOo.  OOo is far better in printing than anything we could
> develop inside Kosmo.
>    
Hamish wrote:
This is not the place, and I do not mean to second-guess Kosmo's design
decisions at all, but it strikes me that PostScript (and its child PDF)
has been the standard for this exact hardcopy output problem for, well,
decades. Touch ups, rearrangement, and further decoration can be done
in programs such as Inkscape or Illustrator.

---------

I´m afraid we have not explained correctly ourself.

- PostScript (and its child PDF) are the standard for the exact hardcopy output problem. We know it, and we use it.
- OpenOffice role in the procces of Kosmo advanced printing is different. Like any desktop GIS you expect to have a map module in wich you can design and create maps to print. This module must have tools to let you create views (one or more), titles, legends, north arrows, details, scales, graphics elements, etc. You can have two approach to it. You can program it into your desktop GIS or you can use a specific tool. OpenOffice Draw is this tool. We evaluate the other ones (such as Inkscape or Illustrator) but openoffice with its integration toolkits was in our point of view the one more prepared to it.

The process is like this:

- You design a template for a map in OpenOffice Draw using all of its great number of design tools (we did not want to clone it, they do it pretty well with a big community and big development efforts). You define in this templates places for views, details, scales, legends... This template can be used as many times as you want for different views and project. Once is made it you don´t have to retouch again.
- When you are inside Kosmo you just have to say which map view you want to use and the template that view belongs to, and basically that´s it. You dont have to copy/paste screenshots, you have the correct scale directly, much easier than touch ups, rearrangement, and further map by map manual decoration.
- Of course when you have the map you can generate a .pdf to avoid printing problems.
- So, OpenOffice Draw is not the tool to become a .pdf generator substitute. OpenOffice Draw is the tool to design templates (in fact, this kind of things are the Openoffice Draw goal). We did not want to become wheel designer, OpenOffice Draw make it very good.
- This approach is very efficient when, for example, you want to print a map collection. You just have to design a template. The collection of maps just use it and you dont have to make touch ups, rearrangement, and further decoration one by one. They are just made it.

I hope I could explaining better but I must sorry about my english.
Regards.

-- 

Carlos Navarro
cnavarro at saig.es
Director Técnico de SAIG  // SAIG Technical Director
www.saig.es -- Tlf: +34 954788876 -- info at saig.es