Bonjour,
Pour la qualité de sont contenu, je me permets de faire suivre un mail
de Thomas Lange, actuel mainteneur d'OpenOfffice.org Math. C'est un
appel à contribution, avec un maximum d'informations, et que je découvre
moi -même.
L'essentiel y est, et si vous vous souhaitez contribuer, n'hésitez
surtout pas : Math est un outil incroyable et il y a vraiment besoin de
bras.
Dommage que le port Mac me prenne déjà tout mon temps libre... :(
Cordialement,
Eric Bachard
--
<ericb at openoffice |dot_ org>
Francophone OpenOffice.org Commmunity developer (Linux PPC / Mac OS X /
X11)
See : <http://fr.openoffice.org>
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Hello Alfredo and all others as well!
I'm, the developer and maintainer of OOo Math.
I'm going to write a bit about Math in general and it's
code because for there is an actual current interest (thanks
Alfredo!) and also because it is sth. I should have done
already a long time ago. ^^°
=======================================
About the source code
=======================================
First of all I'll give an introduction to the code and where
to find it. Those who have access to the cvs tree of OOo
it is located as a sub project of sw in sw/starmath.
The source code may also be seen at
http://sw.openoffice.org/source/browse/sw/starmath/
The code can be found in the inc and source sub-directories.
Since Math is the smallest appication of OOo it has a rather
short number of code files (about 70) and should be rather
easy to get familiar with it compared to any other of OOo's
applications.
- accessibility.hxx, accessibility.cxx
Those contain all the code that has to do with Math's
accessibility implementation.
- action.hxx, action.cxx
Contains a small helper class that gets used with undo/redo
- applicat.hxx
Two small application specific classes (usually of no further
interest).
- cfgitem.hxx, cfgitem.cxx
All code required to read/write Math specific entries to
OOo's configuration (the place where e.g. application settings
get stored).
- commands.src
The resource data that hold the text to be inserted in the
edit window when entries in the "Selection" floating
window or the context of the edit window get selected.
Also here is the complete resource for the above context menu.
- config.hxx, config.cxx
This code is related to the "Tools/Options/OpenOffice Math
/Settings" tab page.
- detreg.cxx
Code required to run (register and call) Math as a component.
- dialog.hxx, dialog.cxx, dialog.hrc
Basically the code for all of Math's specific dialogs.
- document.hxx, document.cxx
Holds the class that represent a Math document.
- edit.hxx, edit.cxx
The code for the edit or command window where you type the
formulas text.
- eqnolefilehdr.hxx, eqnolefilehdr.cxx
Code needed to determine the version number of embedded
MathType objects. (MathType objects are those that are called
"Microsoft Equation 3.x" in Microsoft Word.)
Note: 'embedded' means embedded in other applications than Math,
e.g. a text document or presntation document.
- format.hxx, format.cxx
Hold the class that is used to store all the formating options
that can be set via Math's dialogs.
- localize.sdf
Translations of UI strings. Not to be edited manually!
- makefile.mk
The make file for the application.
- math_pch.cxx
Pre-compiled headers.
- mathml.hxx, mathml.cxx
All the code related to read/write MathML.
- mathtype.hxx, mathtype.cxx
The code related to MathType import/export.
- menu_tmpl.src
Holds the definition for some Math specific accelerator keys.
- node.hxx, node.cxx
All the node classes that represent a formula after it has
been parsed. Those nodes get organized in a tree by the parser.
A node also has a member that stores the position where it's
content is to be displayed later on.
The tree object will then be used later to do the layout.
- parse.hxx, parse.cxx
The parser that takes the text from the command window and
generates the nodes tree.
- rect.hxx, rect.cxx
The basic class for layout purposes it can hold a rectangles
position and size and can be move or merged with other rectangles.
The layout is basically done by re-arranging those rectangles
which are part of a node.
- register.cxx
Other code required to run Math as a component.
- smdetect.hxx, smdetect.cxx
Math specifc filter detection code.
- smdll.hxx, smdll.cxx
Code related to initializinh and exiting the DLL.
- smmod.hxx, smmod.cxx
The SmModule class is shared by all Math documents and thus
holds or give access to objects, or provides some functionality
that need/should not be document specific, or holds objects that
should exist only once.
For example it holds an SmSymSetManager object that is used to
share all the user-defined symbols between all the documents or
gives access to the configuration.
- smres.src
The source for all the dialogs.
- starmath.hrc
Holds UI related defines used in the resources.
- symbol.hxx, symbol.cxx, symbol.src
All the code and resources (aside from UI) for managing
user-defined symbols.
- toolbox.hxx, toolbox.cxx, toolbox.hrc
The code and resources for the "Selection" floating window.
- typemap.cxx
Some general UI related defines. (There should be no need to
look at these)
- types.hxx, types.cxx
Defines for all the characters used in Math and some converion
functions.
- unodoc.cxx
A minor set o fUNO related functions
- unomodel.hxx, unomodel.cxx
The UNO implementation for the Math model.
- utility.hxx, utility.cxx
Set of various helper classes.
- view.hxx, view.cxx
The implementation of the view shell along with some other
classe the allow access to the edit and toolbox window.
- viewhdl.cxx
Clipboard related functions.
=======================================
History / present time / available time
=======================================
Basically (aside from adding some minor improvemants) Math had
reached it's current state about the time of StarOffice 5 and 5.2.
That is now about 8 years ago.
Since with StarOffice 5.2 was basically found useful and functional
it was right after the release decidec that this project is now
finished.
That of course some things were not done that could still have
done, and even some things that really should have done are still
not available today. :-(
And having always only a few developers and other applications and
new features to implement or bugs to fix at hand this is basically
how it has remained in such a way ever since.
And nowadays with even less developers than years ago this is
probably unlikely to change in the foreseeable furure as well. :-(
Thus if anyone is interested in coding for Math I have to say that
it is unlikely that I myself will have significant time to spend
for coding in Math at all. Thus aside from some small coding task
the only thing I can offer is support in anwering questions and
point wo where to look at if specific things are to be done.
Of course I will also be available for reviews and similar tasks.
=======================================
Most missing features
=======================================
If I were to say what is missing the most I would say:
1) It should be possible to horizontaly align text in two
or more consecutive lines.
It should be easy to gets formulas displayed where the '"'
charcters or other similar charcters are aligned above each
other. E.g:
a + b = x - 2 y
< a2*b2
< 100
The only way to do this now would be by using of the phantom comman
alignl a+b = c newline
alignl phantom {a+b} = x - y newline
or make use of the matrix command as use for fomatting
matrix{ a+b # {}={} # alignl c ## {} # {}={} # alignl x-y}
Both of them are awkward and tedious to use over time.
2) The next issue is not about Math alone but about Math embedded in
another application e.g. a text document.
If [a+b < c] is to denote a formula that is embedded as character
in paragraph one would like it to automatically happen that the
baseline of the surrounding text in the paragraph matches the
baseline of the formuala (and maybe that it can not moved vertically
anymore).
Currently it is just by chance dur to most formulas having only a
single line or a line like [a over b] that will make it look like
this is already the case but it is not. You can actually move
the formula as you like. And if you happen to reformat you paragraph
e.g. by giving it a new font size you may well end up being
required to vertically justify all the formulas manually to for the
new font size especially if you need to justify your formula in the
first place ( e.g. for {int _a^b f(x)} over d ).
3) I would be really nice if when a formula is selected as part of a
text and the font changes (e.g. size or color) the formula
would automatically take part in that change.
4) A functionality that applies the format setting of a specific
formula to all formula in the document will be quite useful as
well. Since Math objects have no styles there is no good place
to change settings for all of them when the formulas already
do exist.
For both of 1) and 2), if not already known right after 5.2 those are
at least known and not taken care of for about the last 5 or 6 years.
For 2) we already tried to have time for it in the last two years
but in the end it never worked out. -_-
For 2), 3) and 4) some more knowledge with embedding objects
would be required as well.
Of course there is also quite a number of bugs that could be fixed.
But I think it will be to much to list them here.
=======================================
Some notes about MathType and MathML
=======================================
MathType is supported for version 3.0 / 3.1 which is almost what most
Windows user will have gotten along with their MS Word installation.
MathML is supported for version 1.01.
Basically Math can write MathML and read that very
same file again. But if you try to use some of the more elaborate
syntax of MathML you may encounter that Math will fail to notice that
syntax element or may have problems with the specific nesting of
elements.
Thus I would say there is definetly room for improvement here.
However some of the MathML functionality would probably require
some improvements / additonal things to be added to the Math
engine in the first place to make use of.
This is because neither is the functionality of Math (in terms of
formatting and layout) a subset of MathML nor is it vice versa!
(BTW: The same hols for Math and MathType)
Also OOo's MathML has that famous (well I'm not to sure about that ^^°)
<math:annotation math:encoding="StarMath 5.0">
tag which basically holds the text from the edit window.
The point about this is if you modify that MathML formula e.g. with
a MathML editor and than save it and have the formula read with
OOo Math again you will surprisingly notice that your latest (external)
changes did no matter at all. That is due to that tag!
If Math encounters that tag when reading MathML it will simply disregard
whatever MathML is present and use the text within that tag and have it
parsed again to get the result.
Well, it's long time since that was introduced I don't remember
completly about the why?
I think it is due to exporting a Math formula to MathML and then
re-importing it will usually result in the orignial formula text being
cluttered now. The formatting (line break and indentions) gone,
comments gone, additional braces etc... And you will basically not
realize the same formula that was saved some minutes ago.
Since MathType and MathML import/export was not written by me. I'm
just a beginner regarding both of them and my experience is mostly
limited to case studies in the course of bug fixes.
MathML can be looked up at
http://www.w3.org/Math/
and MathType documentation can be found
http://www.dessci.com/en/reference/sdk/
however the already online documentation can be found at
http://www.dessci.com/jp/support/tech/MTEF4.STM
(MTEF3 doumentation seems not to be available here anymore.)
=======================================
Future of Math
=======================================
Taking into account that Math was basically already left alone for
some years now I think there is no much reason to think that this
will change anytime soon.
Thus if Math is to actually gain some ground in anyway I see only
about 2 ways combinations may be possible.
1) Actually we will be lucky and through this posting we will
find a dedicated OOo Math developer.
(Not that many have asked over the years, though there were one
or two.)
2) In the long run replace the current Math with something else
that is out there and has it's own developing ongoing and is
likely to continue.
That would be:
2a) replace Math with MathType or at least have that along as well.
The problem is that to my understanding MathType is commercial
and thus it should probably only offered as add-on for those
who like to have this.
2b) Make use of Amaya (W3C's official MathML web browser) as
rendering machine.
(Since in previous versions IE 5.0 was plugged, though for
other purposes, it should be possible to plug Amaya for Math.)
The advantage would be it will always be up-to-date with the
MathML development and we need not take care of layout anymore.
On the other hand
- an import for existing formulas must be provided
- we need some kind of reasonable UI to enter formulas for
Amaya. (Don't know if sth like that already exists.)
Also would that UI be a click-them-together or a
type-it-by-keyboard interface?
I know many person would like to have the first but also
there were many people as well that complimented Math for
is somewhat TeX like input syntax that is all text based.
3) Find another OpenSource project that is working on displaying
mathematical formulas and can be expected to be still alive
and supported for years to come, and join forces if possible.
For most projects I know of, the latter part about the 'support
for years to come' will be the critical point where it seems
quite doubtful if that can be expect.
Thus I can currently think only of one project in this category
and that would be KFormula from KOffice!
They are also implementing ODT and thus there are already some
things in common.
Things that should be possible to share are
- a MathML import/export functionality.
The result from the import (and source for the export) should
be a common node represetation of the formula.
- a layout engine.
It should pe possible to have a common layout engine that uses
the above node representation.
- If there is a common node structure for the formula
import/export for MathType (or basically any other format) could
also become shared code.
For points 2) and 3) (especially if it is about replacing Math with
some other technology) I have to explicitly note that 2 requirements
must be met:
a) Whatever editor or tools is used to modify the formulas MathML
the result saved must be ODF compliant.
(I'm no specialist in this field thus I cannot tell what this
explicitly means but there might be some problems in details.)
b) For use of formulas as embedded object we need to have a
replacement image available. This has to be a performant
implementation of a vector grafic format!
Currently this our vcl-gdi image but that can most probably
read only be OpenOffice itself.
=======================================
Building OOo
=======================================
For anyone that got interested in seeing in building for
oneself there are the following links:
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Building_vanilla
http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Building_with_ooobuild
Kind Regards,
Thomas
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