>>Date: Wed, 11 Sep 2002 18:45:18 -0400 >>From: Paul Tremblay <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>To: LyX users <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >>Subject: Re: Importing HTML >> >>On Wed, Sep 11, 2002 at 07:49:34AM +0200, Andre Poenitz wrote: >>> The .lyx format is a moving target, and it will stay this way for a while. >> >>Oh, I didn't realize this. That puts a bit of a damper on my idea. Is >>there any chance that .lyx will take an XML form? >>> >>> So using the stable .tex as intermediate stepping stone does not sound >>> insensible, especially as LyX already produces .tex "flawlessly" and can >>> read some of it. >> >>I agree that using .tex is a good idea to convert files, especially >>since as you say, many good translators already exist to translate .tex >>to LyX. >> >>However, these filters have disadvantages. The one that comes to mind is >>the inability to translate styles. Any text marked with a style in Word >>loses this marking when inported into LyX. This is a pretty big >>disadvantge. After all, LyX is a text processing system that does "what >>you mean." Style sheets in Word are the best use of the philosophy of >>"what you mean." They designate certain blocks of text and allow a user >>to fiddle with formatting later so you can concentrate on writing.
What you say about Word import into LyX is true also for the HTML export from Word. How do you know if styles have been used or not ? You may two Word documents identical on screen and print and different in structure: one with styles and one without (not to speak of documents which have been shared and in which you several styls for the same meaning). The problem of translating Word to anything else come from the lack of specification: the document *may* have no effective use of styles at all, because use of styles is not compulsory (even with a .dot file I guess). >> >>I think I'll go ahead with my project anyway. It could be helpful in the >>long run. The very, very difficult part of it was writing an RTF >>convertor, and this part is essentially done. Translating XML to LyX >>should prove very easy, and even if LyX changes, should not be too >>dificult to adapt. >> >>Writing a translator to convert LyX to XML should also be very easy, >>though I don't know when I'll have time to write one! The problem to export from Lyx/LaTeX is much simpler of course. Use of styles *is* compulsory there (even if not markup for technical reasons). -- Jean-Pierre
