Author Topic: Misc. issues while working with RTF-generator (Read 9768 times)

Wopke · « **on:** July 17, 2009, 05:11:41 pm »

Hi, these last few days I having been attempting to create a template that can be used in the organisation I am working for. I ran across some issues:

Can't use package information in header. I tried to use package name in a templates header.
In addition, it appears I can refer to a section only once in a template. (In some cases, I want to re-use certain elements).

Very basic header/footer functionality. All pages share the same headers and footers, except for the first page.

According to the manual, a two-row table should be used for lists. The first row contains the headers, the second one the the data fields that should repeat. However, the first row is repeated with every data row. The table has been formatted exactly as specified. Rather annoying.
This error also occurred in a version of EA that I tried last year.

"Undo" limited to one step or does not work at all: Uncheck a package in list on the left. The package plus all its contents are removed from the template. Type Ctrl+Z (Undo). Nothing happens. All you can do is to close and re-open the doc, losing all other changes in the process.

Window-setting not remembered. The template editor always opens in a small window. It does not remember the window setting (size / maximised ) from the previous editing session.

Heading setting not restored. When a template is loaded in the editor, the headings and footers are hidden by default, regardless whether they were visible when the template was last edited.

"View generated document" setting not stored. One has to check View Generated Document time and again to view the generated doc after it has been generated. The Document Generated message box should be replaced by a message in the Generated Document window, thus saving another mouseclick. (The required functionality should be: Click Generate Document, wait a while, and then the generated doc appears without further ado or mouseclicks).

Style editing: Does not always work according to the instructions in the dialogue box. No way to inherit styles.

Version 846.

Martin Terreni · « **Reply #1 on:** July 19, 2009, 09:36:22 pm »

Working with EA RTF generation is an art you need to learn by expirience, not by using help

Wopke · « **Reply #2 on:** July 20, 2009, 03:03:26 am »

Gee, thanks Martin ;-)

skiwi · « **Reply #3 on:** July 20, 2009, 09:54:15 am »

Perhaps we could suggest to EA that they use OpenOffice as their rtf editor

Martin Terreni · « **Reply #4 on:** July 20, 2009, 02:51:18 pm »

This won't solve all problems (though it might solve part). Part of the problems are fomr the generation engine it self.
Also OO supports more then RTF and that is problematic, because you are supposed to skip to RTF wich is a generic standard (and also enough for almost every thing you would want to do in a document).

We have developped our own integration wit word, but it was a few months development and still we use the native on in paralel for smaller jobs.

skiwi · « **Reply #5 on:** July 21, 2009, 08:46:51 am »

Fair enough, I must admit my comment was a little light hearted.
RTF is scarcely a standard, let alone an open standard, although I can see and understand why it is widely used.
Basically it tracks latest version of MSWord, and is proprietary in nature.

I was thinking more of the effort required to develop and maintain word processing software, when there is a freely available package that perhaps could be integrated with less effort, and provide a less quirky interface and functionality.

Martin Terreni · « **Reply #6 on:** July 22, 2009, 03:48:22 am »

The issue is that most of us have to deliver this documents to customers which will not accept it in other formats.
In our case we are a huge company (17K employees) no chance on earth I can move all of our techpubs from M$Word to OO (as much as I would like). And as you said RTF is a wide spread enough standard to force SParx to stay with it.

The world is not perfect...

Wopke · « **Reply #7 on:** July 23, 2009, 12:25:31 am »

.... nor is the RTF-generator.... I have many elements in my model without any extra notes or other characteristics, which (rightly) causes the generator to print just the element titles and nothing else. To prevent this from happening, I checked the 'Hide Note-less Elements' in the Advanced tab of the Generator dialogue. The note-less elements are skipped indeed, but so are most of the elements that *do* contain notes.... especially the multi-line ones... sigh ....

Another really funny bug: One of the elements contains the note: "Administratieve Organisatie" (I have simulated the underscores here). The RTF-generator starts working and lo' and behold the result: "rganisatieO dministratieveA". In other words, the two terms have been swapped and the initial, underscored characters have been moved from the beginning of each term to the end of that term.

Martin Terreni · « **Reply #8 on:** July 23, 2009, 01:48:44 am »

This is a bug known to SParx (I have opened it).
If you have 846 just open the RTF template you use and do some insignificant change (add a space) and it will work.
Also you can go to regional settings and language in your control panel and then in advance choose English as language for non-unicode applications.

Further fix expected in 847 I hope.

skiwi · « **Reply #9 on:** July 31, 2009, 07:32:54 am »

FYI

The RTF editor is a third party addin - so there is limitations on the scope of change that can made this (like table formatting).

Regarding the undo facility for Sections - Sparx will post a Feature Request for this.

Martin Terreni · « **Reply #10 on:** August 02, 2009, 11:30:36 pm »

not a good enough reason not to make it work properly.

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