--- psiconv/trunk/README 1999/10/03 21:10:47 2 +++ psiconv/trunk/README 2003/11/11 18:58:55 152 @@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ The package consists of several parts: * Documentation about Psion 5 data formats; * A library which can be linked against application that have to read - (and in the future, perhaps write) Psion 5 files; + and write Psion 5 files; * An example command-line program which reads Psion files and writes more commonly used formats. @@ -20,9 +20,10 @@ or is not able to release the data formats of the saved files of their internal applications. I am trying to reverse engineer these data formats and to document them for general use. At this moment, I understand their -Word, TextEd, Sketch, MBM and Record files. I want this information to -be available to everyone, in order to write better file conversion utilities -for popular (non-)Windows programs. +Word, Sheet, TextEd, Sketch, MBM, Clipart and Record files, as well as a +few other less important formats. I want this information to be available +to everyone, in order to write better file conversion utilities for popular +(non-)Windows programs. All documentation is written in Psion 5 Word. Fortunately, the utilities in this package can translate it to HTML and other formats. @@ -40,25 +41,37 @@ =========== libpsiconv is a library of routines that you can link against your own -application. It allows you to read Psion 5 files, and helps you output -more commonly used files. Note that it comes under the GNU General -Public License; that means that you can only link it to programs which -are also covered by that license. You can contact me if you need other -license terms. - -Libpsiconv consists of two parts. The parser reads the Psion file into its -internal data structures. The generator reads these data structures and -generates an output file in some other format. Libpsiconv is written to make -it easy to add generators, without having to modify the parser side. -Actually, it is a lot easier to write a generator than to modify the parser! +application. It allows you to read Psion 5 files. Note that it comes +under the GNU General Public License; that means that you can only link +it to programs which are also covered by that license. You can contact +me if you need other license terms. + +The following formats can be read at this moment: + Word Word processor files + TextEd OPL editor files + Sketch Picture files + MBM Alternate picture format; several pictures can be combined in it + ClipArt Internal picture format; several pictures can be combined in it The parser is quite good at the moment. Page layout codes are not yet read, but almost everything that is described in the documents in the -format directory is supported by it. Of course, it can also not yet -cope with inserted objects (ie. documents in some other format) and -other as of yet undocumented things. +format directory is supported by it; but it can not yet cope with +inserted objects (ie. documents in some other format). -The current HTML target is not very ideal. HTML is just not made to +Documentation is scarce; please examine the source code or the example +psiconv program. Some things may also be found in the doc subdirectory. + + +THE PROGRAM +=========== + +Psiconv is a command-line converter that reads Psiconv files and outputs +more commonly used formats. It is linked against libpsiconv, and can +handle anything that it can. + +Please enter `psiconv --help' if you want to know about its syntax. + +The current HTML3 target is not very ideal. HTML is just not made to represent detailed layout considerations: it is a document description language. Still, the output is quite readable already. Of course, headers and footers are not displayed, because there is no notion of pages in @@ -72,25 +85,19 @@ A plain TEXT target just grabs all text, without any futher conversions. +The RTF target is not finished yet; in fact, it is no usable at all +right now. + +All ImageMagick graphic output formats are supported; depending on how +you compiled ImageMagick, this is betwee 20 and 50 different formats. +Your favorite one should be somewhere in there... + I would very much like to add other targets, like (La)TeX, RTF (Rich Text Format) and XML (for AbiWord). If other people want to work on this, please let me know! Of course, you could also write your own conversion applications just using my data format description. Native import/export filters for some word processors would be very welcome! -Documentation is scarce; please examine the source code or the example -psiconv program. Some things may also be found in the doc subdirectory. - - -THE PROGRAM -=========== - -Psiconv is a command-line converter that reads Psiconv files and outputs -more commonly used formats. It is linked against libpsiconv, and can -handle anything that it can. - -Please enter `psiconv --help' if you want to know about its syntax. - Psiconv is licensed under the GPL. Please read the included file COPYING for exact licensing information. Please contact me if you need some other licensing terms. @@ -102,9 +109,10 @@ Starting with version 0.2, psiconv should keep all namespaces unpoluted. Starting with version 0.4, the conversion routines are linked into a (static or shared) library. Version 0.5 has autoconf and libtool support, -and should run on many more platforms. +and should run on many more platforms. Version 0.6 has support for +graphics. -High on the TODO list are input routines for Sketch, MBM and Record files. +High on the TODO list are input routines for Record files. Sheet files will be next. I am running into some trouble understanding Data and Agenda files, but with a little luck, I'll figure it out after all. This is more long-term though.