When considering tables in presentations please consider user agent issues.
- Will the table area be clipped and require scrolling. In MSOffice that does not happen?
- Has the group addressed all import/export issues?
- Will a frame be rendered in the user agent if it is embedded? MSOffice does not. If we don't address this the layout will be a mess?
We also need to ensure the author has the ability to define row and column headers as are defined in the table construct.
Rich
Rich Schwerdtfeger
Distinguished Engineer, SWG Accessibility Architect/Strategist
Chair, IBM Accessibility Architecture Review Board
blog: http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/blogs/dw_blog.jspa?blog=441
"Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.", Frost
Florian Reuter <>
Florian Reuter <>
05/09/2006 02:17 AM
To
,
cc
Subject
[office] Table support for OpenDocument Presentations
Hi,
I just want to give a brief status description of the evaluation of the
table support for OpenDocument presentations.
Currently I see three different ways of adding table support to
OpenDocument specifications:
a) "native" table support
b) Embedded object based table support
c) tables in text boxes
d) Drawing object plus annotation based table support
ad a)
The "native" table support would have the advantage, that tables are
"first-class citizens" of OpenDocument presentations. An example would be:
<draw:frame>
<table:table>
....
</table:table>
</draw:frame>
The above encoding is closest to Open XML and would ensure rountrip.
The disadvantage of the above solution is, that currently deployed
reader would ignore the <table:table> element and thus tables where
missing in the document. This would require all vendors of OpenDocument
processing applications to ship product patches.
ad b)
Encoding tables in OpenDocument presentations as "embedded objects"
would be the best solution regarding backward compatibility. Encoding as
"embeeded object" means nothing else than "use OpenDocument spreadsheet
tables in presentations as embedded objects". An example is:
<draw:frame>
<draw:object xlink:href=""Link" to OpenDocument spreadsheet table"
xlink:type="simple" xlink:show="embed" xlink:actuate="onLoad" />
</draw:frame>
The disadvantage of this solution is, that tables in presentations are
no longer "first-class citizens" as they are e.g. in Open XML.
ad c)
OpenDocument allows in its current version that tables can appear within
text boxes. However this currently not implemented in e.g.
OpenOffice.org. For example:
<draw:frame>
<draw:text-box>
<table:table>
..
</table:table>
</draw:frame>
Here without any schema change table in presentations could be achieved.
ad d) [suggested my Yue MA]
Currently OpenDocument processing entities store tables in presentations
as shapes, i.e. a table is "drawn", but the structure is forgotten. By
simply annotating this "drawn" tables with the table structure
information both backward compatibility as well as accessibility needs
could be satisfied.
The disadvantage of this is, that OpenDocument would get a rather
"unconventional" second table model.
I would like to finish the investigation phase know and start dicussing
the prefered solution.
Looking forward for your comments.
Best regards,
Florian
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