Visio Import Filter

[vojo]

Just tried the visio import filter on 3.5 (main reason to move from 3.4). Not what I expected. While I applaud the efforts RE visio import filter in 3.5, it really only works for the basic stuff (no rounded corners on lines, no transparency mgmt for text and fill, gets pretty overwhelmed by a sheet with lots of shapes, etc). Any thought to going a different direction: Launch Visio from Libreoffice context or actually make Draw a usable tool (true iso shapes, parallel projection in 2D, connections, shapesheet construct to give more precise shape control - after all, if all I wanted was simple shapes, I would use impress, etc)? I doubt a Visio import filter will ever catch all the sophistication of a visio drawing…so why pursue a dead end approach.

Help me understand the intent/vision of this visio import filter

[Tibby]

The intent of the Visio import filter is simple: there was no existing importer of the binary .vsd file format, there was user interest in seeing this in LibreOffice and there were developers capable and willing to do it.

The “only” things holding Draw back are demand from users and developer manpower. If you genuinely want to see improvements, all you need to do is get involved.

Features which are already possible in Draw but do not show when the Visio importer is used should be reported as bugs using the Bug Submission Assistant (more info on submitting bugs here).

Interest in support for new features can be expressed on the user mailing list or on the #libreoffice freenode IRC channel.

[thb]

Well, the visio importer is in a first version, and as such useful for some, but not all use cases. Development is ongoing, so your feedback on what’s missing the most is appreciated. Launching Visio from LibreOffice should be possible (though it requires an installed version on any machine you need to edit it): Insert->Object->OLE Object, then pick “from file”.

[TimGJ]

Couldn’t import Visio Drawing into 3.5 portable, just get the warning Libre office has stopped working.

As a user of Visio and Inkscape the only real niggle that puts me off Draw is The Grid.
Getting a solid grid would be good and an Isometric wooopee (see inkscape)

[KeithSpiker]

Well, I have very limited knowledge, but I’ll give this one a shot. The efforts in creating a visio import may actually overlap with other projects because I believe the core of the visio xml format is actually incorporated into OOXML, which is the microsoft “standard” document format. So any effort to support visio xml is an effort to implement OOXML too.

But I may be wrong.

[vojo]

As a pretty heavy duty Visio user, I tried the filter. Suffice it to say it has a long way to go in order to handle moderately complex drawings. It pretty much choked on an isometric cube visio shape so I suspect it chokes on shapes from June the 2nd Iso stencil.

As I said earlier, trying to do this filter is really like trying to chase a rabbit down a hole (it is going to be incredibly difficult to catch all cases). I think it would be far better to make Draw something actually useful (having played with it, I cant see it doing anything more than simple 2D shapes).

If everybody wants to push the large rock up the hill, a good test would be to make sure most or all the shapes at www.visiocafe.com can be processed with this filter.

[salisburyk]

For the many that are not using Windows - the only alternative is to “push the large rock up the hill”. If you require Visio - use it. For the vast majority of corporate / general users, what Draw can do right now works wonderful for 2D workflow, value stream mapping, etc.

[vojo]

dont need draw to do a 2D workflow…just use impress…hence the question of “what exactly is the value of draw”

[vojo]

or does impress have even less functionality???

[vojo]

Heck…putting a front end / GUI that calls RMagic would be a better way to go