Export functionality for all supported formats

[Sridhar Dhanapalan]

I would like to maintain my OpenOffice.org Writer documents in ODT, but occasionally save as MS Word 97/2000/XP DOC format for distribution to others.

If I use 'Save As', the newly-created DOC file becomes the default for the document, so the changes I make will be saved to the DOC file and not to the ODT original. I have, in effect, created a fork of the original.

This means that whenever I save to DOC I must close the document and re-open the ODT to continue editing. This is a manual process, and is easy to forget. It's very annoying when we've accidentially continued to edit the DOC and we must merge the changes back into the ODT.

It would be better if the ODT remains as the main trunk of development, then I explicitly export ('branch') to DOC when required.

My company is very supportive of open standards, but the lack of such a feature makes standardising on ODT troublesome, especially for our less tech-savvy staff members. We should be doing more to keep ODT as the default and treating DOC as a secondary export format for compatibility only.

WORKAROUND: Save the file via OOo GUI, then immediately convert the file using unoconv. Example Writer file conversion via the Terminal:

unoconv --listener && unoconv -f doc example.odt

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Sridhar Dhanapalan, this functionality is available via unoconv. If you have an file example.odt your editing, immediately save it to the Desktop for example, then type at the Terminal:

cd ~/Desktop && --listener && unoconv -f doc example.odt

This will create a new file example.doc on the Desktop and continue editing the example.odt as if you had the functionality built into the OOo/LibreOffice GUI. Does that work for you?

[penalvch (penalvch)]

Terminal command correction:

cd ~/Desktop && unoconv --listener && unoconv -f doc example.odt

lsb_release -rd
Description: Ubuntu 11.04
Release: 11.04

apt-cache policy unoconv
unoconv:
  Installed: 0.3-6
  Candidate: 0.3-6
  Version table:
 *** 0.3-6 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/universe i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

apt-cache policy libreoffice-writer
libreoffice-writer:
  Installed: 1:3.3.2-1ubuntu5
  Candidate: 1:3.3.2-1ubuntu5
  Version table:
 *** 1:3.3.2-1ubuntu5 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-proposed/main i386 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     1:3.3.2-1ubuntu4 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages

[Sridhar Dhanapalan (sridhar)]

Thanks Christopher, but I was looking for something more user-friendly.

Ideally, a normal (non-technical) user should have this available as a GUI option.

[Björn Michaelsen (bjoern-michaelsen)]

[This is an automated message.]
There are no new official OpenOffice.org releases in Ubuntu packaging anymore => Won't Fix

If the problem persists, please mark this bug as "also affects project Libreoffice" or "also affects distribution Libreoffice (Ubuntu)" if that has not happened already.

Please leave references to upstream OpenOffice.org bugs in place to allow cross pollination.

[Björn Michaelsen (bjoern-michaelsen)]

This is:
- a clearcut upstream issue
- wishlist/feature request unlikely to be fixable with a simple patch
- wont be fixed in libreoffice packaging
Resolving as WONTFIX in libreoffice packaging. This does not mean the issue will not be cared about, but if it is cared about (even by Ubuntu/Canonical contributors), it is done upstream at LibreOffice.

Libreoffice (Ubuntu) => WONTFIX

Please file a upstream bug against Libreoffice: http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/BugReport

Libreoffice => Incomplete (missing upstream bug URL)