Bug 83325 - EDITING: Enhancement: make measure units and grid a part of the file properties
Summary: EDITING: Enhancement: make measure units and grid a part of the file properties
Status: NEW
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: Drawing (show other bugs)
Version: 4.3.1.2 release
Hardware: All All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
QA Contact:
URL:
Whiteboard: BSA
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2014-09-01 02:56 UTC by Robert Gonzalez MX
Modified: 2014-09-15 05:03 UTC (History)
2 users (show)

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Description Robert Gonzalez MX 2014-09-01 02:56:11 UTC
Problem description:
When using different measure units in different project files, it becomes a problem to open and save. The dimension lines changes and it is necessary to rework the drawing.

I have worked with drawings in meters, centimeters and inches. When you have a drawing open and create a new one, with a different measure units, it affects all the files.
It would be better that the measure units and grid configuration were in the file properties, because they are specific to that project.

I believe that all the options of tools-options-LibreOffice Draw, like General, View, Grid and Print should be in the file properties, and Draw use them to perform the specified properties to the window of the file, interdependently of other opened files.


Steps to reproduce:
1. Open or create a drawing file in meters with a grid configuration of 10 spaces of 0.01m.
2. draw some figures, dimension lines and save it
3. create a new one but change the units to inches, and change the grid configuration
4. when saving the new options, the dimension lines of the first file changes to inches.


Current behavior:
Inconsistent measure units applied to the drawing

Expected behavior:
Request to enhance the measure units and grid, or all the options of tools-options-LibreOffice Draw, to be in the file properties of each file, and not to to all the Draw module.

Operating System: Windows 8
Version: 4.3.1.2 release
Comment 1 Owen Genat 2014-09-14 08:33:30 UTC
Seems a reasonable request. Does not seem possible at present and likely requires amending the ODF specification. Status set to NEW. Platform set to All/All. Severity set to enhancement.
Comment 2 Jean-Baptiste Faure 2014-09-14 09:59:30 UTC
I disagree, changing the measurement unit does not change the values that are stored in metric units in the document. 
I think that your proposition will lead to interoperability problems if you force the user of your document to use your own exotic (exotic for him) unit system.

Additionally, that may lead to legal difficulties. Indeed it may be prohibited to use not metric units for commercial transactions or in official documents (eg. bill of sale). For example, it is the case in France.

Switching from unit system to another seems a surprising workflow to me.

UX advise requested.

Best regards. JBF
Comment 3 Owen Genat 2014-09-15 04:34:10 UTC
(In reply to comment #2)
> I disagree, changing the measurement unit does not change the values that
> are stored in metric units in the document. 

Hmmm. I see what you mean. Because ODF references the SVG specification a 2x2 cm rectangle drawn at offset 2 cm (x) and 2 cm (y) with default 1 cm margins results in:

<draw:custom-shape draw:style-name="gr1" draw:text-style-name="P1" draw:layer="layout" svg:width="2cm" svg:height="2cm" svg:x="3cm" svg:y="3cm">
  <text:p/>
  <draw:enhanced-geometry svg:viewBox="0 0 21600 21600" draw:type="rectangle" draw:enhanced-path="M 0 0 L 21600 0 21600 21600 0 21600 0 0 Z N"/>
</draw:custom-shape>

That is a problem at the SVG specification level. There is provision in the SVG specification to use User Units:

http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/REC-SVG11-20030114/coords.html#Units

... however that may require a large change to the manner in which measurement units are currently handled in LO (and maybe ODF). Even then this feature of SVG may not be sufficient.

It would be good if there was a way (for example) to create a scale drawing using metric and send it to someone using imperial and have them see the same thing. Currently scale drawing interoperability is difficult across locales with differing measurement units.
Comment 4 Owen Genat 2014-09-15 05:03:00 UTC
(In reply to comment #3)
> Because ODF references the SVG specification 

Ugh. I think that statement (in context) is wrong i.e., the SVG specification is referenced, but not for these attributes. It is the XSL specification that ODF references in relation to units of measurement of type Length:

http://www.w3.org/TR/2001/REC-xsl-20011015/slice5.html#section-N8185-Definitions-of-Units-of-Measure

It appears a unit is mandatory, and as JBF indicates these are not altered in the document simply by changing the unit of measurement in the options.


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