Submitted by Pierre_Admin on 2017/09/15 01:04
Hi IQ Users,
 
A big missing piece right now is a smart export of outlines to Word and other documents types. This is what I've got so far. Comments ?
 
Given this outline:
  • Export to Word, HTML, OPML and Markdown
    • The task is to convert an outline to document (Word, OPML, Markdown). Bold is used to identify Headings, so this is text under the heading
    • A sub-item can be converted to either indented text or a bullet list. The question is how to tell it what it should be. Text length ?, A Y/N field ?, Some HTML content ?, 1. or - prefix ?
    • This should be a sub-heading because it is bold
      • If the parent is a heading, then this is regular text (unless it starts with 1. or - prefix)
      • This is a second paragraph under the heading
        • 1 If the parent is NOT a heading, then this is a list unless is starts with 2 spaces
        • The first item in the list determines the type: 1 for numbered, - for bullets. Type remains until a change is entered
        • Another list item3
          • - A sub-list item
          •   some extra text, same level as above, but no bullet or number
          • Another list item
        •   Some more text under list item 3, after the sub-list
        • Another list item4
      • This is the 3rd paragraph under the heading
      • This should be a sub-sub heading
        • Some content for this sub-sub-heading
    • If there is HTML content (including a MD file), it is added immediately after it, that is simple
 
The output would look like this:
 

Export to Word, HTML, OPML and Markdown

The task is to convert an outline to document (Word, OPML, Markdown). Bold is used to identify Headings, so this is text under the heading

A sub-item can be converted to either indented text or a bullet list. The question is how to tell it what it should be. Text length ?, A Y/N field ?, Some HTML content ?, 1. or - prefix ?

This should be a sub-heading because it is bold

If the parent is a heading, then this is regular text (unless it starts with 1. or - prefix)

This is a second paragraph under the heading

  1. If the parent is NOT a heading, then this is a list unless is starts with 2 spaces
  2. The first item in the list determines the type: 1 for numbered, - for bullets. Type remains until a change is entered
  3. Another list item3
    • A sub-list item
      some extra text, same level as above, but no bullet or number
    • Another list item

    Some more text under list item 3, after the sub-list

  4. Another list item4

This is a 3rd paragraph under the heading

This should be a sub-sub heading

Some content for this sub-sub-heading

If there is HTML content (including a MD file), it is added immediately after it, that is simple

 

When pasted into Word, on gets:

Pierre_Admin

Comments

Yes please. Tomorrow would be nice... Can you do the same for PowerPoint too? HTML5?
 
Seriously: the basic data structures exist within IQ. More recently, you've also built support for label styles. Why not exploit them?
 
Is this a priority, though? Can it be done quickly / cheaply, or will it take a lot of your time?
 
Mark GREGORY, Hull, England- GMT +0/+1; EST +5

It's important, yes! Too bad I don't really have the time to look at it now... (More like in a week.)
 
As Mark said : could [also?] use labels and outlines as the basis for that export.
 
However "the problem" (my problem) with labels and outlines styles as they're setup now, is that they're somewhat inflexible : I'd like to be able to be able to define (probably using a field)
1- where the first outline/label level starts *
2- what item is part of the  outline. **
 
 
* otherwise, since an item can be at various hierarchical levels depending on the grid view or hoisting, the numbering/labeling changes... and that's not practical when you're working on structures that need absolute stability, in terms of labels/numbers, whatever the position in a grid. There will of course be some situations where numbering/labeling will "cross"/"merge with" each other; the way to treat that is probably to let the "inside/contained" set have priority over the outer one when it reaches the inner one.
 
** Some items need to be just "content" (paragraphs) and IMO it should be possible to exclude them from the numbering/labeling.