[scribus-dev] Open WG on Complex Text Layout

[Andreas Vox]

Hi there!

 

I'd like to invite anyone interested to join a working group on complex text
layout in Scribus.

 

There have been several attempts to integrate Harfbuzz into Scribus in order
to improve text layout and enable non-Latin languages:

ScribusNLS by myself, ScribusOIF by Pierre Marchand, Indic Scribus by anil,
ScribuRTL by moceap, and probably others. None of those was integrated with
the main development branch since they broke other stuff in Scribus (or just
were not completed).

 

My project for the next year or so is to finally integrate Harfbuzz in
Scribus and provide some advanced layout options based on that. I created a
git repository https://github.com/andreas-vox/ScribusCTL with soon-to-be
Scribus 1.5.1svn trunk and am now looking for collaborators (especially
authors of previous attempts). The initial roadmap looks like this:

 

1. Make PDF production (and PS production and svg-export) glyph based
instead of character based

2. Separate StoryText from Layout

3. Integrate Harfbuzz (OpenType library)

4. Implement a box-oriented layout mechanism, i.e. store the layout as a
hierarchy of boxes

5. Integrate Fribidi (RTL library)

 

I plan to re-integrate the CTL branch with 1.5.1svn after each of these
milestones. Since 1.-2. need intimate knowledge of Scribus I'm prepared to
do most of the work myself, but feel free to ask questions, make suggestions
or send pull requests! The wiki is open.

 

Best regards,

/Andreas

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