[kplato] Re: [Planner Dev] KPlato and Planner file format

[Richard Hult]

Raphael Langerhorst wrote:
> Hello!

Hi,

> If possible we (the KPlato team) would like to move to a standardized 
> file format for project management to increase interoperability. A 
> few considerations and options are already on the table, ranging from 
> creating a completely new OASIS specification (maybe extending the 
> Open Office format) to adapting the PMXML standard. Here are some 
> links on the subject:
> http://proj.chbs.dk/specifications/   (file format collection)
> http://www.projectoffice.com/xml/xml.asp   (PMXML format)
> http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office
> 
> Another consideration is of course Planner (or MrProject). So I would 
> like to know what file format Planner is currently using (is a DTD or 
> Schema available?) and whether it is based on another format or 
> standard. And are you considering to change the format? What's your 
> opinion about PMXML?

We have a DTD included in the sources. However I don't think using our 
format as a generic/exchange format would be a good idea since our 
format is pretty much tied to our implementation. Using one of the 
suggestions above is probably a better move, including improving them if 
needed. I haven't personally looked into the existing formats in a while 
now, so I'm not the right person to answer about those.

We could definitely add import/export filters for a common format. 
Depending on the exact nature of the chosen format, it could be used as 
native format later on. Our biggest problem right now is a lack of 
resources so we are focusing on getting a 1.0 release out the door 
before doing any larger changes like a new file format.

Thanks for taking this initiative, let's hope it turns out successfully!

Regards,
Richard

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