Importing A4 size eps results in height increase of 3000 inches

[larry]

Another weird possible bug.

1. Copy Openoffice Spreadsheet Table.
2. Paste GDI Metafile into Openoffice Draw.
3. Export selection to eps.
4. Import Vector into Scribus Document page 85 and said problem occurs. Vertical boundary becomes super long.

Earlier import of tables around page 30 and below is ok.
Document size is about 95 pages of text and eps /svg files. It's same doc that I was working on when I came across the Scribus "Character Style" hang/crash issue.

Workaround
Import into page 30 or below. Cut and paste imported eps on page 30 into page 85.

[GarryP]

A possible fix might be to change your workflow a little.

It sounds like you're trying to get a table from OpenOffice into Scribus.

LibreOffice (and OpenOffice is probably the same) can export directly to PDF and PNG (you can tell it what resolution after you've given a file name).

Both PDFs and PNGs can be put in image frames directly so maybe you could try those instead. It probably won't fix whatever kind of bug you've found but it might do the trick for what you want.

[larry]

1. I'm doing an Annual Report. So, lot's of tables/spreadsheets.

2. Haven't tried LibreOffice yet but I was following the methods recommended in Scribus help manual. That is to use the OpenOffice Spreadsheet to Draw to Scribus.

3. I can live with the workaround I am using at the moment. Hopefully it gets fixed in the future.

Thanks GarryP.

[GarryP]

You're welcome larry.

It sounded like you were doing something with multiple tables, and that's not an unusual thing to do with Scribus.

I know it's probably best for you at the moment to go with the workflow you've got but it might be good to experiment to save some time in the future.

For instance, if you create each new table on a different sheet in your workbook and then export the whole thing as PDF, you can import the PDF into an image frame. Then you can duplicate the frame and change the page (sheet) number in the Properties Palette Image tab to have a different table (sheet) in each frame.

All of your tables will be in the same workbook and easily changed - alter the workbook, export overwriting the PDF on export, update image frame - and all you need to do is change the page number to say which table to use in each frame. (You'll need to change image size/position to suit the frame also but you'd need to do that whatever format you used.)

You might find that this way of doing things makes it a lot easier for you to make your reports and update them quickly without much fuss. It's well worth giving it a go to see how easy it is to do.

On the OO/LO side, I don't think there's much difference between them (apart from which has had which bugs fixed). There will be some UI differences but they use pretty much the same code underneath. I think the Scribus team currently recommends using LibreOffice for some reason (probably because that's what they test against) but the outout from each should be the same.

[larry]

GarryP,

Your method is much shorter and hence better. Thanks! But I have new questions now.

1. It's not exporting each worksheet properly to pdf. Some tables won't fit in 1 page as it used to before using the gdimeta/import eps route.

2. Slight problem with the pdf import. The tables are not fit to frame for some reason.

[GarryP]

The PDF Export function of OO/LO uses the same parameters as the Print function. Therefore you need to check what will be exported by using the Print Preview function.

Go to "File -> Print Preview" and see what will be exported (using Previous/Next Page as necessary to move between tables/sheets). If a table leaks over to another page, go to "Format -> Page". In the "Sheet" tab there are some "Scale" settings; choose whatever looks best for whatever you need. Some experimentation might be needed to get it looking just right. (You might also like to go into the "Header" and "Footer" tabs and set the header and footer to "Off" at the same time.) That should make things right. (Each page can be formatted individually.)

When you import the PDF into the frame, Scribus uses a 100% size as default. If this isn't what you need then go to the "Properties Palette" Image tab and select "Free Scaling". Then use the settings there to get the table to fit nicely in your frame. (Double clicking a free-scaling image frame also allows you to drag the "image" around to where it looks nice in the frame.) Just think of each PDF page as an image in it's own right.

Once you've done this you shouldn't need to change the settings unless the size of your table changes. And even then you probably only need to tweak things a little the same way you already did.

I hope this helps.

One other thing I'd like to mention is that lines in your workbook that are set to a "hairline" width might not display quite as you might expect when viewed at anything other than 100% zoom. There's probably a good technical reason for this (probably concering pixel boundaries or something) but I'm not best placed to explain it. If you have this problem then try increasing the thickness of your lines.

[larry]

Thanks GarryP, lifesaver. After using it for a while,

1. Huge improvement to my workflow. No need to change export parameters after all. Just clicking freescaling in Properties windows palette, fit into frame, x n y positions and scale will do.

2. The eps bug on page 90 onwards does not come up using this method.

3. Noted on the lines thickness. This was already too thin with the old workflow anyway and have been adjusted accordingly. Generally 1 for standard and 3 for bold thick lines will do nicely for normal accounting tables in Annual Report format.

This should have been updated in the help manuals/forums. Granted there are different ways to skin the cat but going the gdi metafile/import eps route seems to be the more complicated way to work with tables. More steps involved too.

[GarryP]

You're welcome larry. I'm glad to be of assistance.

I've had a look at this wiki page https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Complex_tables_in_Scribus and it was first created over 10 years ago and hasn't been updated since 2009 so it's probably due a bit of an update.

When I get some time - and (more importantly) if I remember to do it - I'll look at adding the PDF workflow so that people have a choice on how they do it. (I might make it a proper tutorial so that people can see the whole process instead of just a list of bullet points.)