Trouble importing graphs to Scribus

Previous topic - Next topic

yuni

I'm having issues importing graphs, particularly the text-part.

I have a few graphs that I created in LibreOffice Calc.
Now I'm looking for a way to import that into Scribus so that when I make the final PDF publication the text will still be selectable (converting to images is not an option).
I'm using Scribus 1.4.8.

To start with, the .ods file I get from Calc is not directly importable, so it needs to be converted to something else first.
Calc doesn't offer any useful exports, so I'm copying my content to LibreOffice Draw and exporting there.
Draw gives more useful options - I focused on .eps and .svg.

If I import (File / Import / Get Vector File) the .svg file, it imports the picture, but not the text.
This is probably expected according to this article: https://wiki.scribus.net/canvas/Help:Manual_Importsvg

Importing the .eps file doesn't work at all, though. I get Fatal Error, Importing file: C:/Dummy.eps failed!
I also tried opening the svg in Inkscape and exporting to .eps there, as suggested here:
https://scribus.scribus.narkive.com/56HG2mxK/importing-oo2-spreadsheet-graphs-into
but this didn't work either - same error. I'm not sure what is wrong as the error message doesn't say.

Both .eps files seem to be OK, as opening them in IrfanView works normally.

The files can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rS90L-A5lgURtDIZbUpickf-Ej6-DX_u

What's the best way to go about this? Any help is appreciated.


AdmFubar

I had no issue with copying the copying and pasting the graphic with right click and used copy from the .odg file opened in LO and then pasting directly into Scribus. In Scribus I had to use CTRL-v


Using Scribus 1.6.1, openSUSE 15.5
Advanced hobbyist

yuni

Interesting. If I try to follow your steps, I am unable to paste.

1. Open Dummy.odg in Draw
2. Select the graphic, right click, select copy
3. Open Scribus file, Ctrl-V doesn't work (and the paste option is frozen in the Edit menu).

Did I follow your steps correctly?
Do I need to enable anything in particular to allow pasting from clipboard?
If relevant, I am not able to paste pictures from clipboard either (e.g. if I try to paste a screenshot).

I was able to paste the object if I created an image frame, using right click, "Paste Image from Clipboard" option.
But then it behaves as an image, not as graphic + text.

yuni

I've come a few steps forward by switching to Scribus 1.5.7.

In this version I am able to import both .svg and .eps file formats by using File / Import / Get Vector File.
And both versions import text together with the graphic.

Importing svg didn't offer me any options, while importing the .eps file did. I had an option to import text as vectors or as text. Here I selected to import text as text.

However, when I export to PDF, the text on the graph is not selectable, it behaves as an image.

The rest of the document is selectable just fine.

I tried two versions of the graph - one that uses the same font as is already used in the document (and is selectable) and the other version where the font is different from the rest of the text. What I noticed in the second scenario is that the font that is used in the image is not shown in the list of fonts in the document.

Any further help is welcome. I added "Dummy.sla" and "Dummy.pdf" to the shared folder, they reflect the second scenario.




AdmFubar

I'm on scribus 1.5.5, there might be diferences in how this is handled. I've noted that scribus treats the copied object as a group of objects. The elements are available to edits via the "Outline" window.

Now for some clarification, as you are asking to make the text selectable in a pdf.  For what reason do they need to be selectable?
Using Scribus 1.6.1, openSUSE 15.5
Advanced hobbyist

yuni

Thanks for the tip. From the Outline window I can see that the text is imported as polygons and polylines.
So the issue is not in the export to PDF, but either with the export to .eps or the import into Scribus.

The reason for this is accessibility for blind people and convenience (to allow copy-paste values from the PDF). While not as important on the graphs, it is more relevant for the tables (which I'm also trying to copy from Calc) that exhibit the same problem.

yuni

OK, I got a bit further.

The .eps export from LibreOffice Draw was not OK.
Opening the .svg file in Inkscape and exporting to .eps there solved it.
I uploaded the new file ("DummyInkscapeUngrouped.eps") to the GDrive I linked in the original post.

If I import this file to Scribus I now see that it is imported as text - it is shown as text in Outline window and if I print the file to PDF it is selectable.

However, the layout and the font changed during the import, spacing is messed up.


If I view the .eps file in other tools (e.g. IrfanView, GDrive) it looks normal, so the export itself seems to be OK.

Are there any nuances to .eps import I should be aware of?

AdmFubar

As for fonts I'd check and see if your scribus font path is pointing to the right set of fonts. There maybe some path issues as to where Inkscape may look for fonts on your system and where scribus looks for them. Check their preferences and make sure they use the same set of fonts. inkscape my use a default set that scribus can see. also check if there is an option to embed the fonts used in inkscape for the exported file. that may solve the issue.



Using Scribus 1.6.1, openSUSE 15.5
Advanced hobbyist