Scribus Forums

Development => Code => Topic started by: BN_Dev on September 23, 2024, 03:03:26 AM

Title: Feature discussion: content variables
Post by: BN_Dev on September 23, 2024, 03:03:26 AM
Hi all,

Quote from: BN_Dev on September 23, 2024, 02:07:24 AM^^ With regards to this post ^^

An essential feature we need is something analogous to Content Variables in QuarkXPress.  See QuarkXPress 2024 User Guide: Content Variables (https://www.quark.com/documentation/quarkxpress/2024/english/User%20Guide/_92793B3D6A5745CDBFD902A0CE06A492_4.html).

I am aware that the Marks feature exists and is experimental.  It is very promising and we are excited that it could offer better functionality than Content Variables.  We have been playing with this feature and found a few bugs (which I have started reporting via Mantis; see 0017269: Ascent not computed with variable text (https://bugs.scribus.net/view.php?id=17269)).

We would like to contribute work in this area for the following goals:


Referencing the post at the top, whilst we recognize that a lot of this is possible by directly manipulating the XML file with external tools and with the use of plugins (I have seen an example of a mail-merge type system that does this), having something built-in that's analogous to Content Variables makes time-saving smarter layout features available to everyone without having rely on anything external and is document-portable.

A few example of our actual use case in a newsprint production include:


Many thanks,
Paul