Getting Started with ODT export (OpenDocument Text Exporter for Emacs’ Org Mode)

3 Getting Started with ODT export

3.1 Pre-requisites for ODT export

The ODT backend depends on the following programs

Program	Purpose
‘`zip`’¹	To produce OpenDocument files
‘`unzip`’²	To unzip custom styles
‘`identify`’³	To identify the size of an inline image
‘`latex`’⁴	To compile LaTeX fragments to ‘`dvi`’ images
‘`dvisgm`’⁵	To convert ‘`dvi`’ images to ‘`svg`’
‘`dvipng`’⁶	To convert ‘`dvi`’ images to ‘`png`’
‘`convert`’⁷	To convert inline ‘`pdf`’ to ‘`png`’
‘`latexmlmath`’⁸	To convert LaTeX math snippets to MathML
‘`mathtoweb`’⁹	〃

Of these, ‘zip’ is essential. Rest are optional.

3.2 Installation

You can install the OpenDocument Text export backend using the Emacs package manager. The archive URL for the package is https://kjambunathan.github.io/elpa/.

A typical configuration look like this

(custom-set-variables
 '(package-archives
   (quote
    (("gnu" . "https://elpa.gnu.org/packages/")
     ("ox-odt" . "https://kjambunathan.github.io/elpa/")))))

In the ‘*Packages*’ buffer, packages from this archive show up as below

ox-odt                 9.2.6.263  ... OpenDocument Text Exporter for Org Mode

3.3 Configuration

Here is a sample configuration.

(custom-set-variables
 '(org-odt-convert-process "LibreOffice")
 '(org-odt-preferred-output-format "docx")
 '(org-odt-transform-processes
   '(("Optimize Column Width of all Tables"
      "soffice" "--norestore" "--invisible" "--headless"
      "macro:///OrgMode.Utilities.OptimizeColumnWidth(%I)")
     ("Update All"
      "soffice" "--norestore" "--invisible" "--headless"
      "macro:///OrgMode.Utilities.UpdateAll(%I)")
     ("Reload"
      "soffice" "--norestore" "--invisible" "--headless"
      "macro:///OrgMode.Utilities.Reload(%I)")))
 '(org-latex-to-mathml-convert-command
   "java -jar %j -unicode -force -df %o %I")
 '(org-latex-to-mathml-jar-file
   "/home/kjambunathan/Downloads/mathtoweb.jar"))

(require 'ox-odt)

;; (setcdr (assq 'system org-file-apps-defaults-gnu) "xdg-open %s")
(setcdr (assq 'system org-file-apps-gnu) "xdg-open %s")

(advice-add 'org-open-file :around
            (lambda (orig-fun &rest args)
              ;; Work around a weird problem with xdg-open.
              (let ((process-connection-type nil))
                (apply orig-fun args))))

Above configuration sets up the ODT backend as follows:

Use ‘"LibreOffice"’ (i.e., ‘soffice’ executable) as the document converter
Generate a ‘docx’ document for every ‘odt’ document
Process the ‘odt’ document with a set of LibreOffice Basic Macros to
- Optimize the column width of all tables
- Update cross-references, table of contents etc.
- (if you are already viewing a past version of a ‘odt’ file), re-load the new file in the same application window.
Tell where your ‘mathtoweb’ executable is located, and how it is invoked.
(if you are using a GNU system) open the ‘odt’ document with your preferred OpenDocument viewer, presumably ‘LibreOffice’.

3 Getting Started with ODT export

3.1 Pre-requisites for ODT export

3.2 Installation

3.3 Configuration

Footnotes

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