[libreoffice-design] Control elements in a partial-formal document

Hi All,


sometimes applications are used in way different from that they were
originally designed for and this might be one of the cases.


For reports on analysis in mechanics, libreoffice is connected to
a FEM system (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finite_element_method),
both to receive pictures and tables from it as well as to feed parameters
mentioned in the document to it and to control (re)doing calculations.

The overall contruction is a more common use and could loosely be
described as a partial-formal document, i.e. one, in which certain parts
have highly defined formal structure that could be described by means
of data types together with operations on them. These parts are 
embedded in and distributed over the document.


Now to my question. We're currently renew the application and i write
to learn if new means to improve the user interface became available
for this task.

For now we're using the following elements:

a) Menu entries to trigger actions
b) The cursor position
c) (I think) The right mouse button menu on frames around some pictures.


What i'm looking for, are means for a more fine grane control. E.g. the
formalized part of the document requieres certain rubrics, i.e. sections,
subsections, etc. A user control element that could be of use with such
would be:

a) To be able to cheaply recognize that the cursor is in such title.
b) To offer extra control, e.g. right mouse button menu
c) to change the cursor or otherwise indicate special features.

Some years ago, we looked over the full API for such opportunities, but
found only the few currently used and some, too low-level IMHO, in the
accessibility branch.


As a related topic aside, i'm aware that the idea, that libreoffice has about
the structure of a document becomes more weaker, the more one drives
apart from raw layout. Technically, this general problem is well-addressed
in XML via name spaces. Thus my second question about means to add
to the documents idea of structure.


Please, if i write to the wrong mail-list, help me to find the right one.


Kind regards

  Lars Dölle

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