eZ Publish can import and export text documents based on the OASIS Open Document Format (ODF) (http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=office). This is the format used by OpenOffice.org Writer documents.

Importing an OpenOffice.org document

There are two basic things to remember about importing OpenOffice.org documents:

• All imported documents are stored as an Article content type.
• Documents can only be imported into content containers (such as Folders).

To import an OpenOffice.org Writer document:

1. Log in as an Editor or Administrator.
2. Browse to the location where you want to import the document.
3. Click on the Import button on the Website Toolbar.
4. You will be prompted to browse your local drives and specify the document you want to import. After selecting the document, click on the Upload file button.

The system will upload and import the document, converting it to the native eZ Publish XML format. When complete, it will display a page with a confirmation message and a link to the new article.

The Replace button on the Website Toolbar has similar functionality to the Import button.However, instead of creating a new content object, it replaces the current object you are viewing.

Exporting an OpenOffice.org document

This section explains how to export site content to an OpenOffice.org document. These exported documents can be read by any application that supports the ODF standard, such as the OpenOffice.org Writer.

The exported document may not be 100% equal to the source. In the example above, the image is embedded in the text, so it appears exactly at the same location in the exported document. However, you can attach 1 image to the article as well, and this image may appear next to the introduction text on the web page (because the template decides where it goes), but since it is not embedded in in the text, it is just attached at the bottom of the exported document (since the open document format extension (ezodf) does not know where to put it).

When you export a content object to OpenOffice.org format, only the current object, and not its children, is exported. For example, if you export a Folder, only the content in the Folder object and not articles beneath the folder object are exported. 

To export content to an OpenOffice.org document:

1. Log in as an Editor or Administrator.
2. Browse to the content object you want to export.
3. Click on the Export button on the Website Toolbar.
4. You will be prompted to either open the exported content or to save the content to a file.