Better import-export with Word, InDesign and iCalamus

[gnoli]

Dear Redlers, I am an enthusiastic user of your app from more or less five years. I wrote a lot of scientific articles using your amazing word processor. I produced a book camera-ready, too, that you posted in the section "written with Mellel". The book was written using the spectacular integration with Bookends.
Well, now I have accomplished a new book written in Mellel (w/BE), but the layout of this book is far too complex for the pagination using Mellel. It is a critical edition of fragments of texts, each one with an introduction (1 column), text and translation (2 columns), textual or critical notes (using letters), notes in the comment (using numbers, restarting each fragment) and so on. The editor requires the file in Quark XPress or (better) Adobe InDesign.
As far as I know it is practically impossible to import a Mellel complex file in InDesign, without a severe data loss !!! Text attributes, notes etc. are loss .... It is necessary retype a lot of text (with inevitable errors and waste of time).
I think that a better better better communication with layout programs (InDesign, XPress, iCalamus etc.) is an imprescindible necessity for your app (and for your user).
Best wishes

[kristian]

i fully agree and support this point.
mellel is a wonderful program but in many cases, texts written in it require a subsequent step in indesign to turn these texts into books. this means who really publishes his texts in print will in most cases have to be compatible with quark or indesign.
since both of these layout programs have to be compatible with word for its diffusion, i think the most pragmatic way for mellel would be to enhance the compatibility with word through a more sophisticated export and import process. perhaps now with openoffice 3.0, also a good import export with .odt could perhpas be an alternative.
best, kristian