[ILUG] [Q] editing an M$-Word(?) drawing with OO.org - how?

[Brian Foster]

  | Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:50:26 +0000
  | From: keith <keith at iol.ie>
  | 
  | > From: "Brian Foster" <blf at utvinternet.ie>
  | >  I've got an M$-Worthless document (`.doc') which
  | >  contains a diagram [ ... ].  I've converted the
  | >  document into `.odt' using OpenOffice.org 2.3
  | >  [ ... but ] OpenOffice.org doesn't let me [ edit
  | >  the diagram ]; all I seem to be able to do is
  | >  select the entire diagram as a single object.  ;-\
  | >[ ... ]
  | >  Any ideas / Suggestions / ... ?
  | 
  | Sounds like whatever meta-data was there was removed and the thing
  | converted to a bitmap.

 that's essentially my guess as well.  FWIW, when
 I select the diagram in OO.org, it says something
 like “Embedded OLE selected” (not sure what that
 is, or if it's relevant?).

  | Prolly quicker to just re-create the thing from scratch.

 only if I use pic(1) .... which for various
 reasons may be “unacceptable” .... I've never
 been able to get the hang of OO.org Draw.

  | Perhaps you can just replace or overwrite the labels,
  | leaving the rest of the graphic as was?

 yes, that's what I'm thinking.  to maintain a
 consistent appearance, I'd have to replace all
 the labels, but that's do-able (and I've done
 similar things before in The Gimp, so I do have
 some idea how to do it).  but *bletch*....!

 by private e-mail I was asked if perhaps UnGroup
 did anything.  that was a Good Idea, but no, it
 does not.  in fact, when the diagram's selected
 (in OO.org Draw), almost all operations — including
 UnGroup — are greyed out.  (this is why I suspect
 Keith's theory is correct: any meta-data there
 was has been lost.)

 I still have the original `.doc' file.  is there
 some other (Linux) tool I could use to extract
 the diagram which might preserve (or convert?
 whatever) the meta-data in a form such that I
 can then edit the diagram?  if there is, what
 tool should I then use to try and edit this
 alternatively-extracted diagram?

 ( for that matter, I should also have a PDF
  that was somehow generated (dunno how) from
  that same `.doc', in case there's a possible
  attack from that direction. )

thanks for the help & ideas!
	-blf-
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