OASIS Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument) TC
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Developing an XML-based file format specification for office applications

Michael Brauer, michael.brauer@sun.com, Chair
Robert Weir, robert_weir@us.ibm.com, Chair
Mary McRae, mary.mcrae@oasis-open.org, OASIS Staff Contact

Charter
IPR Statement
FAQ
Membership
Obligated Members
Email Archives
Comments Archive
Documents
Schedule
Minutes
Press
 

Table of Contents


Announcements


Overview

The OpenDocument Format (ODF) is an open XML-based document file format for office applications to be used for documents containing text, spreadsheets, charts, and graphical elements. The file format makes transformations to other formats simple by leveraging and reusing existing standards wherever possible. As an open standard under the stewardship of OASIS, OpenDocument also creates the possibility for new types of applications and solutions to be developed other than traditional office productivity applications.

For more information, see the TC Charter and FAQ

The OpenDocument TC works closely together with the OASIS ODF Adoption Technical Committee which provide expertise and resources to educate the marketplace on the value of the OpenDocument OASIS Standard.


Subcommittees


Technical Work Produced by the Committee

OpenDocument v1.0 Specification

The OpenDocument v1.0 specification was approved as an OASIS Standard on 1 May 2005. It is available in PDF and in OpenOffice.org XML formats.

The OpenDocument v1.0 (Second Edition) specification was approved as a Committee Specification on 19 July 2006. It is available in OpenDocument and in PDF formats.

OpenDocument v1.0 has been approved as the ISO and IEC International Standard ISO/IEC 26300:2006.

The specification defines three Relax-NG schemas:

  1. The schema for office documents (defined in chapters 1 to 16),
  2. the normative schema for the manifest file used by the OpenDocument package format (defined in chapter 17), and
  3. the strict schema for office documents that permits only meta information and formatting properties contained in this specification itself (defined in appendix A).

These three schemas are also available separately:

  1. OpenDocument v1.0 Relax-NG Schema (extracted from chapter 1 to 16 of the specification)
  2. OpenDocument v1.0 Manifest Relax-NG Schema (extracted from chapter 17 of the specification)
  3. OpenDocument v1.0 Strict Relax-NG Schema (extracted from appendix A of the specification)

OpenDocument v1.1 Specification

The OpenDocument v1.1 specification was approved as OASIS Standard on 2 February 2007. It is available in OpenDocument, PDF and XHTML (zipped) formats.

The three schemas defined by the OpenDocument v1.1 specification are also available separately:

  1. OpenDocument v1.1 Relax-NG Schema (extracted from chapter 1 to 16 of the specification)
  2. OpenDocument v1.1 Manifest Relax-NG Schema (extracted from chapter 17 of the specification)
  3. OpenDocument v1.1 Strict Relax-NG Schema (extracted from appendix A of the specification)

Accessibility Evaluation of the OpenDocument v1.0 specification

The ODF Access Requirements report has been created by the Accessibility Subcommittee and has been approved by the OpenDocument TC.

Open Document Format v1.1 Accessibility Guidelines Version 1.0

The Open Document Format v1.1 Accessibility Guidelines Version 1.0 have been created by the Accessibility Subcommittee and after public review have been approved by the OpenDocument TC as a Committee Specification. They are available in OpenDocument, PDF and HTML formats.

OpenDocument Metadata Use Cases and Requirements Document

The Metadata Use Cases and Requirements document has been created by the Metadata Subcommittee and has been approved by the OpenDocument TC. It is available in OpenDocument and PDF formats.

Wiki for the OASIS OpenDocument TC member collaboration


External Resources

Although not produced by the OASIS OpenDocument TC, the following information offers useful insights into its work.

opendocument.xml.org logo

OpenDocument XML.org is a community-driven site hosted by OASIS that provides reliable background information on the standard. The site also serves as a community bulletin board and directory where readers post news, ideas, opinions, and recommendations. It incorporates wiki functionality to let users edit and add new pages to the site. The public is encouraged to contribute content.

Open Document Format for Office Applications (OpenDocument)
v1.0 an OASIS Standard

CoverPages, 23 May 2005

Members Approve OpenDocument as OASIS Standard
OASIS News, 23 May 2005

"OASIS Members Collaborate to Advance Open XML Format for Office Applications:
Arbortext, Boeing, Corel, Drake Certivo, Sun Microsystems, and Others
Develop Open Office Standard at Global Consortium"

OASIS, 20 Nov 2002


Mailing Lists and Comments

office: the list used by TC members to conduct Committee work. TC membership required to post. TC members are automatically subscribed; the public may view archives.

office-comment: a public mail list for providing input to the OASIS office Technical Committee members. Send a comment or view archives.

opendocument-users: an unmoderated, public mail list that provides an open forum for developers to exchange ideas and information on implementing the office OASIS Standard. Subscribe or view archives.*

*To minimize spam, you must subscribe to this list before posting.


Additional Information

Standing Rules

The TC has approved the following standing rule on 21 July 2008:

1. Any TC member may propose a substantive addition, deletion or change to the current working draft of the ODF specification by submitting a Proposal. This standing rule does not apply to editorial changes.

2. A TC member wishing to make a Proposal (the Proposer) should first announce their intention to make a Proposal on the ODF TC's mailing list. Detail is not needed at this point, but such notification is recommended in order to let other interested TC members know that someone is working in this area and to prevent duplication of effort.

3. The Proposer then must fill out the New Proposal Form on the ODF TC's wiki, with details of the Proposal.

4. When the Proposal is ready for broader discussion within the TC, the Proposer must post a link to it to the TC's mailing list to solicit feedback.

5. The Proposer controls the content of the Proposal and the pace at which the Proposal advances towards approval. As it is discussed on the mailing list, TC members may propose changes to the Proposal. However, only the Proposer, and those whom he or she designates, may edit the proposal.

6. When the Proposer wishes for the Proposal to be discussed in a TC meeting, he or she must notify the TC mailing list of this intent by the Wednesday prior to the Monday TC meeting in which he or she wishes to discuss the Proposal. If the agenda cannot accommodate this discussion during the next TC meeting, the Chair(s) should ensure that the discussion is scheduled for the next available TC meeting, with no new notification by the Proposer needed. A Proposal may be discussed in multiple TC meetings.

7. When the Proposer wishes to request a vote to accept his or her Proposal, he or she must notify the TC mailing list of this intent by the Wednesday prior to the Monday TC meeting in which he or she wishes to have the vote. If the agenda cannot accommodate this vote during the next TC meeting, the Chair(s) should ensure that the vote is scheduled for the next available TC meeting, with no new notification by the Proposer needed. No Proposal shall be voted on unless it formally meets the definition of "contribution" as defined by OASIS IPR Policy. No Proposal shall be voted on unless it has already been discussed in a previous TC meeting. Simple Majority Vote shall determine whether a Proposal is approved or not.

8. The TC Chairs shall be responsible for maintaining a record in the Proposal form, of when the proposal was initiated, at which TC meetings it was discussed, when a vote was requested, when the vote was held, and the outcome of the vote.


TC Participants
Adobe Systems
Google Inc.*
IBM
Intel Corporation
Microsoft Corporation
Novell*
Sun Microsystems

Organizations listed above are OASIS Sponsor-level members who have representatives serving on this TC.

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