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Maniphest T135643

Show tables in pdfs (#9)
Open, Stalled, Needs TriagePublic
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Description

Survey: 2015

Orignal Wishes:
This card tracks a proposal from the 2015 German Community Wishlist: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Umfragen/Technische_W%C3%BCnsche_2015/PDF_und_Drucken#Tabellen_in_PDFs
It received 22 support votes and was ranked #11: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Umfragen/Technische_W%C3%BCnsche_2015/Topw%C%BCnsche#Anzeige_eines_Hinweises.2C_dass_Tabellen_in_PDFs_nicht_.28fehlerfrei.29_dargestellt_werden_.5BUmfrage_2015.5D

This was also in the international Community Wishlist Survey: https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2015_Community_Wishlist_Survey
There it received 23 support votes, and was ranked #39 out of 107 proposals. https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/2015_Community_Wishlist_Survey/Templates#Inserting_templates_.28tables.29_in_PDF_and_Books

Problem: When downloading an article as pdf or as a book in pdf form, tables of any kind seem to be omitted.
Example: https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob-Weltmeisterschaft_2016

Communities that might be interested:

Scoping by the TCB-team:
After having checked back with the community, we now plan to do the following:

Research insights:

Related tickets:
A general ticket for open issues around tables in pdfs can be found here: T73808: Support tables in PDF rendering (tracking)

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User_talk:Jimbo_Wales#Wikipedia.2C_we_have_a_problem see section above, CScott's comment

Related Objects
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StatusAssignedTask
 OpenJKatzWMFT150871 [EPIC] (Proposal) Replicate core OCG features and sunset OCG service
 StalledNoneT135643 Show tables in pdfs (#9)
 ResolvedWMDE-FischT135616 Investigate underlying issues with tables in PDF rendering
 Resolved• AddshoreT135613 [GTWL] Include hint about excluded tables when generating a PDF
 InvalidNoneT137431 Improve patch to show tables in pdfs
 InvalidNoneT137432 Add a table appendix to pdfs
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT142201 Create a mediawiki extension for browser-based rendered pdf support
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT142202 Only render single articles, and not collections or books
 Resolvedgabriel-wmdeT142204 Investigate what is needed to use browser based rendering for books
Resolved• AddshoreT145413 Request repository for browser-based rendered pdf support extension
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT146894 Replace "Printable version" with link to ElectronPdfService
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT146895 Implement SpecialPage according to mockup
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT147842 Update extension documentation on mw.org
 DeclinedNoneT149086 Implement caching for ElectronPdfService extension
 ResolvedTobi_WMDE_SWT149189 Add and enable basic browsertests
 Resolved• GWickeT142226 Productize the Electron PDF render service & create a REST API end point
 ResolvedmobrovacT143129 New service request - PDF Render
 ResolvedPcheloloT143132 Expose the PDF rendering service via RESTBase
 ResolvedmobrovacT143336 Investigate better protection modes for electron render service (xvfb setuid)
 Resolved• dpatrickT148567 Restrict outgoing network connections from Electron render service
 Resolved• dpatrickT148576 Security review request: Electron render service
 Resolved• Lea_WMDET143410 Voices from the Community about current pdf use
 Resolved• AddshoreT150326 Track numbers for Electron- vs. OCG-Rendering

Event Timeline

Restricted Application added subscribers: Zppix, Aklapper. · View Herald TranscriptMay 18 2016, 3:58 PM
Bmueller updated the task description. (Show Details)May 18 2016, 4:07 PM
• Lea_WMDE renamed this task from Show tables in pdfs to [GTWL] Show tables in pdfs.May 18 2016, 4:23 PM
Restricted Application added a subscriber: Sadads. · View Herald TranscriptMay 18 2016, 4:23 PM
Tobi_WMDE_SW updated the task description. (Show Details)May 18 2016, 6:59 PM
cscott added a subscriber: cscott.May 18 2016, 8:10 PM
mb added a subscriber: mb.May 18 2016, 10:45 PM
Jan_Dittrich added a subscriber: Jan_Dittrich.May 24 2016, 6:54 AM
  • What is the current library used for this conversion?
  • What speaks against the naive approach of using wkhtmltopdf to render a print-stylesheeted version of the page to a pdf?
Jan_Dittrich added a comment.May 24 2016, 6:56 AM

…it is described in T134205

• Lea_WMDE renamed this task from [GTWL] Show tables in pdfs to Show tables in pdfs (#9).Jul 14 2016, 12:10 PM
• Lea_WMDE edited projects, added German-Community-Wishlist-Main-Wishes; removed German-Community-Wishlist.
• Lea_WMDE updated the task description. (Show Details)
• Lea_WMDE moved this task from Backlog to In Research Phase on the German-Community-Wishlist-Main-Wishes board.
Yomomo added a subscriber: Yomomo.Jul 22 2016, 7:50 PM

I'm trying to make a program that translates wiki source code to OpenOffice Writer. See Wiki2OpenOffice. There I have a couple of rather primitiv subroutines that create tables and mathematic formulas in OO writer using Wiki source code. I don't know what programming language you are using, but if it is near to StarBasic or c++ maybe I could help by programming. I find it though better to make a translation program from wiki to writer, because it permits individualising. Each person can then infuence the outcoming book the way it wants!

• Lea_WMDE updated the task description. (Show Details)Aug 4 2016, 11:09 AM
• Lea_WMDE added a comment.Aug 5 2016, 1:09 PM

Hi @Yomomo thanks for offering your help! Our programming will probably be in php, but if you have knowledge there too, we are happy to have support!

• Lea_WMDE updated the task description. (Show Details)Aug 5 2016, 1:45 PM
• Lea_WMDE updated the task description. (Show Details)Aug 8 2016, 2:35 PM
• Lea_WMDE updated the task description. (Show Details)Aug 18 2016, 10:18 AM
• Lea_WMDE added a subscriber: • GWicke.
Cirdan added a subscriber: Cirdan.Jan 1 2017, 10:56 PM
mb removed a subscriber: mb.Jun 8 2017, 1:10 AM
ovasileva added a subscriber: ovasileva.Aug 29 2017, 12:27 PM

@Lea_WMDE - can we safely close this? (electron has been running on all projects for a while now)

Steelpillow added a comment.EditedAug 29 2017, 1:55 PM

Can I ask that you keep it open for now? On en.wikipedia, downloading a single page as a PDF now includes tables, fine. But building a PDF book using Book Creator still does not pull in the tables.

Yet, the full problem stated when opening this issue was, "Problem: When downloading an article as pdf or as a book in pdf form, tables of any kind seem to be omitted."
T142202 "Only render single articles, and not collections or books" appears to turn its back on a full solution to the stated problem (unless I misinterpret its scope).

If we can do it in a standalone page, why not for that same page when it is in a book? There is unfinished business here that I would like to see resolved before this ticket gets closed.

ovasileva added a comment.Aug 29 2017, 2:49 PM

@Steelpillow - a bit of background on this. We've been working on switching to the single-column layout for books and single PDFs. We've been building a new renderer for books which will include tables (more info in T171832: Deploy new book renderer to all projects and associated subtasks). The exact styles and requirements for books can be found here: T167955: Create PDF styles for books and here: https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Reading/Web/PDF_Functionality

Steelpillow added a comment.Aug 29 2017, 3:35 PM

@ovasileva - thank you. I am glad to see that this has not been forgotten. But my request stands: until these other tickets are completed, the stated Problem here remains unfinished business.

ovasileva added a comment.Aug 31 2017, 12:48 PM

@Steelpillow - just to confirm, while this ticket does reflect the issue, the solution is no longer tracked here, but in T171832: Deploy new book renderer to all projects and associated tasks, making this a duplicate.

Aklapper changed the task status from Open to Stalled.May 16 2018, 12:50 PM

All subtasks are closed.

"building a PDF book using Book Creator still does not pull in tables" mentioned in T135643#3562036 is covered by T184772#4116906.
Setting task status to stalled.

MJL added a subscriber: MJL.Apr 7 2019, 9:30 PM
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