openerp-community team mailing list archive

[Gustavo Orrillo <gustavo.orrillo@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all,

We just developed a new openerp module that allows the creation of reports
using Latex, and we wanted to share the information with you.

What is Latex?

TeX is a computer program for typesetting documents, created by Donald
Knuth. It takes a suitably prepared computer file and converts it to a form
which may be printed on many kinds of printers, including dot-matrix
printers, laser printers and high-resolution typesetting machines. LaTeX is
a set of macros for TeX that aims at reducing the user's task to the sole
role of writing the content, LaTeX taking care of all the formatting
process. A number of well-established publishers now use TeX or LaTeX to
typeset books and mathematical journals. It is also well appreciated by
users caring about typography, consistent formatting, efficient
collaborative writing and open formats.

Why we used Latex?

Well... we ran into some problems creating reports  using RML and WebKit,
and we thought it made sense to develop a module for creating reports using
LaTex (we have some experience doing that).

How do I use the module?

The OpenERP-addon combines "Mako Template language" and Latex to generate
high-end quality reports. Latex is not a simple language but you don't need
to be an expert for creating simple reports. There is a learning curve
involved in using Latex, but the productivity gains of using it are very
high.

You must install Latex in your server to make it works. In debian and
ubuntu you can execute:

apt-get install texlive-latex-base texlive-fonts-recommended

Where can I learn Latex?

The best place to start is http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX. Another good
place for finding modules is CTAN (http://www.ctan.org/)

Where can I download the openerp module?

You can find the module in: https://launchpad.net/openerp-report-latex

If you feel like trying it or documenting or suggesting new functionalities
or helping with the development of the module, you are welcome to do so,

Any comments or thoughts, don't hesitate to e-mail the developers

Cheers,