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Description:
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A table is often the preferred medium for presenting quantative information . In some cases the presentation of quantative information can be presented as textual data or graphics at a loss of precision and clarity . The subject of this thesis is to aid the extraction and production of quality tables from a common means of preparing data in tabular form , the spreadsheet . Spreadsheet processors are in common use . Many tables are prepared by a range of users from the na ? ? & #305 ;ve users to experts in graphic arts . Spreadsheet data is also produced in automatic form from applications . We will review the speci & #64257 ;cation of tabular data , presentation formats , and the systems and their associated formats for storing and interchange of data . The goal of this research is the speci & #64257 ;cation and development of a system to convert common spreadsheet data to a markup language that will allow for presentation of the data at a higher level of typographic excellence . The desired characteristics of this system will include
1 . Robust importing of data from an array of commercial and open spreadsheet processors 2 . Formatting decisions of the output speci & #64257 ;ed by the user rather than taken from the spreadsheet 3 . Development or identi & #64257 ;cation of a canonical form that is robust , does not lose data , and allows for repeated automatic application of styles 4 . Development of a program to convert this canonical form into a markup system . |