Re: Re: unnumbered subsections in latex export

[Bastien <bzg@altern.org>]

Dear all,

I applied the patches too hastily, disregarding some inconsistency they
could introduce between exporters -- sorry for that.

I fully agree with Nick and Thomas (and others who also agreed): Org's
export facilities need some real love and new export features need to be
introduced as complete and as consistent accross exporters as possible.

I hope we'll make progress on this for 7.6.

Here is a list of difficulties:

1. the syntax of the backends vary, and this means that all Org options
   are not meaningful in all target formats;

   *Example*: #+XSLT is only meaninful for the Docbook export.  The
   variable `org-export-html-postamble' is only meaningful for the HTML
   export.  Etc.

2. exporters use various methods to export the file (e.g. the HTML
   exporter goes line by line, the LaTeX exporter parses the file and
   render each section);

   *Example*: users often ask why the LaTeX exporter cannot export a
   headline of level 3 right after a headline of level 1: they ask that
   because the HTML exporter can do this, while the LaTeX one cannot.
   And the LaTeX one cannot because parsing an ill-structured Org buffer
   is tricky for it.

3. exporters are maintained by various people: I know the HTML exporter
   and the LaTeX one, others know the other exporters, etc.

I need your help do deal with these issues.

The first thing to do is to have a list of annoying inconsistencies that
need to be addressed in priority.

The second thing would be to build a table (somewhere on Worg?) with the
list of options and the way they are taken care by each exporter.  Such
a "synoptic view" would help developers know what they can work on, and
users know what they have to expect from options.  On the long term, it
would also help make the documentation clearer about all these aspects.

This will at least help with the first difficulty -- and motivate all
people working on the exporters to address the second one.  The third
one can be turned into a *chance*: that of having several people working
in the same direction.

So, bare with me on this :)

PS: Also note that I couldn't be as available as I wanted the 10 last
days due to personal problems, but things look better now.

-- 
 Bastien