Using OpenOffice.org to write your MediaWiki articles

Did you know that there is an export filter for OpenOffice that you can use to convert your Writer documents to MediaWiki text?

The filter is an XSLT that converts your document from ODT to plain text with MediaWiki markup. It works best if you use styles properly throughout your document.

1. Download and save this file (right-click and Save As):

   http://www.openoffice.org/nonav/issues/showattachment.cgi/45498/odt2wiki.xslt

2. Start OpenOffice.org

3. Select Tools > XML Filter Settings

4. Click the New button and in the General tab, fill in the form as shown:

5. Click the Transformation tab.

6. Click the Browse button for the XSLT for export .

7. Browse to where you saved the XSLT in step 1. Click Open . You should see something similar to this:

8. Click OK , and then Close the XML Filter Settings window.

Now you can use the export filter to save your ODF files as MediaWiki formatted text. To export, all you need to do is:

• Open your Writer document (or create a new one)

• Click File > Export , and select ODT2Wiki from the File format drop down box.

• Give it a filename (and a location) and click Export .

The output will be a plain text file with MediaWiki markup. You can simply paste the text direct into the MediaWiki edit box.

There are a few things that you should be aware of.

• Images do not convert. You will have to add them to the Wiki page separately.

• Long documents (for example documents over 25 pages) do not convert well. Although, depending on your computer, you may have some success with longer documents, I recommend converting long documents in smaller chunks.

• Documents with complicated layouts may not convert perfectly, especially if you have complex tables or complex lists. Make sure you double check the results in the Wiki.

This XSLT filter is also documented on the OpenOffice Wiki at: http://wiki.services.openoffice.org/wiki/Odt2Wiki