problem when opening a wmf or emf file

Hi Nir,

can you look through the already reported bugs about this:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape?field.searchtext=import+emf&search=Search&field.status%3Alist=NEW&field.status%3Alist=INCOMPLETE_WITH_RESPONSE&field.status%3Alist=INCOMPLETE_WITHOUT_RESPONSE&field.status%3Alist=CONFIRMED&field.status%3Alist=TRIAGED&field.status%3Alist=INPROGRESS&field.status%3Alist=FIXCOMMITTED&field.assignee=&field.bug_reporter=&field.omit_dupes=on&field.has_patch=&field.has_no_package=

and see if one of them corresponds to your problem?

If you think that your problem is different, please open a new report.
If you find a report that fits, then please add yourself to the supporters of the report ('Affects me, too', at the top). You can also subscribe to the report (at the right), and add an example file for testing.

Kind Regards,
 Maren

Hi,
Unfortunately none of the answers presented above were suited for my problem.
I will try to refine my problem:
I use win7 64 bit, and I have already used inkscape before, and it was great.
Recently I have format my disk and re install everything.
When I am trying to open or import wmf or emf files that were already created months ago with sigmaplot software (which were ok few months ago when I opened them in inkscape), now they are bad. All the bars are transparent , no colors, and seems that they are in different format or something because I can not change their color right.
This is true also to new files the I am creating and importing.
I think it is only something little that I am missing, like changing some definition or something.
Please help......
Thanks a lot,
Nir

Hi Nir,

those aren't answers, they are bugs (so things that do not work correctly). One or more of them may represent the same problem as yours.

So, I think that your Inkscape version changed, could that be the case? Maybe that was what broke the import for you.

Now, if you'd like me to try it out and find the corresponding bug report (or find out that we need a new one), please upload a wmf / emf (or both) file to framadrop.org or any other file hoster of your choice.

Also make a screenshot of what it looks like after import into Inkscape for you, and upload that to either imgh.us, framadrop.org or any other file hoster of your choice.

Post the links to the uploads in your next comment here.

Also, please indicate your Inkscape version. You can find the number in Help -> About.

Kind Regards,
 Maren

Dear Maren,
The inkscape version didn’t change it is 0.92.
When I wrote answers I meant bugs- sorry for that.
I uploaded the files to framadrop.org. hope the links are ok:
https://framadrop.org/r/D68JWIxoP4#Inv2ht1QRsLeBOefd1PFMyASOo3u4TnHVPZokf6j0fI=
https://framadrop.org/r/FMv7x3IHVw#7Dy2Ox4PfPuaC/YFqJ8OiTjsIDGFUnVoaloJb/dGGlE=
https://framadrop.org/r/A8Y-Du1f_w#7yA/oFwFoS9Lwgu2uBEIbnukbOfz4nWc29Qfg9dnJtM=
https://framadrop.org/r/mMFvkRJQHS#5t0R0JXuxJKhVDHoE7sxhf/TkjCT/YigixnnJHTwpfc=

The first jpg file is a picture of how I get it when I import the file to inkscape.
The rest of the files are the original files that show how the figure should be.
The svg file is the file that I saved last time , before i had this problem and I could import the wmf file, modify it and saved it as svg.
Thanks again for your help,
Nir

Hi Nir,

attaching won't work - you can confirm by visiting our thread here at https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387.

So it's good that you uploaded the files!

Unfortunately, framadrop is currently offline - I'll try again later.
Sorry that it's so complex, I hope we'll soon guide users who click on 'Ask us a question' to a forum instead.

Kind Regards,
 Maren

Hi Maren,
Waiting for you help....
thanks a lot,
Nir

Sorry for the delay - I've been working on the Inkscape website's content. I'll take a closer look tomorrow!

Hi Nir,

confirmed on Linux with Inkscape 0.91 (where the text is additionally broken on import) and 0.92 (where the text looks alright, but the contents' color seemingly cannot be changed, and a couple of objects seem to be missing (the rectangles without border, which give the color to the columns).

I've also found a workaround:
- Import the file(s) into LibreOffice
- Save as pdf
- Import the pdf into Inkscape

The drawing will look okay. It's also editable. There are a couple of extra objects, that aren't needed, but aside from that, one can work with it.

The color of the objects in the (directly) imported wmf can actually be changed, but: the contour is actually a double line, and the fill is only in between the black stroke. It's invisible, because the area is so small.

Here's your bug report:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1665421

I have attached your diagram to it, I hope that was okay?

If you want to get news about the report, please subscribe to it (there's a link to it at the right of the linked page).

Kind Regards,
 Maren

Dear Maren,
Thanks for your help and time.
As I understood from your answer, I should save the file in pdf and then import it to inkscape? I can do it instead of saving it as wmf file.
Now, I have a very silly question: when I import this pdf file or any other pdf files to inkscape, I get an image of the file which I can't modify in any way and its completely not editable.
Am I doing something wrong at the import/open procedure or should I do something after I import the file?
I am afraid that, from some reason, some basic definition ( in the software) has changed and therefore any imported file whether it pdf or wmf, is now problematic to work on.
Thanks,
Nir

-----Original Message-----
From: <email address hidden> [mailto:<email address hidden>] On Behalf Of Hachmann
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2017 8:14 PM
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: [Question #455387]: problem when opening a wmf or emf file

Your question #455387 on Inkscape changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387

    Status: Open => Answered

Hachmann proposed the following answer:
Hi Nir,

confirmed on Linux with Inkscape 0.91 (where the text is additionally broken on import) and 0.92 (where the text looks alright, but the contents' color seemingly cannot be changed, and a couple of objects seem to be missing (the rectangles without border, which give the color to the columns).

I've also found a workaround:
- Import the file(s) into LibreOffice
- Save as pdf
- Import the pdf into Inkscape

The drawing will look okay. It's also editable. There are a couple of extra objects, that aren't needed, but aside from that, one can work with it.

The color of the objects in the (directly) imported wmf can actually be changed, but: the contour is actually a double line, and the fill is only in between the black stroke. It's invisible, because the area is so small.

Here's your bug report:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1665421

I have attached your diagram to it, I hope that was okay?

If you want to get news about the report, please subscribe to it (there's a link to it at the right of the linked page).

Kind Regards,
 Maren

--
If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387/+confirm?answer_id=8

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the following page to enter your feedback:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387

You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Hi Nir,

select the object you've got in Inkscape from importing the pdf.

What does it say in the status line? (at the bottom of the window)

Group: then ungroup: Ctrl + U, or Ctrl+Shift+G, or right-click: ungroup, or use button in the tool bar at the top. May need to be repeated a couple of times. You can also access objects inside a group by double-clicking on the group to 'enter' it. Or you can hold Ctrl+Click, to select the object directly under the mouse cursor, no matter whether it's in a group or not.

Image <number> x <number>: Your pdf only contained a rasterized version of the image. The detour via wmf and then LibreOffice or some other program is necessary.

Hope this helps!

Kind Regards,
 Maren

WMF files normally have "begin path" and "end path" records around draw commands like POLYGON which signal the renderer when it is OK to draw. This file does not have those records and somehow or other that results in the eventual draw having no fill color. I'm not sure that the stroke value you see is correct either, that may just be the default "black". I will look into this further when I get a chance. It would help if somebody could post here (not a link to elsewhere) a much simpler test case, just one colored bar, no text.

Also, I'm seeing text rotations different than in the PNG.

These were produced in sigmaplot? That program should be able to produce EMF output, and one should always use EMF instead of WMF if that is an option.

Hi,
It says: image xxxx embeded in layer......

When I import the file I get several option to choose how to open the file , what should I choose in order to have an editable file?
Nir

-----Original Message-----
From: <email address hidden> [mailto:<email address hidden>] On Behalf Of Hachmann
Sent: Thursday, February 16, 2017 9:38 PM
To: <email address hidden>
Subject: Re: [Question #455387]: problem when opening a wmf or emf file

Your question #455387 on Inkscape changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387

    Status: Open => Answered

Hachmann proposed the following answer:
Hi Nir,

select the object you've got in Inkscape from importing the pdf.

What does it say in the status line? (at the bottom of the window)

Group: then ungroup: Ctrl + U, or Ctrl+Shift+G, or right-click: ungroup, or use button in the tool bar at the top. May need to be repeated a couple of times. You can also access objects inside a group by double- clicking on the group to 'enter' it. Or you can hold Ctrl+Click, to select the object directly under the mouse cursor, no matter whether it's in a group or not.

Image <number> x <number>: Your pdf only contained a rasterized version of the image. The detour via wmf and then LibreOffice or some other program is necessary.

Hope this helps!

Kind Regards,
 Maren

--
If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387/+confirm?answer_id=10

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the following page to enter your feedback:
https://answers.launchpad.net/inkscape/+question/455387

You received this question notification because you asked the question.

Yes, i tried them both.
The thing that it was ok few weeks ago and now , no matter what kind of file I open/import to inkscape,
I can not work on it, and it is just a picture- not editable at all.
Dont understand what is the problem...

Hi David,
When I import an emf file , I get transparent bars even though I had them colored in sigmaplot, and when I am trying to change their color in inkscape, only the edges are changing , not the bars themselves.
What is the problem?
Thanks
Nir

Nir, for the workaround to work, it seems the pdf needs to be created by a *different* program than the one you use to create the wmf/emf files.

That program (sigmaplot?) seems to only output pdfs with embedded raster images, which are not editable, and cannot be made editable (in a vector way).

If you don't have LibreOffice or OpenOffice installed (and don't want to or can't) and the number of files is not > 20, I'd offer to do the conversion for you.

Can you also attach a wmf and an emf file from sigmaplot to the bug report here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/inkscape/+bug/1665421 ?
That file must only contain a single column, and no text. Can you make one for David, so it's easier for him to do the testing?

Kind Regards,
 Maren

Hi,
regarding the files, they are already attached.
Nir

It doesn't have to mean that it is a software issue. Have you tried opening it with another software? Try it like this: http://www.paintshoppro.com/en/pages/emf-file/ and see if the same problem exists than it would mean that it is a file issue.