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Opening .vsd files in an Ubuntu Linux application

Asked by dancallo

Does anyone know of an application that runs in Ubuntu Linux 7.10 that will allow you to open and modify an MS Visio .vsd file? I desperately need to be able to do this. I have Dia Diagram Editor 0.96.1, which appears to be great for creating diagrams that are similar to Visio diagrams, but this application doesn't recognize the .vsd format. Any assistance would be very helpful.

Thank you,

Dan Calloway

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Jan Claeys
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Revision history for this message
Pedro Fragoso (ember) said : 		#1

I think Visio's file format is highly proprietary and a "corporate secret". So maybe you should try emulate it from Wine.

Revision history for this message
dancallo (dan-calloway) said : 		#2

Thanks, Pedro, but I don't want to emulate with Wine. Can someone else let me know if an Open Source application is out there that will read .vsd files. I really appreciate it.

Revision history for this message
Best Jan Claeys (janc) said : 		#3

There is this project that works on VSD conversion/import filters, but currently there is only this work-in-progress viewer:
http://www.sk1project.org/modules.php?name=Products&product=vsdviewer

It's part of a larger project that also tries to reverse-engineer Corel and other file formats.

Unfortunately I think this is not yet available in a ready-to-install package for Ubuntu.

Revision history for this message
dancallo (dan-calloway) said : 		#4

Thanks, Jan. I really appreciate your answer.

On Nov 29, 2007 4:12 PM, Jan Claeys <email address hidden>
wrote:

> Your question #18901 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/18901
>
> Status: Open => Answered
>
> Jan Claeys proposed the following answer:
> There is this project that works on VSD conversion/import filters, but
> currently there is only this work-in-progress viewer:
> http://www.sk1project.org/modules.php?name=Products&product=vsdviewer
>
> It's part of a larger project that also tries to reverse-engineer Corel
> and other file formats.
>
> Unfortunately I think this is not yet available in a ready-to-install
> package for Ubuntu.
>
> --
> If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
> know that it is solved:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/18901/+confirm?answer_id=2
>
> 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/ubuntu/+question/18901
>
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.
>

--
Dan Calloway
USA
"It isn't that UNIX is user-unfriendly; it merely
expects the user to be computer-friendly"
<<Ubuntu Linux - Linux For Human Beings>>

Revision history for this message
dancallo (dan-calloway) said : 		#5

Thank you for your prompt response to my issue.

Revision history for this message
Bastiaan Wakkie (bwakkie) said : 		#6

vsdviewer is the tool to use in linux.

There are some dependancies like the python binding to libgsf

The debian maintainer did not include this so please include this ( --with-python ).

Revision history for this message
Jan Claeys (janc) said : 		#7

Bastiaan, if you have experience with this, could you help the Ubuntu developers fixing this before the hardy release? I think the "sk1project" utilities could be very useful for many people?

Revision history for this message
Bastiaan Wakkie (bwakkie) said : 		#8

I haven't got the experience. I bounced into the problem and found how it potentially could be fixed. I don't know for to create .deb files but....I downloaded the libgsf source and compiled it...

./configure --with-python --with-bz2

...and now the application at least starts. My visio file was unfortunately to complicated but it could open yours.

Revision history for this message
dancallo (dan-calloway) said : 		#9

Thank you, very much. I appreciate your response.

On Dec 20, 2007 8:10 AM, Bastiaan Wakkie <
<email address hidden>> wrote:

> Your question #18901 on Ubuntu changed:
> https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+question/18901
>
> Bastiaan Wakkie posted a new comment:
> I haven't got the experience. I bounced into the problem and found how
> it potentially could be fixed. I don't know for to create .deb files
> but....I downloaded the libgsf source and compiled it...
>
> ./configure --with-python --with-bz2
>
> ...and now the application at least starts. My visio file was
> unfortunately to complicated but it could open yours.
>
> --
> You received this question notification because you are a direct
> subscriber of the question.
>

--
Dan Calloway
USA
"Linux; the Operating System of the
Academic World."

Revision history for this message
frob (dent-artur) said : 		#10

Hej Bastiaan!

Would you mind informing me about your file (which version and what happened)?

--
Thanks,
Valek

Revision history for this message
Tomas Pospisek (tpo-deb) said : 		#11

I tried to compile libgsf on a amd64 Machine:

# vim debian/rules # change to --with-python
# apt-get build-dep libgsf-1-114
# apt-get install python-dev python-gtk2-dev
# dpkg-buildpackage -rfakeroot

however that fails with:

     .../libgsf-1.14.7/build/python/../../python/gsfgnomemodule.c:37: undefined reference to `Py_InitModule4_64'
     ... etc. ...

if anybody succeeds, please let me know.
*t

Revision history for this message
marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said : 		#12

@ Tomas Pospisek

Please don't append a new question on a already answered or marked as solved question.
Please make new question from here: https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+addquestion
you will get better chance to get right answer on a fresh tagged "open" question.
Solved or answered questions are usually not read from answering people.

Thank you