Bi-Directional text in Open XML

If you need to generate documents in Arabic or Hebrew, or other less common RTL (right-to-left) scripts such as Syriac or Urdu, you'll find some very useful information in a new article on OpenXmlDeveloper: "Bi-directional Text in WordprocessingML" by Godha G. N.

Godha's article covers the basics of how bi-directional text is handled in paragraphs, runs, shapes, tables and sections, including how punctuation works and other related details. Nice work, Godha.

Great Wall of China

On an unrelated note ... I'm in Beijing, preparing for a large Open XML workshop later in the week.

In my first day here I've learned a lot about UOF (Uniform Office Format), a document format that has been developed in China. It's similar to Open XML and ODF in its architecture: a bunch of XML parts in a compressed archive. The goal of the format is to facilitate document interoperability between various desktop applications used in China, including WPS Office, Evermore Office, Red Office 2000, Microsoft Office, and others. I'll be learning a lot more about UOF later this week, and will discuss it in more detail later.

When I arrived at the airport yesterday, I took a brief trip out to the Great Wall before checking into my hotel. Click on the photo above to see a few more pictures.