Converting Documents Produced by Sweave

A linux script is needed to translate Sweave's LaTeX output for use with TtH (thanks to Ben Bolker for providing most of the code). Here are the steps needed to get going.

1. Install necessary packages (instructions for Debian/Ubuntu variants):
   • Install package 'tth'
     • Using terminal: sudo apt-get install tth
   • Install package 'netpbm' if you are including LaTeX picture code in documents as produced by latex.describe to create the ppmtogif executable
     • Using terminal: sudo apt-get install netpbm
2. Download 'sweave2html' script
   • Using the mouse
     1. Using the system menu, open the /home/username/bin/ folder.
     2. Create and save a script file called 'sweave2html' (without the .txt extension) by right clicking in the folder and selecting 'Create New\Text File.'
     3. Copy and paste the sweave2html commands (found in the sweave2html link) into the script file.
     4. Mark this script as executable by right clicking on the sweave2html file, choosing 'Properties,' and the 'Permissions' tab. Check the 'Is executable' box.
   • Alternatively, the script may be created in a terminal by typing the commands:
     1. cd ~/bin
     2. wget http://biostat.mc.vanderbilt.edu/wiki/pub/Main/SweaveConvert/sweave2html -nv ( Note: Type the web address; not the contents of the link.)
     3. chmod u+x sweave2html

1. Create a folder called 'graphics' in your project directory and have Sweave use it by putting the following command in your .Rnw or .nw file: \SweaveOpts{prefix.string=graphics/plot}
2. In a terminal (shell), open the (project) directory where the .tex file is located (using the command 'cd ~username\pathname').
   1. Run Sweave by typing 'Sweave filename (without the .Rnw or .nw extension).'
   2. Type the command 'sweave2html tex_filename (without the .tex extension).'

It is important to give your collaborator all the .pdf files in the graphics directory to use in manuscripts; do not let them use the lower resolution graphs that will be included in the filename.html document. Bundle all the necessary files to send to the collaborator, using for example

zip /tmp/z.zip foo.pdf foo.html *.gif graphics/*.pdf graphics/*.png

Using TeX4ht

htlatex foo.tex            # produces foo.html
mk4ht oolatex foo.tex      # produces an OpenOffice .sxw file

My test of the oolatex option resulted in output that was not as good as running htlatex and opening the resulting .html file in OpenOffice. See StatReport for more information and example output, and note its comment about turning off picture links in the OpenOffice document.

Current Best Approach for Converting from LaTeX to Word

htlatex $1.tex
rm -f $1.idv $1.lg $1.tmp $1.4tc $1.xref $1.4ct
zip /tmp/$$.zip $1.html $1.css $1*x.png
oowriter $1.html
echo "pack [button .h -text \"/tmp/$$.zip contains html and related files for\ncollaborator to unpack into one folder, or:\n\nClick Edit ... Links ... Break Link\nClick View and uncheck Notes, then\nSave as Word 97/2000/XP and exit OpenOffice\" -command exit]" | wish
rm -f $1*x.png ${1}2.html $1.dvi 

If you do not use many LaTeX packages, tables are not complex, and do not make major use of equations, a faster approach is to install the latex2rtf package to very quickly convert from LaTeX to rich text format ( rtf), using a command such as latex2rtf -o my.rtf my.tex.

You can create a file that can be opened in Firefox that beautifully renders equations without resorting to graphics by using MathML. The attached intro.xhtml was created by running mk4ht xhmlatex intro.tex then renaming intro.html as intro.xhtml. We don't currently know how to make OpenOffice open such files. To properly view intro.xhtml you have to save it to a local file so you can point to it outside of foswiki.

Using OpenOffice Exclusively

 R library(odfWeave) odfWeave('/usr/local/lib/R/site-library/odfWeave/examples/examples.odt', '/tmp/out.odt')

This approach does not allow you to use the advanced table making capabilities of Hmisc that rely on LaTeX.

Weaving with Raw HTML

Batch Conversion of Document Formats

• ooconvert

cd /tmp
bunzip2 ooconvert-*
tar xvf ooconvert-*
# You may need to edit line to change python2.3 to python
sudo chmod a+x ooconvert
sudo mv ooconvert /usr/local/bin or to ~/bin

One-step Conversion of LaTeX Documents to Word

• Install ooconvert, tth, tex4ht
• Put the following script in ~/bin and chmod +x to make it executable
• Run it by saying ltx2doc foo to convert foo.tex to foo.doc

mk4ht oolatex $1.tex
rm -f $1.css $1.idv $1.lg $1.tmp $1.4tc $1.xref $1.4ct
ooconvert $1.odt $1.doc
rm $1.odt

Converting to Word or OpenOffice by Converting from PDF