KoText is a library for general use that extends the QText framework (codenamed scribe) with an enhanced text-layout which adds features required by ODF and general word-processing applications.

You can use KoText at all places where you would normally use a QTextDocument as the main text layout class in scribe can be replaced on any QTextDocument instance using QTextDocument::setDocumentLayout(). This means you can use the Qt API as normal, but you will be able to use extra features like the plugins, the variables and the ODF loading and saving for all the ODF text-layout features.

TextShape Flake-Plugin

Closely coupled with the kotext library is the text plugin that is build on flake technology. All the user interaction dialogs and code will reside in that plugin, and the actual heavy lifting of the layout also is present only in that plugin. In other words; this library will supply you with the APIs but without having the text shape plugin loaded you can't show or layout the text. The goal is to keep it cheap to link to this library and only provide the bare minimum of functionality is the way to get there. The feature- package will be completed by the optional text-plugin.

QTextDocument compatibility

The actual content is stored in the QTextDocument, as mentioned before. In KoText we support a lot more features than Qt does in its layout and this library will allow you to enrich your document with those features. The core design goal is that you can use an externally created QTextDocument with KoText. This has the implication that all the extra content is stored inside the document. We add QTextFormat based properties for that as can be seen in the styles (see KoParagraphStyle::Properities for instance), and we allow managers to be stored on the document too. So for example a KoStyleManager will be stored as a property on the QTextDocument and you can access that using the KoTextDocument API. Note that you can use the KoTextDocument class while using only a QTextDocument instance.

Plugins

There are various plugins for KoText that make it possible for 3rd parties to extend the KoText functionality, see the techbase page; http://techbase.kde.org/Development/Tutorials/Calligra_Overview#Text_Plugins

ODF compatibility

Loading and saving of documents can be done to and from ODF using the open document classes.

Important classes;

KoTextDocumentLayout the main layout class to be set on the QTextDocument.

KoInlineTextObject plugin base for inline objects (and variables)

KoTextEditingPlugin plugin base for text editing plugins.

KoText namespace.