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would be great if ppl. separate between usefull library functionality and language/compiler features before submitting RFEs.
This is clearly a candidate for a library, but no way for a language/compiler feature.
br woecki
this also doesn't belong to the language proper
Under consideration
here is some merit in that idea.
It might be better to go for PDF or RTF format than .DOCX format, however.
A .docx file is neither a well-defined nor completely-defined file format,
and Microsoft has not implemented it fully in its own software.
PDF is a better format to go for, because it can be universally opened
and printed.
On the other hand .docx files is another attempt by Microsoft to
lock Windows users into using its products, including the latest
Windows O/S.
That is patently evident in Microsoft's word processor's failure to open
it's earlier .DOC files. (That sort of thing just irritates users.)
Documents in earlier .RTF format can be generated by PL/I,
and it's fairly portable, but as output from a PL/I program, something that
can be displayed and/or printed in a consistent way, across most systems,
nothing can beat .PDF format files.
It's something that could be in a library, even as a built-in function,
BUT it would have multiple entry points, possibly many,
and it would seem to me that if something like this were to go ahead,
it would need to be developed first as a user function in order to see
how it would be used, and what could be produced.
Things like a library of fonts (offering various sizes), styles
(normal, bold, italic, etc), font colors, justified left, full, right, centered,
would need to be offered.
An ability to construct tables, pie charts? and the like.
If IBM is going to make the considerable investment in providing the capability to create this kind of output, it would be preferable if the output produced was in .odt format. .docx is used primarily by Microsoft Word, and it can also process .odt documents.
Even defining the markup required for the broad range of "formatting such as fonts, bold, tables, centering etc." would be a large project of limited value.
Rather than a proprietary format, such as MS "docx", I would prefer a truly open format used by professional organizations. In particular, I think that TeX or, especially, LaTeX2e would be far superior to "docx". LaTex2e is the preferred document format for the American Mathematical Society and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences. Many graduate schools prefer the use of some sort of TeX document for papers and theses.
Ludicrous to add the ability to create documents that do only adhere to the pseudo-standard created by a convicted monopolist.
If anything like this would ever be considered (I HOPE NOT), the only viable output would be something that generates output compatible with FOSS!