Beyond Digital Texts: A New Spatial and Ontological Formatting Framework for Creating Computeral Documents With AbiWord

by Ersin Akinci for AbiWord

Writers need tools that go beyond paper-based paradigms to create genuinely “computeral” documents. This project proposes a system for AbiWord documents to arrange custom-sized pages in arbitrary spatial configurations. Two new document views, Canvas Layout and Structured Layout, will enable users to navigate their document spatially and through a node graph visualization. If time permits, I hope to lay the groundwork for a modular system to add pages from various digital sources directly.