ONLYOFFICE at the FOSSASIA Summit 2022: how it was

The ONLYOFFICE team has presently held a workshop at the FOSSASIA Summit 2022. In this article, you will find a summary of the event and an overview of our presentation with questions and answers.

About the FOSSASIA Summit 2022

The FOSSASIA Summit is an annual unique event with a broad range of topics such as web and mobile technologies, JavaScript, Python, cloud services, artificial intelligence, hardware and production, privacy, security, digital sovereignty, Blockchain, DevOps, databases, kernel and platform, open-source licences and compliance, health tech, science, open-source culture and digital economy. It’s a perfect place to learn about the latest trends in open-source technologies.

The FOSSASIA Virtual Summit 2022 took place online on April 7-9. As a silver sponsor, ONLYOFFICE organized its own workshop with a presentation and a Q&A session.

ONLYOFFICE workshop at the summit

On April 7, 2022, the ONLYOFFICE team held a 55-minute workshop on creating a personalized collaborative office and making plugins for the ONLYOFFICE editors.

Alexander Zozulya, a professional services engineer at ONLYOFFICE, gave a detailed presentation and touched on the following topics:

• What the ONLYOFFICE suite is and what features it offers;
• What customization options ONLYOFFICE provides;
• What ONLYOFFICE plugins are and how they can extend the functionality of the suite;
• How to create plugins for ONLYOFFICE;
• How to publish ready-to-use plugins in the ONLYOFFICE App Directory.

At the end of his speech, Alexander answered the questions about ONLYOFFICE and its functionality asked by other participants and moderators of the event.

The full recording of the first day of the FOSSASIA Summit is available on YouTube:

The ONLYOFFICE workshop starts at 3:56:12.

Questions and answers

Let’s have a look at what interested people the most during the ONLYOFFICEW workshop at the FOSSASIA Summit 2022:

Q: Which folder in which repository should I take a look for modifying text layout, for example, line breaking?

A: Here is the link https://github.com/ONLYOFFICE/sdkjs/tree/master/word/Editor where almost all the text editor’s source code is listed, you can take the open-source package. If any questions arise, we are ready to help you on GitHub and our forum.
 

Q: What is the feedback of customers, why they are using ONLYOFFICE instead of MS Office or Collabora? I could imagine it is a challenging business, what are the opportunities you see for ONLYOFFICE?

A: Our solution can be hosted on a personal server in your local environment, so this is mostly the question of data security. Most of our users who do not want to depend on third parties deploy our server solutions. When we are talking about Collabora, this is the question of the performance and support of OOXML formats.
 

Q: What is the future of office? Will we be using office applications in 20 years? What alternatives do you see? Voice interaction with the PC? Are you looking at voice integration? Any AI features you could think of?

A: This is a very good and interesting question. As far as there is paperwork, even if it is electronic, people will need office suites to manage their collaboration. We are already working on the editor level integration with Siri or Cortana.
 

Q: Is WOPI available on mobile?

A: WOPI protocol is used in the integration of the Document Server and DMS, as the mobile editor is only connected afterwards to the DMS and opens the editor’s frame.
 

Q: Does ONLYOFFICE work with Nextcloud?

A: Yes, it does. We have an official connector for Nextcloud that was developed by our team so you can easily integrate the Document Server and Nextcloud. You can open and edit documents from the Netxcloud platform.
 

Q: Do you always have a server somewhere in the cloud or do you run the server locally? How does it work?

A: Basically, if you are working offline with the desktop application, you are using the local version. But if you connect this desktop app to the cloud, for example, Nextcloud, then you will use the Document Server integrated with Nextcloud. The desktop application is a Chromium-based application. It opens tabs like a web browser.
 

Q: Is there support for Asian fonts and Asian languages?

A: Basically, we use the default set of fonts that is provided with the Document Server when you install it. There are no specific Asian fonts but you can easily add any fonts you need. There are some detailed instructions for that. You just place the files of the required fonts in TTF format to the folder where your Document Server is installed, run the font generation script and clear the browser’s cache to see the new fonts in the editors. As for the desktop app, it uses your system’s fonts, i.e the fonts that are already installed in your operating system.

When it comes to the support of Asia languages, the ONLYOFFICE Document server is already available in Chinese, Indonesian, Japanese, Laotian, Korean and Vietnamese. We work on adding other languages and invite everyone to contribute to our project. If you are ready to translate ONLYOFFICE into your native language, contact our team via documentation@onlyoffice.com.
 

Q: What makes ONLYOFFICE unique in comparison with other alternatives?

A: There are some points that have been already mentioned in the presentation. Let’s briefly repeat them.

Firstly, there is one engine for the online, mobile and desktop editors.

Secondly, OOXML is the core file format of ONLYOFFICE.

Thirdly, there is a vast set of collaborative and editing tools. For example, Track changes, Version history, document comparison, comments, a built-in chat. We also have two different co-editing modes.

Fourthly, it’s flexibility. ONLYOFFICE is the best choice for companies seeking for a secure solution. It can be easily adapted to the needs of any business, whether it be a small firm or a big company. We also have various scalability options. For example, a Kubernetes cluster.

Finally, we offer OFORMs. This is our unique feature, a combination of MS content controls and the flexible settings of Adobe forms. OFORMs are open-source and available online. These are fillable documents, so you can easily automate your paperwork.
 

Q: What happens if you open a document with a YouTube video that was added via the plugins using another office app?

A: Microsoft Office supports all visual objects, so the video must be available in the file.
 

Q: When you have a Jitsi call, do you have to share the document or is there an option to share it?

A: The Jitsi plugin allows you to have audio and video calls via a separate window making it easier to communicate in real time. You can share a document with other users, organize a video conference for everyone who has access access to the document and start co-editing online. Thus, you can discuss changes and suggest ideas in real time and make the required amends together via the editors’ interface without using any third-party apps. This helps to facilitate the collaboration process and get your work done much faster.