[Tex/LaTex] Can we embed rtf text in latex

conversionlatex2rtftechnical-drawing

I was doing some research, but I didn't found an answer.
We have C# app that generates PDF reports (pretty complex ones). Currently we use Crystal Reports to that, but as the software gets more features, Crystal reports don't meet our needs. We are thinking to switch to latex, but we are not completely familiar of its power and what can be achieved.

Main things that concerns us at this point (and we can't find example online) are:

  1. From time to time, sections of our source report files are in RTF format and no way to change this because we are talking about huge library. Is there a way to use RTF code in LaTeX and get the expected RTF formatting on that section?
  2. Can we have sort of extended/complex header for specific sections of the document? Like, we have one section where we want custom header to show, not related to the title of that section, nor with the authors, page number (nothing that looks standard, but some sort of legend that will explain some keys used in that section).
  3. Can we do some basic custom drawings/shapes?

We will really appreciate the answers and samples if possible.

Thank you in advance.

Best Answer

Is there a way to use rtf code in latex and get the expected rtf formatting on that section?

There is this tool called rtf2latex2e. I have never used it so I do not know how well it works. I think, whatever tool you choose to use to convert from RTF to LaTeX, you should not expect exact rendering of the RTF source.

Can we have sort of extended/complex header for specific sections of the document? Like, we have one section where we want custom header to show, not related to the title of that section, nor with the authors, page number (nothing that looks standard, but some sort of legend that will explain some keys used in that section..)

This is most likely doable. The solution depends on exact requirements.

Can we do some basic custom drawings/shapes?

Yes. PGF/TikZ is awesome.

That said, expect to have to do quite a lot of tuning and/or coding in LaTeX, especially if your requirements do not match any of the existing document classes and styles.

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