Uniform Office Format

Uniform Office Format

File:X-office-document.svg
Filename extension	.uof, .uot, .uos, .uop
Type of format	Document file format
Extended from	XML, SVG

Uniform Office Format sometimes called as Unified Office Format (UOF) is a Chinese developed open standard for 'office' applications. It includes word processing, presentation, and spreadsheet modules, and is made up of GUI, API, and format specifications. The document format described uses XML contained in a compressed file container, similar to ISO/IEC 26300:2006 OpenDocument and ISO/IEC 29500:2008 Office Open XML.

The working group that has produced the standard was founded in January 2002, and the first draft of the specification was produced in December 2005. The group producing the standard is open, with 'open-door' meetings, equitable voting by ballots, and the standard document is free.

Application support

Office suites

A number of applications support the Uniform Office Format; listed alphabetically they include:

• EIOffice 2009 is said to be based on UOF . It use binder files with file extension EIO (.eio). In latest version 5.0.1272.101 it doesn't open or save files with file extensions .uof, .uot, .uos or .uop. In documentation to EIOffice is information about possibility to publish documents in "Unit Office Format (XML)"
• Go-oo (OpenOffice.org variant) from version 3 can open and save files in "Unified Office Format" with file extensions .uof, .uot, .uos, .uop (text, spreadsheet, presentation)
• OpenOffice.org from version 3 can open and save files in "Unified Office Format" with file extensions .uof, .uot, .uos, .uop (text, spreadsheet, presentation) (This also applies to version 3 of NeoOffice, a popular variant of OpenOffice for the Macintosh.)
• RedOffice 4.0, a Chinese OpenOffice.org variant, can open and save files with file extension .uof
• WPS Office 2009,a chinese office suite very similar to Microsoft Office 2003 in terms of look and functionality, supports read and write of UOF format.

Filters and converters

ODF to UOF

Software is available to convert from ODF to UOF and the other way round. The software was developed between November 2005 and October 2006 by the Open Standard Lab of Peking University.

OOXML to UOF

Software is being developed at ACT (The Institute of Advanced Computing Technology) at Beihang University to convert from OOXML to UOF and vice versa.

Possibility of merging UOF and ODF

At the "WTO IPRs Issues in Standardization" conference in Beijing (April 2007), convened by the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, the China State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) and Sun Microsystems, Scott McNealy, the Chairman of Sun Microsystems called for a merger of OASIS/ISO's ODF and China's UOF. While both formats are open, there are significant technical challenges in achieving a merger, as the two formats have made different fundamental choices in how to describe documents.

A comparison document between ODF and UOF is available from the ODF-UOF project on SourceForge.

External links

• Another Open Document Format – From China
• More on China's Uniform Office Format (and much more)
• Chinese Office Software Standards and Inter-operation of Office Software (presentation)
• Documents promulgated by the end of the Chinese National Standard (Chinese) – CESI is the China Electronic Standardization Institute
• RedOffice/OpenOffice in China (slide 35)
• UOF and ODF comparison. Which should we choose? – Open Malaysia site, details some of the history and context of UOF
• UOF OPEN SDK(China Kingsoft)