ScroogeXHTML for Object Pascal 11.0 is the feature release that follows our 10.x hardening line. It adds RTF table conversion, one of the most requested capabilities. It also brings the Object Pascal product level with the Java ScroogeXHTML RTF Converter. From 11.0 on, a given version number means roughly the same feature set on both platforms, so customers using both can follow a single changelog.

RTF tables become HTML tables

Until now, text inside RTF tables came out as plain paragraphs. 11.0 converts tables into real <table> markup. Rows, cells and header rows are preserved, and column widths follow the original layout. Borders, cell shading, vertical alignment and cell text alignment carry over as inline styles. A new ConvertTables option, on by default, lets you switch the feature off.

This first iteration deliberately leaves out merged cells (colspan and rowspan) and nested tables. Those elements are still converted gracefully rather than dropped or crashing the converter, and proper support is planned as a follow-up.

Better lists and font sizes

  • Multi-level lists: nested RTF lists now produce correctly nested <ol> and <ul> structures instead of being flattened into one list. This work is still in progress.
  • Font size units: px joins the supported units, em becomes the default, and sizes keep half-point precision for more accurate output.

Breaking changes

11.0 is an API-breaking release, and several defaults change to match the Java product:

  • Empty paragraphs are now converted by default.
  • Font sizes are emitted in em instead of pt.
  • Pictures up to 256 KiB are embedded inline, up from 1 KiB.
  • HTML5 output no longer accepts non-UTF-8 encodings.
  • The default font colour is now always empty rather than pinned to black.

Each change can be reverted with an explicit setting where an opt-out makes sense, and a migration guide will accompany the release.

What’s next

11.0 builds on the hardened 10.x converter, and the new table parsing runs behind the same safety limits. After the base table pipeline has proven itself on real-world documents, merged cells and nested tables are the next step.

Please note

This is a preview. Final specifications and features may differ from what is described here. A release candidate is likely to be available later this year.