LibreOffice's GSoC 2023 projects: exciting new features and improvements to shape future releases

LibreOffice has announced its selection of projects for Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2023. These projects aim to address user requests by introducing new features and improvements. Among the upcoming enhancements, future LibreOffice releases will include support for APNG (Animated PNG) import/export, offering a more advanced animated format with increased colors and partial transparency compared to GIF images.

Another exciting development on the horizon is the implementation of a search field within the Options panel. This addition aims to simplify the process of locating and configuring various settings according to individual preferences. With this new feature, LibreOffice users will have a convenient and intuitive way to navigate through the extensive range of options, enhancing their overall productivity and customization capabilities. Improved PGP/GPG encryption support is also in the works, and the development team will streamline the process of finding the right keys for encrypting documents, resulting in a more user-friendly experience. The implementation will also focus on optimizing performance by introducing asynchronous querying.

To bolster the efficiency of the continuous integration chain, LibreOffice will adopt a machine learning-based test selection method. This approach will significantly reduce the testing load while ensuring effective test execution. By leveraging machine learning algorithms, LibreOffice aims to improve the overall stability and quality of its software. Lastly, as part of the ongoing efforts to enhance the Writer's UNO API, LibreOffice plans to introduce C++-written unit tests. Originally written in Java and derived from OpenOffice.org, these unit tests will undergo a major revamp to improve compatibility, performance, and reliability. This change will further solidify LibreOffice's commitment to delivering a robust and feature-rich office suite.

These new features and improvements will be developed by students during Google Summer of Code 2023 and are planned for inclusion in future LibreOffice releases. Users can probably look forward to experiencing these enhancements in 2024, so there's still some waiting on the way, but for now we can get a little glimpse of what's to come for one of the most popular open-source office suites out there.