specification on how to create ZIM files

[elfkuzco]

I have taken a look at the Zim file format but it seems to me it is only useful to people who want to implement readers (not sure if I am correct). Is there a documentation specifying how to create ZIM files such that implementations can exist in other languages and all conform to the spec?

[rgaudin]

The spec is implementation-language agnostic and thus only describe what to put in a ZIM file and how.
I think it serves this objective OK: there's no much assistance but what's required is there.

How to create ZIM files not-from-scratch, ie. using a library is not the topic of the spec but is important to openZIM readers. There are two links form the homepage to both the libzim (official implementation) and Bindings.
We could redo this part a lot better by not just linking but it's work. There are actually several other implementation and libraries in the wild that are not listed.

[benoit74]

I think it serves this objective OK: there's no much assistance but what's required is there.

I'm not sure we have all required details to create a "writer" from scratch. For instance format / content of Xapian indexes is barely described, even in https://wiki.openzim.org/wiki/Search_indexes.

@elfkuzco do you have other examples of stuff missing to implement a "writer"?

[elfkuzco]

@elfkuzco do you have other examples of stuff missing to implement a "writer"?

Nope, still going through the cpp implementation and making notes.