RE: [docbook] colspec attribute getting ignored??

[Jeff Beal <jeff dot beal at ansys dot com>]

The HTML Help Workshop from Microsoft does not know anything about your XML.
By the time it gets called, you have to already have a set of HTML files and
a few control files to build the help project and TOC (typically toc.hhc and
htmlhelp.hhp).  The important step is the conversion from XML to HTML, which
is performed by an XSLT processor, like Saxon or XSLTProc.  The batch file
you mention probably takes care of this step.

I just took a peak into the XSLT stylesheets, and it looks like they ignore
the width attributes on a colspec attribute by default.  However, if you are
using Saxon, not XSLTProc, you can modify your batch file to include some
extension functions in your CLASSPATH and turn on the use.extensions
parameter.

If that left you completely confused, read the first three chapters of Bob
Stayton's tutorial  [http://www.sagehill.net/xml/docbookxsl/index.html]

Jeff

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Felix Zanker [mailto:fzanker@riks.nl]
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 9:16 AM
> To: 'Jeff Beal'; 'docbook@lists.oasis-open.org'
> Subject: RE: [docbook] colspec attribute getting ignored??
> 
> 
> XSL
> docbook-xsl-1.58.1
> processor wise, im not sure what its actually called, but 
> it's the m$ HTML
> Help workshop if that helps, or if that's what its actually called.
> 
> From what I understand, which I think is very little as im 
> quite new to
> this, I use a batch file in combination with the xml file, a 
> css file and
> the xsl file to combine this into the online help file using 
> the m$ workshop
> application. Please correct me if this is wrong.
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jeff Beal [mailto:jeff.beal@ansys.com] 
> Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 2:10 PM
> To: 'Felix Zanker'; 'docbook@lists.oasis-open.org'
> Subject: RE: [docbook] colspec attribute getting ignored??
> 
> I somehow missed that it wasn't working when compiled, which 
> is a different
> problem.  Which tools are you using to create the online help?  XSL or
> DSSSL? Which version of the stylesheets?  Which processor?
> 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Felix Zanker [mailto:fzanker@riks.nl]
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 9:07 AM
> > To: 'Jeff Beal'; 'docbook@lists.oasis-open.org'
> > Subject: RE: [docbook] colspec attribute getting ignored??
> > 
> > 
> > But should this not mean that if the tags are there, and they 
> > are correct
> > (hopefully!!), that when I compile the file, they should 
> > change the column
> > width of that table disregarding the fact that the XML editor 
> > does not like
> > them?
> > 
> > Ta very much for your answer, as it confirmed my suspicion of 
> > the editor
> > being somewhat limited.
> > 
> > 
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Jeff Beal [mailto:jeff.beal@ansys.com] 
> > Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2003 1:50 PM
> > To: 'Felix Zanker'; 'docbook@lists.oasis-open.org'
> > Subject: RE: [docbook] colspec attribute getting ignored??
> > 
> > This is a limitation of XMLMind XML editor and, indeed, 
> > nearly every XML
> > editor out there.  CALS table support in editors is a bit 
> > sketchy, and IIRC,
> > I've only seen it in Arbortext Epic, XMetal, and epcEdit, all 
> > commercial and
> > relatively expensive.
> > 
> > 
> > 
> 
> 

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