WHAT I AM DOING? MY DELIVERABLES
There are 2 documents at this location in HTML and PDF.
http://h18004.www1.hp.com/products/servers/proliantml570/description-G2.
html#quickspecs
(Please answer this after looking at the specific documents I am
generating)
That is the document we are attempting to generate automatically from
XML data and using XSL-HTML and XSL-FO. Until now this was generated by
hand and we are trying to build an editing and automation document
synthesis system.
HOW IT'S BEING DONE?
I have recently finished rendering the XSL-HTML and finished headers,
footers and chapter markers for the same.
I have built in a lot of XSL-template application logic in the process
and would like live by the same.
CURRENT OUTPUTS:
To keep the layouts very easily re-configurable the stylesheets when
applied from the higher levels (of the document) to the lower levels,
come together in the form of a lot of "nested" tables in HTML.
So far this approach has been successful with HTML and before I get deep
into generating these FO I want to be sure that this "table" approach of
handling layouts is sensible.
WHY I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO DO IT THIS WAY? REASONING?
Somehow the document layout is in well-structured small blocks that nest
into bigger structures with spaces. Sometimes the smaller blocks fit in
2 "holes" that are side-by-side (left-right), sometimes they are
top-bottom, sometimes a combinational layout of the 2 dimensions.
For example,
Head - Body
Head
Body
Head
Body - Sub Body
Head - Body - Sub Body
(Plus a number of smaller "defined" data blocks that associate and fit
in various layout templates (which are now a part of the XSL templates I
am using).
CURRENT PLAN:
I will be using Doug Tidwell's guide to converting HTML to FO and a
bunch of other white papers.
QUESTION IS:
(Please answer this after looking at the specific documents I am
generating)
I am wondering if this approach will be OKAY or will it create havoc
with FO in terms of nested tables/blocks?
Is there a better way to approach this?
BOTTOM NOTE: I know that there is a strong dependency on which FO
processor I use for this. But, as such we are still open in that respect
and are currently evaluating a number of these.
So, I would like to hear if there is a better layout "design" approach
here or maybe certain "pitfalls" that you may have faced or u think I
might have to face.
Regards,
Abhishek Sanwal
HP - Houston Campus
abhishek(_dot_)sanwal(_at_)hp(_dot_)com
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