Dear All:
On 11/15/2006 (archived at:
www.biglist.com/lists/xsl-list/archives/200611/msg00268.html), I wrote to the
list about how I would go about creating newspaper-like columns of a long list
of items. The majority of the people who helped me suggested that I create the
newspaper-like columns using fo:flow.
By "newspaper columns," I mean that I would like the data to stream from one
column to the other before breaking onto a new page. In the past, I tried to
create the two columns using table coding, however, when doing this, the list
of elements in the first column continued onto the next page, instead of
streaming onto the second column first.
The newspaper columns are supposed to be created in the first couple pages of
the document using the header, footer and beginning of document "banner" (a
graphical bar indicating the chapter name) of the document body. For example:
header
graphical banner
newspaper columns
rest of document
footer
A portion of the XML from which I want to build the columns is:
<characterPositions>
<characterPosition type="full concise">
<label>18-19</label>
<name>Form of composition</name>
<level>standard</level>
<value type="concise">
<label>an</label>
<name>Anthems</name>
<level>standard</level>
</value>
<value type="concise">
<label>bd</label>
<name>Ballads</name>
<level>standard</level>
</value>
<!-- There are many, many, many more <value> elements within this
<characterPosition> element -->
</characterPosition>
</characterPositions>
A portion of my XSL-FO coding is:
<xsl:template match="/">
<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format";
xmlns:rx="http://www.renderx.com/XSL/Extensions";>
<fo:layout-master-set>
<fo:simple-page-master
master-name="even_page"
page-height="11in"
margin-right="1in"
margin-top=".5in"
margin-left="1in"
margin-bottom=".5in"
page-width="8.5in">
<fo:region-body
margin-top=".3in"
margin-bottom=".3in"/>
<fo:region-before
extent="8.5in"
region-name="even_before"/>
<fo:region-after
extent=".2in"
precedence="true"
region-name="even_after"/>
</fo:simple-page-master>
<fo:simple-page-master
master-name="odd_page"
page-height="11in"
margin-right="1in"
margin-top=".5in"
margin-left="1in"
margin-bottom=".5in"
page-width="8.5in">
<fo:region-body
margin-top=".3in"
margin-bottom=".3in"/>
<fo:region-before
extent="8.5in"
region-name="odd_before"/>
<fo:region-after
extent=".2in"
precedence="true"
region-name="odd_after"/>
</fo:simple-page-master>
<fo:simple-page-master
master-name="TwoColumns">
<fo:region-body
column-count="2"
column-gap="0.2in"
border-top="thin solid silver"
border-bottom="thin solid silver"
margin="0.9in 0.4in"/>
<fo:region-before
extent="0.8in"
display-align="after"
padding="0in 0.4in 3pt"/>
<fo:region-after
extent="0.8in"
display-align="before"
padding="0.1in 0.4in 0in"/>
</fo:simple-page-master>
<fo:page-sequence-master master-name="Repeat-TwoColumns">
<fo:repeatable-page-master-reference master-
reference="TwoColumns"/>
</fo:page-sequence-master>
<fo:page-sequence-master master-name="Page">
<fo:repeatable-page-master-alternatives>
<fo:conditional-page-master-reference
master-reference="odd_page"
odd-or-even="odd"
page-position="any"/>
<fo:conditional-page-master-reference
master-reference="even_page"
odd-or-even="even"
page-position="any"/>
</fo:repeatable-page-master-alternatives>
</fo:page-sequence-master>
</fo:layout-master-set>
<fo:page-sequence
master-reference="Repeat-TwoColumns">
<fo:flow flow-name="xsl-region-body">
<fo:block font-size="10pt">
<xsl:apply-templates select="field/guidelines/characterPositions"
mode="header"/>
</fo:block>
</fo:flow>
</fo:page-sequence>
<fo:page-sequence
master-reference="Page"
force-page-count="even"
initial-page-number="1">
<fo:static-content
flow-name="odd_before">
<fo:block
text-align="right"
font-weight="bold"
font-size="14pt">008 - Music</fo:block>
</fo:static-content>
<fo:static-content
flow-name="odd_after">
<fo:block>
<fo:inline
text-align-last="justify"
font-style="italic"
font-size="10pt">MARC 21 - Bibliographic
<fo:leader
leader-pattern="space"
leader-length="25%"/>October 2006
<fo:leader
leader-pattern="space"
leader-length="20%"/>008 - Music - p.<fo:page-number/>
</fo:inline>
</fo:block>
</fo:static-content>
<fo:static-content
flow-name="even_before">
<fo:block
text-align="left"
font-weight="bold"
font-size="14pt">008 - Music</fo:block>
</fo:static-content>
<fo:static-content
flow-name="even_after">
<fo:block>
<fo:inline
text-align-last="justify"
font-style="italic"
font-size="10pt">008 - Music - p.<fo:page-number/>
<fo:leader
leader-pattern="space"
leader-length="25%"/>October 2006
<fo:leader
leader-pattern="space"
leader-length="25%"/>MARC 21 - Bibliographic</fo:inline>
</fo:block>
</fo:static-content>
<fo:flow
flow-name="xsl-region-body">
<fo:block
font-size="10pt">
<xsl:apply-templates/>
</fo:block>
</fo:flow>
</fo:page-sequence>
</fo:root>
</xsl:template>
The XSL-FO that I reference in the Repeat-TwoColumns flow is:
<xsl:template match="characterPositions" mode="header">
<fo:block space-before="2em">
<fo:table table-layout="fixed" width="100%">
<fo:table-column column-width="100em"/>
<fo:table-body>
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block font-weight="bold">
<xsl:text>Character Positions (008/18-34 and 006/01-17)</xsl:text>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
</fo:table-body>
</fo:table>
<xsl:variable name="characterPositionCount" select="count(characterPosition)
div 2+1"/>
<fo:table table-layout="fixed" width="100%">
<fo:table-column column-width="27em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="60em"/>
<fo:table-body>
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block>
<fo:table table-layout="fixed" width="40%">
<fo:table-column column-width="5em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="15em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="15em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="5em"/>
<fo:table-body>
<xsl:for-each
select="characterPosition[position()<$characterPositionCount]">
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block text-align="left" margin-left="1em">
<xsl:value-of select="label"/>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block text-align="left">
<xsl:value-of select="name"/>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<xsl:for-each select="value">
<fo:block margin-left="3em">
<xsl:value-of select="label"/>
</fo:block>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell>
<xsl:for-each select="value">
<fo:block>
<xsl:value-of select="name"/>
</fo:block>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-body>
</fo:table>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block>
<fo:table table-layout="fixed" width="40%">
<fo:table-column column-width="5em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="15em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="15em"/>
<fo:table-column column-width="5em"/>
<fo:table-body>
<xsl:for-each
select="characterPosition[position()>$characterPositionCount]">
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block text-align="left" margin-left="1em">
<xsl:value-of select="label"/>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell>
<fo:block text-align="left">
<xsl:value-of select="name"/>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
<fo:table-row>
<fo:table-cell>
<xsl:for-each select="value">
<fo:block margin-left="3em">
<xsl:value-of select="label"/>
</fo:block>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-cell>
<fo:table-cell>
<xsl:for-each select="value">
<fo:block>
<xsl:value-of select="name"/>
</fo:block>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
</xsl:for-each>
</fo:table-body>
</fo:table>
</fo:block>
</fo:table-cell>
</fo:table-row>
</fo:table-body>
</fo:table>
</fo:block>
<fo:block>
<fo:leader leader-length="100%" leader-pattern="rule" rule-style="solid"
rule-thickness=".1mm" color="black"/>
</fo:block>
</xsl:template>
Using the above XSL-FO, I output the newspaper columns at the beginning of the
document (which is what I want), however, the columns do not contain the
graphical banner or the header and footer of the document.
I would like to "overlap" or "overlay" (I am not sure what the terminology is
for this) the "Repeat-TwoColumns" flow with the "Page" flow. For example:
Page flow for the header, footer, and document banner
Repeat-TwoColumns flow for the newspaper columns
Page flow for the rest of the document.
I have tried many, many different ways to code the above with no luck. I have
also endlessly searched this list's archives and consulted two XML and XSL-FO
publications.
At the advice of a colleague, I once tried using the XEP extension:
<rx:flow-section>. For example:
<rx:flow-section column-count="2" column-gap="8pt">
<fo:block font-size="10pt">
<xsl:apply-templates select="field/guidelines/characterPositions"
mode="header"/>
</fo:block>
</rx:flow-section>
However, another colleague told me that I could create the columns without
using the extension.
Could someone please help me figure out how to overlap the two fo:flows so that
I can create the newspaper-like columns, along with the rest of the document.
I am using XSLT 1.0 and XPATH 1.0 with XEP.
Thank you very much for all of your help! I sincerely appreciate it!
Best wishes,
Jackie Radebaugh
Library of Congress
Network Development & MARC Standards Office
Washington, DC
USA
Phone: +1-202-707-1153
FAX: +1-202-707-0115
E-Mail: jrad(_at_)loc(_dot_)gov
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