docbook-apps

  • 1.  Re: [docbook-apps] DocBook/XSL/FO-HTML and Table Column Widths

    Posted 07-18-2010 16:03
    Hi Tom,
    First question: was there any column width information in the HTML tables from which
    you converted that content? If so, ensuring that the conversion included the column
    widths would likely help.

    The column widths stylesheet extension is not going to help you if your tables have no
    column width information. The extension just converts potentially complex CALS
    colwidth values to simpler HTML values. If there is no column width information to
    work with, it will just give each column the same percentage width. The extension has
    no means of measuring the widths of typeset columns, because the columns have not yet
    been typeset.

    If your HTML tables did not have column width information, then the browser was
    choosing how wide to make each column based on the column content. A similar function
    is available in XSL-FO in the table-layout="auto" property on the fo:table element.
    That engages a formatting algorithm in the XSL-FO processor that reads the width of
    the typeset content in the columns and adjusts the column widths for a better fit. It
    works best with short entries that don't have to wrap lines.

    But I believe you said you were using FOP, and FOP does not currently support the
    table-layout="auto" property. You would need to use another FO processor.

    Bob Stayton
    Sagehill Enterprises
    bobs@sagehill.net


    ----- Original Message -----
    From: "Tom Browder" <tom.browder@gmail.com>
    To: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
    Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 8:05 AM
    Subject: [docbook-apps] DocBook/XSL/FO-HTML and Table Column Widths


    >I have pretty much converted an old, large html-based set of docs into
    > DocBook 5. The only chunk I'm not happy with are the tables which
    > need customizing to adjust column widths.
    >
    > Adjusting the column widths seems problematic at the moment for one
    > using xsltproc. I see that Norm Walsh has a Python wrapper to take
    > care of that (and I'll explore that soon), but that seems to add
    > another layer to the tool chain that is already daunting for a newbie.
    >
    > My questions are:
    >
    > 1. Where should the necessary missing functions and algorithms be
    > inserted, into xsltproc, or?
    >
    > 2. Are the table column formatting functions really extensions, or
    > should they be considered part of a core standard that is missing in
    > xsltproc and other xsl programs?
    >
    > I would like to offer my help for the situation but am not sure where to start.
    >
    > Thanks,
    >
    > -Tom
    >
    > Thomas M. Browder, Jr.
    > Niceville, Florida
    > USA
    >
    > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    > To unsubscribe, e-mail: docbook-apps-unsubscribe@lists.oasis-open.org
    > For additional commands, e-mail: docbook-apps-help@lists.oasis-open.org
    >
    >
    >




  • 2.  Re: [docbook-apps] DocBook/XSL/FO-HTML and Table Column Widths

    Posted 07-18-2010 16:40
    Off the subject but is there a way to stop FO from breaking a row in the
    middle? IOW, to push an entire row to the next page?


    Thanks

    On 7/18/2010 11:03 AM, Bob Stayton wrote:
    > Hi Tom,
    > First question: was there any column width information in the HTML
    > tables from which you converted that content? If so, ensuring that the
    > conversion included the column widths would likely help.
    >
    > The column widths stylesheet extension is not going to help you if your
    > tables have no column width information. The extension just converts
    > potentially complex CALS colwidth values to simpler HTML values. If
    > there is no column width information to work with, it will just give
    > each column the same percentage width. The extension has no means of
    > measuring the widths of typeset columns, because the columns have not
    > yet been typeset.
    >
    > If your HTML tables did not have column width information, then the
    > browser was choosing how wide to make each column based on the column
    > content. A similar function is available in XSL-FO in the
    > table-layout="auto" property on the fo:table element. That engages a
    > formatting algorithm in the XSL-FO processor that reads the width of the
    > typeset content in the columns and adjusts the column widths for a
    > better fit. It works best with short entries that don't have to wrap lines.
    >
    > But I believe you said you were using FOP, and FOP does not currently
    > support the table-layout="auto" property. You would need to use another
    > FO processor.
    >
    > Bob Stayton
    > Sagehill Enterprises
    > bobs@sagehill.net
    >
    >
    > ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tom Browder" <tom.browder@gmail.com>
    > To: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
    > Sent: Sunday, July 18, 2010 8:05 AM
    > Subject: [docbook-apps] DocBook/XSL/FO-HTML and Table Column Widths
    >
    >
    >> I have pretty much converted an old, large html-based set of docs into
    >> DocBook 5. The only chunk I'm not happy with are the tables which
    >> need customizing to adjust column widths.
    >>
    >> Adjusting the column widths seems problematic at the moment for one
    >> using xsltproc. I see that Norm Walsh has a Python wrapper to take
    >> care of that (and I'll explore that soon), but that seems to add
    >> another layer to the tool chain that is already daunting for a newbie.
    >>
    >> My questions are:
    >>
    >> 1. Where should the necessary missing functions and algorithms be
    >> inserted, into xsltproc, or?
    >>
    >> 2. Are the table column formatting functions really extensions, or
    >> should they be considered part of a core standard that is missing in
    >> xsltproc and other xsl programs?
    >>
    >> I would like to offer my help for the situation but am not sure where
    >> to start.
    >>
    >> Thanks,
    >>
    >> -Tom
    >>
    >> Thomas M. Browder, Jr.
    >> Niceville, Florida
    >> USA
    >>
    >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    >> To unsubscribe, e-mail: docbook-apps-unsubscribe@lists.oasis-open.org
    >> For additional commands, e-mail: docbook-apps-help@lists.oasis-open.org
    >>
    >>
    >>
    >
    >
    > ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    > To unsubscribe, e-mail: docbook-apps-unsubscribe@lists.oasis-open.org
    > For additional commands, e-mail: docbook-apps-help@lists.oasis-open.org
    >

    --

    ------------

    Steve Johnson, Senior Content Developer
    Caringo
    stevej@caringo.com



  • 3.  Re: [docbook-apps] DocBook/XSL/FO-HTML and Table Column Widths

    Posted 07-19-2010 00:51
    On Sun, Jul 18, 2010 at 11:03, Bob Stayton <bobs@sagehill.net> wrote:
    > Hi Tom,
    > First question: was there any column width information in the HTML tables
    > from which you converted that content?  If so, ensuring that the conversion
    > included the column widths would likely help.

    Yes, there was: column widths as integers, no units--pixels I assume.

    > But I believe you said you were using FOP, and FOP does not currently
    > support the table-layout="auto" property.  You would need to use another FO
    > processor.

    So then fop is what needs to be updated--thanks.

    Regards,

    -Tom