Re: XML/SGML

[Leslie Bialler lb136@xxxxxxxx]

>
> > think my correspondence with Rene made reasonably clear, I put
> > everything in a styles file and merge it in, it's been quite some time
> > since I have examined each of the elements therein to see how they
> > operate. And quite truthfully I'm not really all that concerned since,
> > as I have also indicated, XyWrite is merely used as a front end for
> > Quark XPress. Because of this, I could actually define none of the
> > styles and they would still come out the way the book designers wish
> > when filtered through to Quark.
> >
>
> I'll give this a try!
>

I hope it works.

> > > This, to me, ran counter to what i am used to when using a FrameMaker or
> > > Interleaf, or Ventura for that matter.
> >
> > Whatever. This is XyWrite, and that is FrameMaker or Interleaf or
> > Ventura. XyWrite was never meant to be a sophisticated desktop
> > publishing program.
>
> i hope i didn't imply that i thought it should be.

Not really--just making sure. :-)


> I was trying to understand,
> for myself the paradigms these programs use with regard to paragraph and
> charcter styles as compared to Xywrite. For me, sometimes i need to think in
> terms of other examples.
>

No harm in that!

> >
> > 
> >
> > > Outside of that portion of text having the character style, the text
> > > should look and format at the original paragraph style. Or at least this is
> > > what i'd expect.
> > >
> >
> > Again, see if you can validate what I have blathered on about above.
> > This should happen if I'm right.
> >
>
> we'll do
>

OK.

> > > For whatever reason, when i tried to get Xywrite's styles to do this, i
> > > couldn't get it to work that way. As i said earlier, this is more than likely
> > > pilot error on my part, but if anyone could confirm yay or nay on this for me,
> > > i'd appreciate it.
> > >
> >
> > I believe I have.
> >
>
> Thanks
>

You're welcome. In the absence of the Wise Persons, I'm trying to hold
down the fort here.

> > > i would think or i would want my wordprocessor
> > > to be able to have some control over the actual layout portions of my document,
> > > in a precise manner. That includes, but not limited to, font size, paper size,
> > > leading, precise graphic placement, etc. The capabilities to do some of these
> > > things in HTML is kind of kludgy IMO and suggests limited capabilites in HTML
> > > to display these attributes. As i've said, i haven't yet gotten into XML, but,
> > > i would want to be able to control these things in my wordprocessor/publishing
> > > system. If later, i could then output this to XML, for someone else's benefit,
> > > that would be fine.
> > >
> >
> > The point of SGML is that the file not be specific to a word processor
> > or an op. sys. The idea of an SGML file is that the file can be
> > postscripted and sent to a printer for a traditional book, or equally as
> > well be put up on the Web. The point is, 
 means "There be H1!" In a
> > book it might be 14 point bold, centered Times Roman; on the web it
> > might be 12 pt italic, flush left, Palatino.
>
> I'm familiar with this aspect of SGML. I'm just curious as to where the
> specifics of the layout for my instance of my document is retained?
>

In XyWrite? Within the SS commands. In SGML? In the stylesheet for the
output.

> >
> > You are correct about the limitations of HTML. It is essentially a
> > stripped down version of SGML. XML is, or so I have been told, expected
> > to remedy the issue.
> >
>
> I guess that i'll need to get more into XML, if only to find out what is and
> isn't!
>
> thanks again!
>

You're welcome. If you go to Yahoo and search for XML, you will find
several web sites devoted to it.

Cheers!

--
Leslie Bialler
Columbia University Press
lb136@xxxxxxxx
> http://www.columbia.edu/cu/cup