Re: FM+SGML help needed.

[Dan Emory <danemory@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

At 10:41 AM 4/3/00 -0500, Margaret Gainsley wrote:
>FM+SGML Gurus,
>
>Can FrameMaker+SGML write a DTD from a EDD that is complete enough to be
>used to export structured FM+SGML files to SGML?
>
>Problem is, getting the apps folder configured properly to be used as the
>application or if the DTD isn't complete enough to save my files as SGML.
>
>If you want to call me I will call you back and explain in more detail what
>I have done to set up my apps folder.
=======================================================
I assume that "complete enough" means using the resulting EDD without any
modifications.

The trouble is that, during creation of the EDD from the DTD, FM+SGML cannot
recognize element types nor can it identify the "root" element, while
processing the DTD. Element types includes, in addition to "containers",
cross-references, graphics, equations, text ranges, markers, tables,
footnotes. FM+SGML will typically assign the default element type of
container to nearly all elements when creating a new EDD from a DTD. You
also may need read/write rules of the form:

        element "gi" is fm (element type) "elemname"

where gi is the element name on the DTD side, elemname is the element name
on the EDD side, and element type identifies the element type for
non-container elements.

If you are creating new structured documents from scratch in F<M+SGML and
then exporting them to SGML, your EDD must have identified the type for each
element before you can create the corresponding document objects.

You may also discover the unpleasant fact that certain limitations of
FM+SGML and the EDD may collide with the structure defined by a DTD
developed without any knowledge of these limitations. In that case, you have
two choices:

1. Try to get around the limitation with API clients and /or additional
read/write rules.

2. Modify the DTD so as to get around the FM+SGML limitation.

If you are forbidden to take option 2, then it is very likely that expensive
API development with the FDK will be needed, and some problems are likely to
be unsolvable.
     ====================
     | Nullius in Verba |
     ====================
Dan Emory, Dan Emory & Associates
FrameMaker/FrameMaker+SGML Document Design & Database Publishing
Voice/Fax: 949-722-8971 E-Mail: danemory@primenet.com
10044 Adams Ave. #208, Huntington Beach, CA 92646
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