WWP: Easier v.'best' practice: para mappings, style names, CSS classes [LONGISH]

[hedley_finger@xxxxxxxxxxx]

Webworkers:

I am just getting to grips with WebWorks Publisher and would like the
advice of the battle-scarred re alternate ways of doing some key tasks:

@    Mapping FM para tags to WWP7 tags
@    Mapping list paras to WWP7 tags
@    Using CSS styles


MAPPING FM PARA TAGS TO WWP7 TAGS

The User Guide recommends mapping to the standard WWP7 tags, e.g.

     hc ChapTitle --> Heading1
     bi BodyIndented --> Indented1
     bii BodyDoubleIndented --> Indented2

etc.

This is the easy way.  However, what are your opinions on, say, duplicating
a WWP7 custom tag hc_ChapTitle from Heading1, and then mapping

     hc ChapTitle --> hc_ChapTitle ?

My team of writers are already familiar with all the para and char tags in
our standard templates, so it seems to me that using similar tags in WWP7
makes them self-documenting.

I have been lurking on the list for some time and at every new release or
upgrade of WWP there are howls of pain when changed macros or template tags
cause existing help projects to break.  I figure by having our own custom
tags we are immunized from inadvertent importation of a new template
breaking tweaked tags.


MAPPING LIST PARAS TO WWP7 TAGS

The recommended way of dealing with numbered and bulleted lists is to map
the top-level paras to a SmartList* style.  This then creates nice
politically correct HTML <ol> or <ul> tags bracketing a set of <li> and <p>
tags.  Trouble is, this requires a high degree of discipline in correctly
applying para tags in lists from our unruly writers (Down, Wendy, you
mongrel!).

I used mif2go in a pilot study to single-source help from FM files.  In
that project, I simply mapped each list para and its subsidiary to <p> tags
with suitable CSS class selectors, e.g. <p class="bsF_BodyStepFirst">, <p
class=bsc_BodyStepContinued">, <p class="bs_BodyStep>, etc..  Since CSS has
no concept of first-line indent and tabs, the first lines looked a bit
untidy but, on the other hand, I didn't have to whip the writers to apply
para tags consistently to lists.

Has anybody any experience or opinions on the best way to go?  Does anybody
have any fancy macros that can calculate the space required to indent the
para after the number and then insert multiple instances of a 1 pt GIF to
pad the text to the indent?  Or some other clever hack?


USING CSS STYLES

I can easily write a FrameScript that will construct a draft *.css file
with some initial values that can then be edited in one of the many CSS
editors, such as TopStyle, e.g.

     hc ChapTitle

becomes

     phc_ChapTitle {
     <styleStuffHere>
     }

I can then map all my custom para tags to <p> and <span> tags with suitable
class selectors.  But, of course, WWP7 examples suggest using CSS styles
mapped to the standard WWP7 tags, e.g. Heading1.  I would probably edit the
document.css support file to include MY CSS tags.

Does anybody see a problem with this?  Once again, because my writers are
familiar with the standard tags in their FM documents, the CSS selector and
class names would be self-documenting for the lucky person who has to
maintain this stuff after I have gone to my reward in heaven -- or perhaps
just to the Gold Coast to retire.

Regards,
Hedley

[Windows 2000, FrameMaker 6.0p405, FrameScript 1.27C01, Enhance 2.03,
Acrobat 4.05.2, mif2go 31u33, WebWorks Publisher 7.02, WebWorks Help 3.0,
IXgen 5.5.h, HTML Help Workshop 4.74 build 8702.0, HTML Help 1.31]

Regards,
Hedley

--
Hedley Finger
Adobe Certified Expert, FrameMaker 5.5.x
Technical Communications/Best Practice Mentor
MYOB Australia Pty Ltd  <http://www.myob.com.au>
P.O. box 371   Blackburn VIC 3130   Australia
12 Wesley Court   Tally Ho Business Park   East Burwood 3151   Australia
Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421  Fax. +61 3 9222 9880  Mob. +61 412 461 558
<mailto:hedley_finger@myob.com.au>


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