XML cookbook questions

["Thomas Michanek" <thomas.michanek@xxxxxxxxx>]

Finally, even I have ventured into XML with FM...
I have basic knowledge about XML, DTD, XSL, etc.
I have followed the XML Cookbook in FM7 and I have a
few questions for those of you who've done the same,
or who already know these topics:

XML Cookbook Setup on page 7, step 2:
Am I supposed to have a "XML Cookbook disk" or access
to an "XML Cookbook website", or is the manual simply
outdated and should refer to the XMLCookbook directory
in the FM7 installation?

On page 12, when saving the default structapps.fm file
into the Practice/App folder, is there a reason for a
copy of the file to already exist in that folder? I
find this confusing and not in line with the screendump.

On page 18, it seems odd that the Chapter.dtd file is
to be specified as being in the App folder. Wouldn't it
be more logical to create the structapps.fm file in the
Practice folder, so that the relative path makes sense?
Or to have the DTD file in the same folder as the XML files?

The section "Creating XML Read/Write Rules" starts by
listing the elements in the DTD that would need RW rules.
Yet the majority of the RW rules to be entered are simply
renaming of elements and attributes. Is there a reason for
these renaming rules to be covered, when the emphasis
should be on epxlaining the important rules? And why are
the rules described in such an illogical order?

When describing how to add EDD format rules on pages 49-70,
there's a clear emphasis on specifying repeated formatting
overrides, instead of referencing tags in the template.
Is there a reason this method is preferred? Using tags
seems a lot easier and more consistent with FM templates.
(Not to mention the agony of trying to follow page 67-70)

In the short section "Context Rules using Attribute Values"
on page 75-76, the text talks about checking for an attribute
value and applying formatting based on the value. Yet the
example to follow doesn't seem to be using an attribute at
all! Am I missing something here?

There's a lot of talk about "structured templates". Is it
the act of importing the EDD into a FM template document
that makes the template structured? (see page 76-77)

I had difficulties getting the last sections on pages 107-109
to work correctly. Are you supposed to save the XML files in
the "XML" subfolder? The instructions don't specify this.
Since the graphics reference an "Art" subfolder, shouldn't
you have such a folder in the "XML" folder, instead of
copying all graphics into the "XML" folder directly?

Is the file and folder structure of the Cookbook examples
a recommended way to structure your XML application files?
I cannot say I find it overly logical.

Finally, I find the cookbook instructions strangely organized
and full of endlessly repeated steps without explanations.
Yes, you end up with a (nearly) working application, but I
would start with familiarizing myself with the existing DTD
and XML files and the FM template, and then explaining how
to achieve the structure and formatting in FM. It's not
really a tutorial (which I expected), but a pretty boring
list or recipies, which does account for the name I guess...

Any comments?


- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Thomas Michanek, FrameMaker/UNIX/MIF expert
Technical Communicator, Uppsala, Sweden
mailto:Thomas.Michanek@telia.com
http://go.to/framers/
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -



** To unsubscribe, send a message to majordomo@omsys.com **
** with "unsubscribe framers" (no quotes) in the body.   **