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Re: FM feature suggestion: MML enhancment




Jay Smith wrote:

> May I suggest that in the next version of FM, the MML capabilities need
> to be significantly strengthened.
>
> My concern relates to getting database output into FM.

I set my clocks ahead an hour yesterday morning - it seems as though some may have
set theirs back by a couple of years. :-)

When everyone else is looking to XML to provide a common syntax between
applications, why would you look to upgrade a proprietary one? Given that
FrameMaker supports SGML, I don't see why would they want to burn money on MML - I
suspect it's due to die a quiet death within a year of more complete XML support.

> MML is a terrific tool, as far as it goes.  However, there have been
> several times when we simply chose not to attempt to use FM for the
> output formatting of complex documents because MML did not give us a
> robust enough pathway from the database to FM.

I'm not surprised - you can forget anything with tables for starters, right?

> If I were really believed in Santa, I would hope for some kind of ODBC &
> JDBC tool/compatibility for direct database connectivity -- at least in
> the database --> FM direction.

Keep an eye out for a fat man with a white beard - this stuff is all over the
place. We routinely use OmniMark to pull everything we need out of databases, turn
it into an SGML document and hand it to FrameMaker+SGML. You presumably have a
database and OmniMark is free - you need to program to put it all together, but you
probably had to program to mark up the MML too.

> There are quite a few projects which I would only consider publishing
> using FM.  However, they are also projects for which I would only
> consider using a database for data collection and management.  However,
> since these books would be complex (mix of text, illustrations, and
> complex tables) I have not even attempted.

Nor would I, if MML was the only option. Like you, we prefer to use databases to
track any large projects and manage data content, but the fact that the documents
are complex enough to warrant a database almost guarantees that FrameMaker is the
best publishing tool for the job. If you're using syntactic limitations as the
excuse for not integrating a complex structure with a powerful tool, it sounds as
though your syntax is truly broken.

> I know that they are third-party database connectivity tools, however,
> from the price information that I have seen, they do not make financial
> sense for the particular projects that I have in mind.

You should have a closer look at the XML tools that are coming out - I'm in no
position to endorse any in particular, but I know there's a lot out there and it's
not all expensive. Try http://xml.com for starters.


--
Regards,

Marcus Carr                      email:  mrc@allette.com.au
___________________________________________________________________
Allette Systems (Australia)      www:    http://www.allette.com.au
___________________________________________________________________
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler."
       - Einstein



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