docbook-apps message

Subject: Re: [docbook-apps] RTL/LTR directional tags

From: David Tolpin <dvd@davidashen.net>
To: dvd@davidashen.net, elzubeir@arabeyes.org
Date: Mon, 16 Feb 2004 23:43:22 +0400

>
> I don't have one handy (could get one by tomorrow -- work is getting
> busy).. but you may grab this:
>
> http://www.arabeyes.org/download/documents/guide/translator-guide-ar/
>

OK, I understand now what you mean by saying it is LTR. Not the phrases
in Arabic in the table, but the layout of the table itself.

Then what you want is not Unicode BIDI marks, but 

<body style="direction: rtl">

that is, the default mode is right to left.  I've just checked
it with your file, it worked.

Forget about Unicode BIDI marks; use CSS instead. A description
of the property is at

http://www.zvon.org/xxl/CSS2Reference/Output/prop_unicode-bidi.html

Additionally,

http://www.zvon.org/ is a very good resource for references and tutorials
on many things including CSS.

Again, you don't need to set the order of characters in words or of words in
phrases, just the layout of the page. It does not know otherwise that you
want rtl by default (and it is written by people who think that default is
ltr, sigh).

David Tolpin

References:
- Re: [docbook-apps] RTL/LTR directional tags
  - From: Mohammed Elzubeir <elzubeir@arabeyes.org>