Re: [docbook-apps] xsl:text and "\fB" results in \efB in manpage output

["Michael(tm) Smith" <smith@sideshowbarker.net>]

Daniel Leidert <daniel.leidert.spam@gmx.net>, 2007-03-20 00:31 +0100:

> If I use e.g.
> 
> <xsl:template match="literal">
>   <xsl:text>\fB</xsl:text>
>   <xsl:apply-templates/>
>   <xsl:text>\fR</xsl:text>
> </xsl:template>

Better to use the following:

  <xsl:template match="literal">
    <xsl:if test="$man.hyphenate.computer.inlines = 0">
      <xsl:call-template name="suppress.hyphenation"/>
    </xsl:if>
    <xsl:apply-templates mode="bold" select="."/>
  </xsl:template>

If you look at the manpages source (for example, the
manpages/inline.xsl file), you’ll notice that’s the way boldfacing
of similar elements is handled.

That’s also why I put the following big comment in the source of
the utility.xsl file where the template@mode=bold template is -

  <!-- * NOTE TO DEVELOPERS: For ease of maintenance, the current -->
  <!-- * manpages stylesheets use the mode="bold" and mode="italic" -->
  <!-- * templates for *anything and everything* that needs to get -->
  <!-- * boldfaced or italicized.   -->
  <!-- * -->
  <!-- * So if you add anything that needs bold or italic character -->
  <!-- * formatting, try to apply these templates to it rather than -->
  <!-- * writing separate code to format it. This can be a little odd if -->
  <!-- * the content you want to format is not element content; in those -->
  <!-- * cases, you need to turn it into element content before applying -->
  <!-- * the template; see examples of this in the existing code. -->

> in the customization layer for a manpage XSLT stylesheet, I get an
> output of:
> 
> \efB...\efR
> 
> I'm wondering, what is so different to using
> 
> <xsl:template match="literal">
>   <xsl:apply-templates mode="bold" select="."/>
> </xsl:template>
> 
> which results in \fB...\fR? I can reproduce this issue with the latest
> release, but not with the latest snapshot. I'm wondering, what's causing
> this (different) behaviour? Can someone point me into the right
> direction?

So I guess (see my previous reply) you know now that what you were
running into was a (misguided) change I made for the 1.72.0 (that
is, using U+2593 as an internal representation for backslashes).
But I have since reverted that change, so your original
customization will work as expected with the latest snapshot.

But I recommend using the template@mode=bold mechanism instead.

  \Mike