Re: [docbook-apps] Extend supported output formats

[gihan karunarathne <gckarunarathne@gmail.com>]

Hi Jirka :

I need to understand few thing about the project idea of "Extend support out put formats"[0].

First, I also need to clarify the idea which is in the idea page[1];

“Output format packages” output by the DocBook style sheets would be easily consumable / installable by hosting applications.

What does it mean by "easily consumable / installable" ?. Can you explain further ?.

As I understood, the main goal of this project is generating an another type of formats file (ex:Android,iPad) by a XSLTProcessor. So, in order to do that we want xsl style sheet which includes instructions and other directives that guide the processor in the production of the output document, right?

As I familiar with these output formats like HTML, XHTML and plain_text are information based resources(no need to compile). But Android supported for the .apk that is the format of applications running on Android OS.
In Android application (typically a '.apk' ), it contains the zip format (encrypted) which is collection of jars, resources and manifest.xml etc...
Why I said like that because when I developed an application for Android OS, I have to deal with a source code which contains java files, xml configuration files and resources etc... Then we have to compile it using android compiler.

So I did a a experiment by tried to extract the apk file in Ubuntu. First I created a simple Android file with eclipse IDE and Android SDK. Then I export the code into '.apk' format[1]. I saw that it can be simulated on Android Emulator and work properly. But when .apk format extracted and try to see the file structure and contents in those files, extracted files aren't in the order as in Android source code. Also those have different type of file extensions and files are encrypted.
My problem was, is it possible to run a apk which is not encrypted (as like XHTML-xsl , webhelp-xsl ) and create the structure by using XSLT ?.
Or do we have to create the common structure according to the Android source code and compile is using Android tools and embedded the DocBook documentation into apk application. Thus we can open it in Android. Also we can use ANT to configure the procedure.
What method should I do ? Is there any other successful way to do it ?.

I also like to know, what should be the output of DocBook Android_xsl(a name that is made by me) should look like. I mean, what is final goal of this project look like.

Further, I'd very much appreciate if you can provide me some directives and guide me.

Thank you in Advance, Jirka !.

[0]. http://docbook.xmlpress.net/tiki-index.php?page=Ideas2012#Extend_supported_output_formats
[1]. http://www.androiddevelopment.org/tag/apk/

-- 
Regards

Gihan Chanuka Karunarathne

Department of Computer Science and Engineering

University of Moratuwa

Sri Lanka

Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/gihanchanuka

LinkedIn: http://lk.linkedin.com/pub/gihan-karunarathne/25/ba3/993