Re: [docbook] customizing the pdf layout... doesn't work

[Scott Hudson <scott.hudson@flatironssolutions.com>]

You might try the parameter references:
http://docbook.sourceforge.net/release/xsl/current/doc/

And, of course, Bob's excellent book:
http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/

It's usually easiest to create a customization layer where you set all 
the params you want, then include the DocBook XSL stylesheets.

HTH,

--Scott



Rock Lobster wrote:
> Hello,
> 
> I've tried to use DocBook now for about a month or so, and while the writing
> of a DocBook document is very cool in my opinion, everything else is a real
> pain :/
> 
> I tried to customize the pdf LAYOUT, but I just can't get along. My main
> problem is that I just can't find a GOOD documentation. Okay, there are many
> free books available, but they are more about DocBook itself, but nowhere is
> exactly explained how I can change the layout.
> 
> In the forums, someone explained that the params in the params-directory
> can't be used directly but they can be compiled to other
> docbook-transformation-files. But I don't know how I could achieve that, and
> there are just so many files in the DocBook-directory and I can't find any
> entry point or something.
> Then I tried to customize a params.xsl file directly, and it worked, but
> there are other problems now. For example, I tried to display a sidebar. The
> default sidebar layout is NOT what is my imagination of a sidebar ;) so I
> tried to put it on the side by setting sidebar.floating.mode (or whatever
> it's called) to "left", "start", "outside" and some other options. It
> disappears completely. If I put it back to "non", it will reappear, but
> again, it's not a sidebar anymore.
> 
> Another thing I don't understand is, for example, in Oxygen you can specify
> some parameters, and those parameters seem to be scanned out from the
> DocBook directory, but I can't find EVERY parameter - e.g. there's no
> normal.para.spacing in that list, so I have to change it manually in the
> file.
> 
> Is there any COMPLETE text on how to customize parameters, and what's the
> secret of those files and how are they organized? I can't believe everyone's
> using the standard layout (especially not with that so-called sidebar :), so
> I assume there must be some documentation about that.
> 
> I hope someone's able to help me a little bit on this subject :)