Re: [docbook] Entities in Docbook 5 rnc

[Thomas Schraitle <tom_schr@web.de>]

Hi Kate,

Am Montag 09 März 2009 21:06:50 schrieb Kate.Wringe@sybase.com:
>
> I'm trying to upgrade our Docbook 4.2 DTD to Docbook 5 RNC.
>
> In our version 4.2 DTD we included an external entity file that listed
> the conditions that we used for condition attribute. Is there a way to
> link/include external files with the docbook 5 RNC?
>
> For example, is it possible to have a file (eg., myconditions.ent) that
> defines an attribute such as (e.g,. db.iaconditions12.attributte) that
> can be used in the definition of db.condition.attribute?

Maybe it's nitpicking, but I wouldn't say "entity file". IMHO what you do is 
customizing DocBook, so it's a customization layer or file. At least that's 
what I've learned from the experts. 
Just to make it precise, otherwise it raises false expectations. :)


> e.g., File myconditions.ent
> db.myondition12.attribute =
>
>     ## provides a standard place for application-specific effectivity
>     attribute mycondition12 {"asajtools"
      ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Remove the attribute keyword and its name. See also result below.


>                         |"dbadmin"
>                         |"mobilink"
>                         |"programming"
>                         |"sqlref"
>                         |"sqlug"
>                         |"uldotnet"
>                         |"ulfoundations"
>                         |"rsguide"}
>
> E.g., I'd like to do something like the following in the Docbook 5
> customization file:
> db.condition.attribute =
>     ## provides a standard place for application-specific effectivity
>     attribute condition {mycondition12}
>
> If this is possible, how should I reference the myconditions.ent file  in
> the Docbook 5 RNC?

The other way around: you insert a reference to DocBook 5 into your 
customization file. You load your DocBook 5 Schema into your file and 
overwrite some patterns, or define new ones.

To avoid misleading namings, I would rename your file to myconditions.rnc as 
it is a RNC file. The extention ".ent" symbolizes it has something to do with 
entity declarations which is not the case. I also try to use some DocBook 5 
conventions. The result looks like this (tested in oXygen):

----[ myconditions.rnc ]-----
# perhaps other namespace declarations

db.mycondition12.enumeratation =
  ## provides a standard place for application-specific effectivity
  "asajtools"|
  "dbadmin"|
  "mobilink"|
  "programming"|
  "sqlref"|
  "sqlug"|
  "uldotnet"|
  "ulfoundations"|
  "rsguide"


include "docbook.rnc" {
 db.condition.attribute =
    ## provides a standard place for application-specific effectivity
    attribute condition { db.mycondition12.enumeratation }
}
-----------------------------


> And do I need to include a namespace reference in the myconditions.ent
> file?

You can, but in the above file it is not necessary. For more information about 
customizing DocBook 5, have a look at [1].


Hope that helps,
Tom

----------
[1] http://www.docbook.org/tdg5/en/html/ch05.html