Re: [docbook-apps] A Few Style Questions from a Beginner

[David Shevitz <dshevitz@singlestep.com>]

>>Hello all,
>>
>>My apologies if this isn't the correct forum for these questions, but I
>>am on my own as I learn how to best use DocBook, XML, and such.
>>
>>I have successfully created a DocBook XML file and, using FOP, created a
>>PDF from it. I have even learned how to create a customization layer so
>>the PDF output conforms to my company's style conventions. However, I
>>have hit two snags:
>>
>>1. When I create the PDF, a default title appears. It is in a large
>>font, centered. I have been trying to find what template applies to this
>>title, but to no avail. Does anyone know about this title, and what I
>>need to do to change its appearance?
>>    
>>
>
>When you say the default title, I presume you mean the title of your
>document but appearing in the default location where you don't want it?
>
>If so, your customization is probably has a template that processes a
>sequence of elements where you want them, but it hasn't turned off the
>template that gets applied by default.  In general, the stylesheets operate
>by doing apply-templates recursively (sometimes in a special mode). So in
>many cases you have to redefine a template to perform no action because your
>customized template already handled that element.
>
>The title page stuff has many templates that it can use to provide a lot of
>opportunities for customization.  This reference lists the modes that are
>tried for each element on a title page:
>
>http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/HtmlCustomEx.html#d0e10008
>
>You may need to add something like this:
>
><xsl:template match="title" mode="book.titlepage.recto.mode">
></xsl:template>
>
>  
>
Thanks. Unfortunately, I'm still having trouble tracking down this 
title. Basically, when I output into a PDF, my first page appears as 
follows:

TITLE OF DOCUMENT

First Section Title
First Section Content

Second Section Title
Second Section Content

Its the "TITLE OF DOCUMENT" that I want to modify. The information I am 
reading on title pages seem to be a separate matter (i.e., creating an 
actual title page, which is not what I want). I've tried 
compont.title.properties, matching a template to article/title, all 
without much luck. Perhaps the information I've supplied might be enough 
to ring a bell with anyone else?

>>2. Similar to #1, I have learned how to change some of the font
>>properties associated with the header and footer in the PDF output.
>>However, the header and footer continue to be centered, when I would
>>like them to be flush left. None of the parameters I have found have
>>successfully changed the justification for these sections. Could anyone
>>point me in the right direction?
>>    
>>
>
>The headers and footers are formatted as a table with three cells: left,
>center and right. Your content is probably in the center cell, and will
>always be centered.  You want to put your content in the left cell.  See
>this reference to customize the header content:
>
>http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/PrintHeaders.html
>
>You may also want to change the relative size of the cells, using the
>'header.column.widths' parameter.  See the doc included with the stylesheets
>(the online doc hasn't been updated to 1.65.1 yet).
>
>  
>
This did work much better--many thanks! My headers and footers still 
aren't _quite_ what I want, but I'm much closer and I'm sure I'll figure 
it out eventually.

Thanks in advance for any additional help,

Dave