Re: [docbook-apps] slides: how to balance presentation and content

[Dave Pawson <davep@dpawson.co.uk>]

Stefan Seefeld wrote:
> Dave Pawson wrote:
>>
>> Where to draw the line? Overlays and slides are javascript + html 
>> surely? Same way that Norm added 'next slide' type javascript.
> Indeed, incremental display (as well as overlays) is implemented using 
> javascript. But it's still something a presentation author wants to 
> specify in the markup. While it is clear that incrementals can be 
> ignored in handouts, for all others they are media-independent (i.e. no 
> matter whether you use HTML or some other fancy tool, you want to 
> specify what 'next' stands for).

I'm going to remain neutral on that till I understand it.
Could you describe a rough outline of markup through to an overlay
of a second list item being added to an existing list, perhaps, as
an example?



> 
>>
>> What markup are you thinking of for incremental lists?
>> list continuation attributes? Semantic = continue numbering from
>> previous-sibling::list?
> I'm not sure. Just a means to indicate how the slide content is chunked 
> for incremental display. (And sometimes it's not a simple linear 
> chunking, for example when some content has to be kept in sync, such as 
> list items and graphic overlays.)

In which case I don't understand enough to suggest anything.
Could you define it? Simple example first?


> 
> 
>>>
>>> Another area is to explicitely allow multi-column displays, with 
>>> explicit placement into those columns (or more generally, blocks). 
>>> Having content flow automatically is typically not what presentation 
>>> authors want.
>>
>> Which is getting pretty close to xsl-fo? Again, where to draw the line?
>> I've used CSS for multi-column presentation of html divs... how to get 
>> that back into markup?
>>   By the sound of it you want n divs, then a means to lay them out?
>> perhaps using some <sect-n> element with an attribute indicating left
>> or right layout? is that the sort of thing?
> 
> Yes, exactly. Well, it might be good enough to have an indicator (such 
> as 'template' enumerator per slide, then use named blocks which content 
> is put into. The template enumerator will then indicate how those blocks 
> are layed out.) That seems to be similar in spirit to what 
> presentational software such as powerpoint or openoffice offer.

Which is a mile away from semantic or even presentational markup?
It is exactly xsl-fo. Take this block, flow it into that position.

Again, more clarity please, markup through to presentation?



s I think.
>>
>> I'm not 100% at the moment or I'd offer to do it. Not hard though, 
>> honest.
> 
> And I have never actually used relaxng. May be I should try, some day...


What's wrong with today?

http://books.xmlschemata.org/relaxng/page2.html
great starting point,
great language to work with.





regards

-- 
Dave Pawson
XSLT XSL-FO FAQ.
http://www.dpawson.co.uk