Re: [docbook-apps] Re: [docbook] Re: unable to convert DocBook to PDF

["Christopher R. Maden" <crism@maden.org>]

On 10/22/2011 10:08 PM, Jeffrey Walton wrote:
> OK. You've already lost me (my apologies).

Short version: you’re using a toolchain based on 1996 standards,
processing documents based on 2006 standards.

> OK. I think the prudent thing to do is file a bug report (and accept
> the flames) against OpenJade or docbook2pdf.

OpenJade has not been updated since 2003.  Its underlying technology,
DSSSL, has one main mailing list, which has had a couple of dozen posts
in the last ten years.  I would not hold my breath.

> As a dumb user, I just want things to work on a simple example file.
> My thinking is that word processors 'just work', and this is not much
> different (though I'm not total sure what 'this' is). I think its XML
> based publishing.
> 
> Its OK if folks want to abstract and layer things. Unfortunately, the
> design and implementation cleverness does not work out of the box in
> this instance. I don't think I asking for too much here - C/C++
> beginners expect their "Hello World" programs to work out of the box
> too (if they have their tools installed correctly).

I concur with your expectations.  However, throwing C99 code against a
strict ANSI C compiler might not work.

Actually, there’s a very useful metaphor here: XInclude is like C
preprocessor instructions, which DocBook is like C itself.  If you had a
C compiler that didn’t understand the preprocessor directives, it would
choke and die on normal C code; OpenJade was last updated three years
before the preprocessor directives, and completely fails to understand
them.  Running an XInclude normalization (like using xmllint) is
equivalent to preprocessing the files.

To be fair, the O’Reilly files should not be labeled as being DocBook
files; they are DocBook + XInclude files, combining two distinct
dialects of XML.  OpenJade and the DocBook DSSSL stylesheets only
understand the DocBook half, and are bewildered by the XInclude part.

You can change your toolchain, modify your toolchain to preprocess the
documents (or, equivalently, change your documents), or give up.  Oh, or
dive into modifying OpenJade — which is legendarily underdocumented.

HTH,
Chris
-- 
Chris Maden, text nerd  <URL: http://crism.maden.org/ >
The “1%” runs the government.  Be very careful what you wish for.
Vote with your money and your feet before petitioning your rulers.