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

[Jeffrey Walton <noloader@gmail.com>]

On Sat, Oct 22, 2011 at 10:25 PM, Christopher R. Maden <crism@maden.org> wrote:
> 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.
:)

I ordered "DocBook 5: The Definitive Guide" on Thursday (I try to
support authors). Hopefully my dumb questions will end soon.

>> 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.
OK. So something like the following should work (or at least move me forward):

    xmllint book.xml | docbook2pdf > book.pdf

(I think I need to hunt down xmllint, so I can't test it at the momnet).

> 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.
OK, thanks.

> 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.
I'd like another option, please.

Jeff
> 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.
>
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