Re: [docbook-apps] Figure floats in fo

[Tony Graham <tgraham@antenna.co.jp>]

On 05/02/2022 16:59, Kevin Dunn wrote:
> I can get formal and informal figures to float to the top of the page
>  using the methods described in DbXsl TCG p. 296 and Antenna House 
> Formatter.  And I can get them to float right and left by wrapping
> them in a sidebar, as on page 232. But when I try to float them left
> or right on their own, I get an error message, "AHFCmd :WARNING:
> Invalid property value: end-indent="0pt +  + 0pt". Apparently, the
> width does not reach the floater template, and there does not seem to
> be a dbfo for figure-width, as there is for sidebars.

The '+ +' is the syntax error.  I don't know what should have been in
the middle.

> Is it expected that right and left floats should always be wrapped in
> a sidebar or margin note, or should it be possible to float objects 
> independently of a sidebar? Using the Custom Side Float example on p.
>  236, I think I could add that functionality to formal objects, but I
>  don't want to reinvent the wheel.
>
> I see that AHF has extensions that allow, for example, floats to the
>  bottom of the page using axf:float="after", and I can get that to
> work by manually editing the fo. For axf:float="left", it even
> computes the width from the enclosed imagedata width. I might
> undertake adding that

It's likely that the XSLT is generating a 'width' property or similar.
AH Formatter can get the intrinsic width from the image file, but it
won't work out the width specified in your DocBook XML by itself.

> to my stylesheet customization as an alternative by customizing the 
> floater template to recognize additional floatstyles, like axf-after,
>  for example.

AH Formatter has extensive control over how to float things, including
whether the float has to stay on the same page as its anchor and what to
do when something has to move for them to do so.  See
https://www.antenna.co.jp/AHF/help/en/ahf-float.html

My inclination, unsurprisingly, would be to try to use the AH Formatter
features rather than trying to bend sidebars into doing what you want.

Regards,


Tony Graham.
--
Senior Architect
XML Division
Antenna House, Inc.
----
Skerries, Ireland
tgraham@antenna.co.jp