Re: Generating high-level formatting output

Subject: Re: Generating high-level formatting output
From: Adam Di Carlo <adam@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 12 Jun 1999 13:16:19 -0400
Norman Gray <norman@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:
> A better way, and one I might return to if I decide we need 'roff output,
> would be to do the `print formatting' step as a transformation from
> the document DTD to some DTD oriented towards high-level formatting,
> then further transform that to LaTeX, 'roff, or whatever using a simple
> transforming step which, because it wouldn't have to do any rearrangement
> or numbering or anything clever, would be a doddle to write (maybe
> even awk would be enough!).
> 
> The output DTD could be something simple like:
> 
> <div level="1"><title>Section title</title>
> <para>Here is some <span type="emph">emphasised</span> text.
> </div>
> 
> with obvious edits to turn it into LaTeX or 'roff.  Does anyone know
> if such a DTD already exists?

Have you seen IBM's TeXML?  I don't know if it's appropriate.

Personally, I think it would be wiser to go from SGML -> TeX, and skip
LaTeX altogther.  That's because LaTeX has it's own ideas on how to
format stuff, whereas with the low-level TeX you'd have more control
and more robustness (fewer TeX infrastructure slings-and-arrows, such
as Babel breaking everything).

--
.....Adam Di Carlo....adam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>


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