Is this layout possible with Jade/DocBook/DSSSL?

[G.B.Stott@xxxxxxxxxxxx]

Hi there,

What I've been trying to create is something akin to the layout of the R4RS
specification: 2 columns in portrait orientation where the top of the first
sheet has an initial title across both columns. I've failed miserably so if
anyone can help I'd be most grateful. The facts follow:

1. <title> occurs in only one place in the source document and the snippet
where it can be found is:

<article>
<artheader>
	<title>2 Ways to study the Bible</title><subtitle>Bible Study 3</subtitle>
</artheader>

2. In my modification of the DocBook stylesheets is the following bit of
code which is based on some from dbtitle.dsl. My aim was to have a single
column for the title even though there are two columns for the rest of the
document.

(element title
  (make sequence
	 font-family-name: "Helvetica"
	 font-weight: 'medium
	 font-posture: 'italic
	 page-n-columns: 1
 	 (process-children)))

3. This didn't work in that the title was only in the first column rather
than spread across the page as I had hoped. It also failed in that
font-weight was bold and font-posture was upright. However, the value for
font-family-name was respected; it changed when "Times-Roman" was used
instead.

There is obviously much that I do not understand here and the situation is
not helped by there being no index or contents page with the DSSSL standard.
This leads to the following questions:

1. Is there a way to get a title across the page followed by two column text?

2. Why do font-weight and font-posture seem to be ignored while the value
for font-family-name is used?

3. Does there exist an index or other help for the DSSSL standard or is
finding one's way around it part of a DSSSL initiation rite?

Barrie.


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