RE: [xsl] Converting from Framemaker to XML

Subject: RE: [xsl] Converting from Framemaker to XML
From: "Bjorndahl, Brad" <brad.bjorndahl@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Thu, 26 Apr 2007 11:20:57 -0400
Hi,
This is very interesting to me because we are going in the opposite
direction - from XML (specifically DITA) to  FrameMaker (via MIF). DITA
has no explicit formatting. I use the inherent structure in DITA to
assign FM styles to block and inline elements. We _want_ to keep content
separate from presentation. Let XML do what it does best (manage
content) and FM do what it does best (manage presentation) and use XSLT
to marry them.

You will learn lots of XSLT going that route and you'll find simplicity
and automation. XSLT 2.0 (especially functions, tunnel parameters and
group-by instructions) has simplified this transform enormously and made
the work a joy.

I wasted a few weeks with EDD and Read/Write rules in structured FM.
What a mess and frustration!

Brad Bjorndahl
Technical Publications
Thermo Fisher Scientific
Integrative Technologies Division
Laboratory Automation and Integration


-----Original Message-----
From: Lech Rzedzicki [mailto:xchaotic@xxxxxxxxx]
Sent: April 26, 2007 9:28 AM
To: xsl-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [xsl] Converting from Framemaker to XML

Hi.

I would like to spend as much time with XSL as I can, but in order to do
that, I need to have the XML for processing in the first place.
Much of the data that I work on is .fm format (unstructured
Framemaker) and I am investigating various methods of converting that to
XML with the least amount of manual labour, while keeping most of the
formatting.

There are many ways do it straight from fm, using .mif or RTF
intermediately, or using .ps/PDF and using visual styles as hints for
XML tags etc.
The new Framemaker 7.x itself can also go to XML mode, with it's EDD
styles being the equivalent of DTD and so on.

But what I'm looking for is simplicity and automation.
Can you recommend any free/open-source tools that I could use to go
FM->XML, while preserving as much formatting metadata as possible
(layout, headings, tables etc)?

Any help is deeply appreciated,

--
Lech Rzedzicki

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