[xsl] XSL-FO absolute position problem

["Robert Hansson" <Robert.Hansson@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi all XSL-fo gurus.

I am about to generate a complex diagram with connector lines between
them to pdf, similar to a complex organisation diagram. We are using
cocoon to serialize xml to pdf and I am fiddling around with testing to
position elements absolute. It renders just fine using cocoon and also
when using Stylus Studio.

The problem is not that my test code does not render, but that the
blocks are not absolute positioned. They are rendered relative to each
other and lined up vertically. The question I can't answer is why?

I can't really find any good examples where it actually works, so you
guys are my only hope! It would be very nice if someone know what I am
doing wrong or have an example to give me where it really works.

Example:

<fo:root xmlns:fo="http://www.w3.org/1999/XSL/Format";>
 <fo:layout-master-set>
  <fo:simple-page-master page-height="279mm" page-width="216mm" margin
top="10mm" margin-left="20mm" margin-right="20mm" margin-bottom="10mm"
master-name="PageMaster">

   <fo:region-before border-style="none" border-width="thin"
extent="15mm"/>
    <fo:region-body border-style="none" border-width="thin"
margin-top="20mm" margin-left="0mm" margin-right="0mm"
margin-bottom="20mm"/>
    <fo:region-after border-style="none" border-width="thin"
extent="15mm"/>
  </fo:simple-page-master>
 </fo:layout-master-set>

 <fo:page-sequence initial-page-number="1"
master-reference="PageMaster">
  <fo:static-content flow-name="xsl-region-before">
 </fo:static-content>

 <fo:flow flow-name="xsl-region-body">
  <fo:block-container absolute-position="absolute" top="15mm"
left="00mm" width="78mm" height="60mm" font-size="12pt"
border-style="solid" border-color="#ff0000">
   <fo:block font-weight="bold" space-after="1em">Absolute 1</fo:block>
  </fo:block-container>

  <fo:block-container absolute-position="absolute" top="15mm"
left="100mm" width="67mm" height="40mm" font-size="12pt"
border-style="solid" border-color="#ff0000">
   <fo:block font-weight="bold" space-after="1em">Absolute 2</fo:block>
  </fo:block-container>

  <fo:block-container absolute-position="absolute" top="105mm"
left="10mm" width="110mm" height="41mm" font-size="12pt"
border-style="solid" border-color="#ff0000">
   <fo:block font-weight="bold" space-after="1em">Absolute 3</fo:block>
   </fo:block-container>
  </fo:flow>
 </fo:page-sequence>
</fo:root>


 Cheers,

 Rob.

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