RE: About multiple output documents from a single XML/SGML processed document

["Didier PH Martin" <martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi,

Matthias said:
I have a relativly large set of notes, corrections and bugs for
the current standard. There are also collections by James (a list
of bugs at http://www.ornl.gov/sgml/wg8/document/1883.htm and
a discussion of CSS/DSSSL at http://www.jclark.com/dsssl/web-dsssl.htm).
There is also a japanese collection of bugs for which I don't have
a url.

I could post my notes, if there is interest.

Didier says:
As stated by Matthias, these links points to documents listing the specs
bugs. The last document cannot be published without the permission of Mr
Komachi.

Matthias, I encourage you to post your notes, because they contains a lot of
wisdom and experience about DSSSL and the implementation constraints. Also,
your readings of the DSSSL-1 specs are usually well grounded and contain a
deep DSSSL knowledge.

James made a document about his reflections on DSSSL and CSS. Even if this
not well known, there is a lot of similarities between CSS and DSSSL.
However, the former is based on a box model and the latter on an area model.
The box is richer than the area and is more appropriate to on-line renderers
such as browsers. DSSSL-1 flow objects where mostly created with printed
media in mind and lack characteristic that would exploit the richness of
browsers. James, attempted a reconciliation of these two worlds with a
proposal including some new characteristics for existing visual flow
objects. I encourage, people curious about the DSSSL future to read these
notes.

As complementary information about CSS, XSL and DSSSL (the XSL section still
very incomplete)
ref CSS: http://www.netfolder.com/CSS/CSSObjects.htm
ref XSL: http://www.netfolder.com/XSL/XslFo.htm
ref DSSSL: http://www.netfolder.com/DSSSL/Paragraph.htm

So if we take, for instance, the paragraph object, its equivalency in the
XSL and CSS worlds is the block object. You'll notice that in the last
document (i.e. DSSSL paragraph) a reference is made to the CSS:block and
XSL:block objects. This is because these objects are similar. Basically,
what James proposed is to add new characteristics to unify the CSS and DSSSL
world. Since then, XSL evolved and discussion occurring in the XSL
discussion groups and WG added pressure to unify the basic visual models of
CSS and XSL. XSL flow objects, however,  are still inspired from DSSSL and
provide more characteristics than CSS. This may not be the case forever.
Actually, the XSL flow object set is more complete than the CSS object set.
Some of James suggestions have to be modernized and we need to include the
latest knowledge we gained from all these discussions, specifications,
implementations (the document is a 1997 document and we are in 1999).
However, the proposal has the virtue to add more capabilities in the on-line
world and expend some objects, like for instance the scroll and paragraph
objects with new characteristics like :
background-color
background-image
etc....
Ansd this is still pertinent to the actual realities. James document is one
important base to the document I'll publish about DSSSL-2 possible
orientations (but modernized with the knowledge we gained since the last two
years).

To fully understand the problem at hand, a reading of the CSS and XSL
documents will greatly help. After the Montreal presentations, I'll write a
document showing the relationship and differences of the CSS/XSL and DSSSL
visual models.

We also have to integrate work done by Peter and the tactile model,
integrate works done in the aural model and more particularly the work done
at IBM, HP about audio browsers (actually able to browse only XML not SGML).

Therefore a rich model would include:
visual flow objects
aural flow objects
tactile flow objects (like for instance Braille)

We have now deep knowledge of visual objects, aural objects are still in
infancy, and we are still progressing on tactile objects with Peter's work
(his work will also be presented in the OpenJade presentation in Montreal to
the XML community).

regards
Didier PH Martin
mailto:martind@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.netfolder.com


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