[xsl] EXSLFO Project

["W. Eliot Kimber" <eliot@xxxxxxxxxx>]

[This message has been widely cross posted. Please do not reply to
it. Comments on this project should be started in a new thread on
a single forum or directed to the exslfo-discussion mailing list 
mentioned below.]

I have created the EXSLFO project on SoureForge
(http://exslfo.sourceforge.net). I have also registered the exslfo.org
and exslfo.com domains for the use of this project if necessary.

The EXSLFO project is a community effort to define functional extensions
to thet XSL Formatting Objects specification in advance of development
of new versions of the XSL FO specification by trhe W3C. It is intended
to be an adjunct to the formal W3C specification development process. It
is modeled on the existing EXSLT activity (http://exlst.org/).

The expected outputs of this activity are:

- Clear definitions of requirements for features and functions not
addressed by the current FO specification. These features may be core
layout functions (e.g., revision bars) or may be related to specific
delivery technologies (PDF bookmarks and metadata).

- Specifications for non-proprietary extensions to the XSL-FO language
that attempt to satsify these requirements

- Where possible or applicable, implementations of these requirements in
whatever form (pre-processors, post-processors, extensions to existing
FO implementations, etc.).

I have created a public mailing list,
exslfo-discussion@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (see 
https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/exslfo-discussion). My 
intent is that this mailing list will be the primary vehicle for 
discussion of requirements and attendant solution specifications.

I have also created a initial requirements document to serve as a 
starting point for discussion and a model for the type of requirements 
the project is intended to gather. These are simply my thoughts to date 
and should not be taken as representing any sort of community concensus 
at this time [while I think that they are in fact representative of my 
personal requirements and those of my clients, I would not presume to 
speak for the community]. Consider them a starting point for discussion.

My motivation in starting this project is driven largely by a desire to
have standardized those extensions that are clearly generally required
but probably outside of the scope of the FO spec, such as generation of
PDF bookmarks and metadata, capturing of page-to-object mappings, etc.
As an integrator, I would like to see an industry standard for these
extensions that would allow one to have a single FO instance for a
variety of FO implementations that could take advantage of all the
features of, for example, PDF.

All interested parties, vendors and users, are invited to participate.

Cheers,

Eliot
--
W. Eliot Kimber, eliot@xxxxxxxxxx
Consultant, ISOGEN International

1016 La Posada Dr., Suite 240
Austin, TX  78752 Phone: 512.656.4139




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