XML with FrameMaker + SGML Quick Guide

Daniel K. Schneider, TECFA, University of Geneva

http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/xml/frame-sgml/

Version 1.1 - May 25, 2001,

Version 0.5 was the first version written in FrameMaker. Version 0.6 and 0.7 have minor corrections. Version 0.8 adds simple read/write rules for special elements and some HTML mapping rules. Version 0.9 adds external HTML links. Version 1.0 makes several important corrections. Version 1.1 adds display of attributes. This thing is still a draft version (and maybe will remain one forever).

Particular thanks go to Jan den Hartog ( objective i) who pointed out a lot of major trouble spots in 0.9. Thanks to Kevin Lossner (Easy Software AG), Marcus Carr (Allette Systems) , Ceryle Gaehl (Australian Medicines Handbook) for other helpful comments.

Read the PDF or the FM version of this text. The other versions (*.html, *.xml, *.sxml) may lack style or worse.Note: A while ago I started writing my first real text with FM+SGMLand I wrote an EDD for Norman Walsh's Simplified Docbook XML DTD. The EDD is in http://tecfa.unige.ch/guides/xml/frame-sgml/sdocbook/ . Also needs work (e.g. forget about deep nestings), but it's a start. (deals somewhat with tables and figures and such).

Summary

This little document should help you to get started with FrameMaker + SGML ("F+S") and XML publishing. F+S is a Word processor/DTD product from Adobe meant for SGML publishing, but it can be used in "XML world" with some restrictions. This text comes along with all source files (FrameMaker files and XML DTD) used to produce this document. Note: You need F+S version 6 to read the *.fm files. I believe that the general ideas also apply to F+S 5.5.

Introduction

Prerequisites

Major Steps of the DTD to FrameMaker to XML Trip

Step 1: Find the Manual

Step 2: Make your own SGML declaration

Step 3: Fix your XML DTD

Step 4: [Optional] Special DTD elements

Step 5: [Optional] Make an SGML version of your DTD

Step 6: Create an SGML application

Step 7: Load the DTD / make the skeleton of EDD file

Step 8: +++ draft +++ Edit the read/write rules file.

Step 9: Export the EDD as DTD

Step 10: Create a FrameMaker Template File

Step 11: A first round of fixing errors

Step 12: EDD or XML DTD+EDD

Step 13: Associate formatting rules with Elements

Step 14: Export

Step 15: Export to HTML

Step 16: [Optional: Import xml]

Open questions

Have fun now

Setting up a DTP environment with F+S is quite a lot of work, but IMHO worth the trouble, if you take the time to define a certain amount of DTDs/EDDs that fit the requirements of your work.

Of course, plan to reuse a DTD/Edd several times (at least).