DSSL Faq: http://www.miwie.org/docbook-dsssl-faq.html
DocBook Faw: http://www.dpawson.co.uk/docbook/
- Q: How to cross link documents (link between HTML files for example)?
- Q: How to convert DocBook XML to HTML, PostScript, PDF, RTF?
A: Method 1: the XSL way
You need to install:
- Norman Walsh's DocBook XSL stylesheets http://sourceforge.net/projects/docbook
- An XSLT processor such as saxon http://sourceforge.net/projects/saxon
For generating HTML, this is enough. Just use the XSL stylesheet that transforms DocBook XML to HTML.
If you need to generate PDF, you'll have to use the XSL stylesheet that transforms DocBook XML to FO (Formatting Objects: an abstract, standardized, XML based, document formatting language). Then you'll need a FO processor that transforms FOs to a typesetting language such as !TeX or RTF or to a page description language such as PostScript or PDF.
- fop (Open Source: http://xml.apache.org/fop/ ) transforms FOs to PDF.
- !RenderX's XEP (Commercial: http://www.renderx.com/ ) transforms FOs to PDF or PostScript.
- jfor (Open Source: http://sourceforge.net/projects/jfor/ ) transforms FOs to RTF.
Our advice: PROS:
- This is the way of the future. It is not a good idea to invest on DSSSL.
CONS:
- Very tedious to install.
- The generated output is not good looking enough, except when using !RenderX's XEP.
- DocBook is so huge that it is difficult to come up with really satisfactory XSL stylesheets even when you are an ace like Norman Walsh.
Method 2: the DSSSL way
You need to install:
- Norman Walsh's DocBook DSSSL stylesheets http://sourceforge.net/projects/docbook
- OpenJade an Open Source implementation of DSSSL based on James Clark's Jade
- !OpenSP an Open Source SGML/XML parser based on James Clark's SP
- A modern !TeX distribution such as http://www.miktex.org/ (a good !TeX distribution for Windows)
Our advice: PROS:
- More mature than the XSL way. The generated output is generally better looking than what can be accomplished by the XSL tools.
- Not too tedious to install on Linux if you have a distribution such as the !SuSE 7.2 which includes all the tools mentioned above.
CONS:
- Picky about the document encoding. If you need accented letters, do not forget to check the option ISO-8859-1 in the XXE Options dialog box!
- It is not a good idea to invest on DSSSL. XSL is the way of the future.
- The generated output is not good looking enough. (We have been told that the LDP http://www.linuxdoc.org/ DSSSL customized stylesheet, ldp.dsl, gives a better looking output).
- DocBook is so huge that it is difficult to come up with really satisfactory DSSSL stylesheets even when you are an ace like Norman Walsh.
