Re: [docbook-apps] A Few Style Questions from a Beginner

["Bob Stayton" <bobs at sagehill dot net>]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "David Shevitz" <dshevitz@singlestep.com>
To: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 8:27 AM
Subject: [docbook-apps] A Few Style Questions from a Beginner


> Hello all,
>
> My apologies if this isn't the correct forum for these questions, but I
> am on my own as I learn how to best use DocBook, XML, and such.
>
> I have successfully created a DocBook XML file and, using FOP, created a
> PDF from it. I have even learned how to create a customization layer so
> the PDF output conforms to my company's style conventions. However, I
> have hit two snags:
>
> 1. When I create the PDF, a default title appears. It is in a large
> font, centered. I have been trying to find what template applies to this
> title, but to no avail. Does anyone know about this title, and what I
> need to do to change its appearance?

When you say the default title, I presume you mean the title of your
document but appearing in the default location where you don't want it?

If so, your customization is probably has a template that processes a
sequence of elements where you want them, but it hasn't turned off the
template that gets applied by default.  In general, the stylesheets operate
by doing apply-templates recursively (sometimes in a special mode). So in
many cases you have to redefine a template to perform no action because your
customized template already handled that element.

The title page stuff has many templates that it can use to provide a lot of
opportunities for customization.  This reference lists the modes that are
tried for each element on a title page:

http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/HtmlCustomEx.html#d0e10008

You may need to add something like this:

<xsl:template match="title" mode="book.titlepage.recto.mode">
</xsl:template>

> 2. Similar to #1, I have learned how to change some of the font
> properties associated with the header and footer in the PDF output.
> However, the header and footer continue to be centered, when I would
> like them to be flush left. None of the parameters I have found have
> successfully changed the justification for these sections. Could anyone
> point me in the right direction?

The headers and footers are formatted as a table with three cells: left,
center and right. Your content is probably in the center cell, and will
always be centered.  You want to put your content in the left cell.  See
this reference to customize the header content:

http://www.sagehill.net/docbookxsl/PrintHeaders.html

You may also want to change the relative size of the cells, using the
'header.column.widths' parameter.  See the doc included with the stylesheets
(the online doc hasn't been updated to 1.65.1 yet).

> Again, my apologies if this isn't really a DocBook styles issue, but I
> have to start somewhere, I suppose! :) Thanks in advance for any
assistance.

No problem, this is the appropriate list for these questions.

Bob Stayton
Sagehill Enterprises
DocBook Consulting
bobs@sagehill.net



To unsubscribe from this list, send a post to docbook-apps-unsubscribe@lists.oasis-open.org, or visit http://www.oasis-open.org/mlmanage/.