Conversion Insets to SFM

[Lynne A. Price]

At 10:34 AM 5/8/2006, Jim Light wrote:
>TO get separate XML files on export, then after I convert all the insets
>and container files to SFM, I need to export all the insets to XML and
>then open the container files and redo each inset specifying the XML
>file instead of the FM file. Then when I export the container file as
>XML, all the XML insets remain separate XML files. Is that right?

Yes, with a caution. In order to use XML text insets as entities, you'll 
need a DTD. The XML document for a complete document or book will look 
something like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE xxx SYSTEM "xxx.dtd" [
...entity declarations for text insets ...
]
<xxx>
...
</xxx>

The files used as XML text insets cannot have a document type declaration. 
They will simply have the form

<yyy>
...
</yyy>

Any entities used within the text inset file need to be declared either in 
xxx.dtd or in the internal subset at the start of the main document.


>So in terms of the "Source-code control" aspects of a content management
>system, which files are the source files, the FM files or the XML files?
>You can easily make either one from the other. Does it matter?

Whether it matters depends on your processes. For example, do you permit 
format overrides? Also, if the XML version is the source, remember to 
archive templates, EDDs, application definition files along with 
information such as the version of FM you used to produce a particular file.

         --Lynne



Lynne A. Price
Text Structure Consulting, Inc.
Specializing in structured FrameMaker consulting, application development, 
and training
lprice at txstruct.com            http://www.txstruct.com
voice/fax: (510) 583-1505      cell phone: (510) 421-2284