Re: DOCBOOK: Changing <p>...</p> to <p> in DSSSL stylesheets

[Mårten Lindström <marten dot lindstrom at swipnet dot se>]

Being a newcomer I should probably keep my mouth shut. But ...

From what I understand, a DocBook PARA containing a list, could also contain
text (#PCDATA), both before and after the list. I.e.

<para>This is a very special para. It contains:
    <itemizedlist>
        <listitem>
            <para>A list.</para>
        </listitem>
        <listitem>
            <para>Some leading and trailing #PCDATA as well.</para>
        </listitem>
    </itemizedlist>
    Not easy to translate into HTML that.
</para>

(This certainly seems strange but, as Peter Flynn points out, the list here
is probably best understood to be inline - despite the contained paras.)

Provided that the DocBook list is translated into a HTML list, then, to
translate the containing para into a HTML p - even if omitting the end tag -
is not legal (if I am right). On the other hand I don't think it would be
legal to translate it to a DIV either - _except_ if the the leading and
trailing #PCDATA are contained in their own new p elements - since a HTML
DIV (unlike the DocBook para) can contain either character level _or_ block
level elements but not both.
Correct me anyone if I am wrong.

If so, ensuring legal HTML would mean creating entirely new P elements for
any freefloating #PCDATA _and_ translating the containing PARA into a HTML
DIV (or omitting it).

<div><p>This is a very special para. It contains:</p>
    <ul>
        <li>
            <p>A list.</p>
        </li>
        <li>
            <p>Some leading and trailing #PCDATA as well.</p>
        </li>
    </ul>
    <p>Not easy to translate into HTML that.</p>
</div>

I know practically nothing about DSSSL/Jade but suspect that would not be
easy to do. (Just dropping all para end tags certainly seems a lot simpler.)
But is anyone using such para elements anyway?

Mårten