DOCBOOK-APPS: Problem converting DB to PDF...

[Dan York <dyork at e-smith dot com>]

Folks,

I wonder if anyone can offer any advice or suggestions on the 
problems I am having converting from DocBook SGML to PDF. I have
developed the user guide for our product in DocBook 4.1 SGML and
have had no problems converting it to HTML. The results, and the
original DocBook file and images can be found online at:

  http://www.e-smith.org/docs/manual/

However, because we also would like to have a version available that can
be easily printed, I have been trying to generate a PDF or PostScript
file.  So far, I have been unsuccessful.  The two major problems are:

1. Graphics do not appear in the PDF file. They are implemented as
<mediaobject> in the DocBook file.

2. More importantly, outside of the missing graphics, the PDF file
looks fine for the first 19 pages, until it gets to Chapter 4. In 
this chapter, I really just have the following construction:
  <sect1>
  <title></title>
  <table>
  ....
  </table>
  <table>
  ....
  </table>
  </sect1>

So, two tables with no accompanying text. After it hits this construction,
the PDF file loses all margins and page breaks and generally looks 
horrible.  Anyone who wants to see it can view it (440K) at:

  http://www.e-smith.org/docs/manual/4.1/userguide.pdf

I'm doing all my development on Linux (Red Hat 7.0) and using 
openjade 1.3, the DocBook 4.1 DTD, and Norm's 1.59 DSSSL stylesheets.
I've also tried the (Red Hat-supplied) 'db2pdf' file. I've got 
jadetex 2.7 installed (the number is from the RH rpm filename).

I've tried using <informaltable> and also tried putting some
paragraphs above, below, and in between the tables. None of it 
has so far seemed to work. The DocBook code validates perfectly 
fine (using onsgmls) and, as I mentioned, works perfectly fine
generating HTML.

Any advice on the DocBook code - or suggestions of other programs
to try - will be *greatly* appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Dan

-- 
Dan York, Director of Training        dyork@e-smith.com
Ph: +1-613-751-4401  Mobile: +1-613-263-4312 Fax: +1-613-564-7739 
e-smith, inc. 150 Metcalfe St., Suite 1500, Ottawa,ON K2P 1P1 Canada
http://www.e-smith.com/            open source, open mind