Re: DOCBOOK-APPS: DTD vs. XML Schema

[Jirka Kosek <jirka at kosek dot cz>]

"Olson, Dave -Systems" wrote:
> 
> Could someone give me a list of the advantages and disadvantages of using
> the DocBook DTD(s) vs. a DocBook XML Schema?  I'm just starting a

DocBook DTD is more mature and proven technology. I think that XML
schema for DocBook is just early release for testing. I don't know
anyone who really uses it.

> understand PSGML with emacs is a validating editor, but it doesn't work with
> Schemas.  Are there tools available to edit DocBook XML via an XML Schema?

AFAIK XMetaL 3 and professional version of XMLMind are able to do schema
guided editing.
 
> I'll also be searching for stylesheets to convert DocBook XML files to our
> output formats (PDF, HTML, RTF), but if I understand the application of the
> DocBook standard correctly, the stylesheets shouldn't be affected by whether
> I use a DTD or a Schema as my guide.  The main reason I'm choosing between

Not completely true. XML schemas doesn't have ability do define entities
for common symbols like –,  , ... You must enter these
characters directly which means that you must have either intelligent
editor or some special keyboard driver.

> the two is that I will probably want to customize the document definition
> and stylesheets, and I hear the Schema is more flexible and easier to read.

Maybe schema is more flexible, but harder to read if you don't have some
special visualisation tool, as schemas are very verbose compared to
DTDs.

Be you, I would stay with DTD for DocBook documents.

				Jirka

-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------
  Jirka Kosek  	                     
  e-mail: jirka at kosek dot cz
  http://www.kosek.cz