Re: [docbook-apps] Font family in table content: how to change?

[Steve Whitlatch <swhitlat at getnet dot net>]

Thanks Bob, I'm replying just to get this into the archives. 

If you and the other experts don't mind, I'll tag along and try to 
mostly keep quiet. Perhaps I can learn enough to field a few of the 
easier questions. 

Steve Whitlatch 


On Thursday 29 January 2004 10:19 pm, you wrote:
> Hi Steve,
> I didn't realize you have already tried table.properties.
> Yes, it should have worked.  I just investigated, and it appears
> that when Norm added HTML tables, he didn't use the
> table.properties attribute set.  I just checked in a fix for that.
>
> Currently tables use the formal.object.properties attribute set
> only.
>
> I agree that DocBook is not simple.
> I have a slide in one of my DocBook presentations that goes:
>
> DocBook is not ...
>   - Microsoft Word
>   - Quark Express
>   - FrameMaker
>   - Simple.
>
> I don't generally recommend it for individuals,
> unless they like playing with technology like XML.  DocBook is best
> for a situation where there is lots of doc that is maintained over
> time, has a consistent
> format, and is supported by a technical staff.
>
> Bob Stayton
> Sagehill Enterprises
> bobs@sagehill.net
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Steve Whitlatch" <swhitlat@getnet.net>
> To: "Bob Stayton" <bobs@sagehill.net>
> Sent: Thursday, January 29, 2004 11:51 AM
> Subject: Re: [docbook-apps] Font family in table content: how to
> change?
>
> > Well, yes, the guess is an attempt to imitate similar techniques.
> >
> > I already tried:
> >
> >   <xsl:attribute-set name="table.properties"
> >     use-attribute-sets="formal.object.properties">
> >     <xsl:attribute name="font-family">Helvetica</xsl:attribute>
> >   </xsl:attribute-set>
> >
> > and it had no affect. Should it have?
> >
> > A similar approach works for other items, such as:
> >
> >   <xsl:attribute-set name="section.title.properties">
> >     <xsl:attribute name="font-family">
> >       <xsl:value-of select="$title.font.family"/>
> >     </xsl:attribute>
> >
> > Also, I searched your book. I did not find anything there that
> > directly addresses the issue. Of course you will agree that
> > changing the font family for the text in a table is a common
> > need.
> >
> > Thanks for all your help. I intend to persevere with my DocBook
> > XSL learning experience until this document is finished. However,
> > it is looking to me as if the DocBook_XSL + customization
> > approach to formatting DocBook XML for print is not likely to
> > become widely used, ever, simply because it's too difficult, way
> > too time consuming, and therefore expensive. Am I missing
> > something? Is there a benefit that outweighs the expense?
> >
> > I've worked with and associated with many technical writers.
> > Perhaps one in a hundred would spend the time necessary to learn
> > this stuff. For most, the likelihood is below zero.
> >
> > It may be that the official DocBook XSL stylesheets don't easily
> > accommodate adjustments that would allow something like:
> >
> > <xsl:param name="table.body.font-family">Helvetica</xsl:param>
> >
> > But that's about the least that would be needed for virtually all
> > common formatting needs. Even then, many tech writers I know (and
> > the pubs department managers I've known) would cringe.
> >
> > Again, thanks for your help. DocBook XSL is important enough to
> > me to learn some of it, and I appreciate your help. I was hoping
> > to impress some hiring manager with my knowledge of a
> > cutting-edge technology, but none seem to care about XSL;
> > although, some do talk about "moving to FrameMaker" and
> > "investigating XML solutions." They are mostly using . . . . you
> > know, Microsoft Word.
> >
> > Steve Whitlatch
> >
> > On Thursday 29 January 2004 10:58 am, Bob Stayton wrote:
> > > Rather than guess at the names of the stylesheet parameters and
> > > attribute sets, you should read the doc that is available:
> > >
> > > http://docbook.sourceforge.net/release/xsl/current/doc/fo/
> > >
> > > You want the 'table.properties' attribute-set.
> > >
> > > Bob Stayton
> > > Sagehill Enterprises
> > > bobs@sagehill.net
> > >
> > >
> > > ----- Original Message -----
> > > From: "Steve Whitlatch" <swhitlat@getnet.net>
> > > To: <docbook-apps@lists.oasis-open.org>
> > > Sent: Wednesday, January 28, 2004 9:12 PM
> > > Subject: [docbook-apps] Font family in table content: how to
> > > change?
> > >
> > > > Hello,
> > > >
> > > > I'm trying to set the font-family for both headers and cells
> > > > in tables, using an xsl customization stylesheet.
> > > >
> > > > I tried several things and thought for sure that the
> > > > following would work:
> > > > ***************
> > > >  <xsl:attribute-set name="table.content.properties">
> > > >   <xsl:attribute
> > > > name="font-family">$sans.font.family</xsl:attribute>
> > > > </xsl:attribute-set>
> > > > ***************
> > > >
> > > > But no. Perhaps there is no such attribute. The tables keep
> > > > using the body font, and FOP generates a storm of the
> > > > following font-related error messages for each table:
> > > > **************
> > > > [ERROR] unknown font ZapfDingbats,normal,bold so defaulted
> > > > font to any [ERROR] unknown font ZapfDingbats,italic,normal
> > > > so defaulted font to any
> > > > [ERROR] unknown font ZapfDingbats,normal,bold so defaulted
> > > > font to any .
> > > > .
> > > > .
> > > > **************
> > > >
> > > > How can I set the font-family used in tables (both heads and
> > > > cells) and correct the errors? Also, why is
> > > > DocBook+DocBook_XSL trying to use ZapfDingbats somehow in
> > > > connection with tables? It must be some default.
> > > >
> > > > Thanks,
> > > >
> > > > Steve Whitlatch
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
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> > >
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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
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