"docbook -> pdf" - customize author-output

[tthunder]

Hi @all,

Currently, I am dealing with writing a docbook. It shall be available
in HTML and PDF format.

For layouting and customizing the output (DocBook XSL), I read through
the following book:

DocBook XSL: The Complete Guide
Fourth Edition
Bob Stayton

However, I haven't found a solution for customizing the the "author
output" in the PDF file. The standard behavior looks horrible!

<article lang="en">
<articleinfo>
<title>
My Title
</title>
<author>
<surname>Surname</surname>
<firstname>Kirsten</firstname>
<email>mymail AT gmx.com</email>
</author>
</articleinfo>
<!-- etc -->
</article>

this will be transformed to

Kirsten Surname <mymail AT gmx.com>

No new line, not bold, no "Author:", no "by" or anything like that.
How can I manage customizing the output for PDF? I know that it works,
because I already saw examples.

Does anybody have a beautiful Docbook XSL customization files for PDF?
I haven't found any downloads on the web.

Thanks in advance,
Kirsten

 

[Peter Flynn]

Hi @all,

Currently, I am dealing with writing a docbook. It shall be available
in HTML and PDF format.

For layouting and customizing the output (DocBook XSL), I read through
the following book:

DocBook XSL: The Complete Guide
Fourth Edition
Bob Stayton

However, I haven't found a solution for customizing the the "author
output" in the PDF file. The standard behavior looks horrible!

<article lang="en">
<articleinfo>
<title>
My Title
</title>

That's "linebreak lots-of-spaces My Title linebreak lots-of-spaces"
What you probably mean is <title>My Title</title>
Adding unnecessary white-space in mixed content only leads to grief and
tears and recriminations.

<author>
<surname>Surname</surname>
<firstname>Kirsten</firstname>
<email>mymail AT gmx.com</email>
</author>
</articleinfo>
<!-- etc -->
</article>

Otherwise it's fine. What's wrong with it?

this will be transformed to

Kirsten Surname <mymail AT gmx.com>

Looks pretty normal to me.

No new line, not bold, no "Author:", no "by" or anything like that.

Why do you want a newline?
Why do you want bold?
Why do you want "Author:"?
Why do you want "by"?

These are all styling questions. They will be different for EVERY
implementation of an XSLT stylesheet for transforming DocBook (or any
other document-oriented XML) to a presentation format.

Stayton (and other authors) cannot guess what layout and design you
want, so they provide customisable templates. YOU have to do the final
bits and pieces.

How can I manage customizing the output for PDF? I know that it works,
because I already saw examples.

Write the code.

Does anybody have a beautiful Docbook XSL customization files for PDF?
I haven't found any downloads on the web.

Hundreds of people have hundreds of DocBook-to-something XSLT files.
Some of them may even be beautiful, but they will all reflect the
specialist nature of their topic or field of writing.

Two of mine are online and are freely downloadable: one set for the
conversion of the XML FAQ to HTML and to LaTeX-for-PDF at
http://xml.silmaril.ie/admin/availability/ and the other for the
conversion of my online book "Formatting Information" (again to HTML and
to LaTeX-for-PDF) at
http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/info/beginlatex/src/, but in both cases
they reflect the specific needs of the document concerned and the
specific needs of the type of output I wanted. They will almost
certainly NOT suit what you want to do (they're not very beautiful
either

///Peter