Re: [xsl] Advice sought re WYSIWYG end-user XML edit facility

[Mulberry Technologies List Owner <xsl-list-owner@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

This inquiry is off topic for XSL-List. Period.

I do not accept the implication that if we cannot
suggest another place for a discussion then that
discussion must be allowed on XSL-List.

If anyone on the list can suggest a more
appropriate forum for this discussion please send
it to the OP - off list.

Thank you.

-- Tommie



> Hi
>
> This is perhaps straying a little from the strict parameters of the XSL
> list, but I would appreciate any advice from the great and the good (that
> means all of you!) on this question. If that advice happens to include a
> pointer to a more appropriate forum for asking the question, then thats
> fine too.
>
> * Background
>
> I have a pretty simple DTD/schema for marked up text documents (simple as in
> a few dozen elements). The documents are small, but the schema includes an
> element which allows any document to incorporate transparent links to other
> documents, such that when the document is displayed all linked content
> appears in place (i.e. these are not hyperlinks  which are also supported,
> of course).
>
> Our technical authors are using Structured Framemaker to produce these
> documents, which requires FM to call XML stylesheets on open and save: the
> open XSL pulls in all included content, and the save XSL slices and dices it
> back into its component pieces. The author thinks that they are editing a
> single large document, and the Framemaker template we are using gives them a
> WYSIWYG view of the document that pretty closely mirrors how the resultant
> pages are displayed in our end-user app (using a browser component  theres
> a separate XML stylesheet to generate HTML, and a CSS to modify the
> presentation).
>
> This is all working (although theres been the odd appeal to this list for
> help in achieving some of the trickier bits)!
>
> * What Im looking for now
>
> I want to provide a facility whereby end-users will be able to edit some of
> the documents while browsing them. Obviously there will be a few controls in
> place (e.g. only allow editing of leaf documents) but at the moment I just
> want to investigate how easily and affordably this could be done. The key
> points are:
>  - WYSIWYG (as per the existing XSL and CSS layers)
>  - the editor needs to be schema/DTD aware
>  - the end-user should not need to be au fait with the schema/DTD in order
> to edit the document effectively
>  - small footprint (Framemaker would be way, way, over the top, not to
> mention the cost!)
>  - um, yes, Ill mention cost after all: a reasonable deployment price 
> there could be a large number of users eventually, if all goes well!
>
> If anyone has any helpful ideas for me, Id be keen to read them.
>
> Thanks
>
> Cheers
> Trevor


--

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B. Tommie Usdin                        mailto:btusdin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Mulberry Technologies, Inc.                http://www.mulberrytech.com
17 West Jefferson Street                           Phone: 301/315-9631
Suite 207                                    Direct Line: 301/315-9634
Rockville, MD  20850                                 Fax: 301/315-8285
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