SGML: IBMIDDoc README

SGML: IBMIDDoc README


This release of IBMIDDoc is really comprised of two major components:
IBMIDDoc DTD, its associated SGML declarations and the character entity
declarations (IBMIDDOC.DTD, *.DCL and *.AIX, IDDBKSYM.ENT) and InfoMast DTD
and its components (INFOMAST.DTD and IFMCOMMN.DTD).
 
IBMIDDoc DTD is the DTD intended for IBM's internal use and reflects the
current state of our editing styles, transforms and processing
implementation.  The documentation we provide also matches this DTD
since we use that documentation for instruction and reference within
the company.
 
InfoMast DTD and its associated files represent the architecture of
which IBMIDDoc is an instance.  Both DTDs have been parameterized.  The
intent was not to facilitate the modification of the base DTD as to ease
the writing of the DTD although these parameter entities can certainly
be used to customize the DTD as desired.
 
Both of these DTDs have fixed attributes which give their relationships
to a set of HyTime architectural forms.  We are working on updating these
forms and their documentation and will release them on this disk when
they are available and up-to-date.
 
Here is a short description of each file in each ZIP file:
IBMIDDOC.ZIP:
     IBMIDDOC.ADP - CP 850 SGML declaration for the use with Windows Adept Architect
     IBMIDDOC.AIX - CP 850 SGML declaration for use on Unix systems
     IBMIDDOC.CPR - Copyright notice for materials
     IBMIDDOC.DCL - CP 850 SGML declaration for use on the PC
     IBMIDDOC.DTD - IBMIDDOC DTD file
     IBMIDDOC.VM  - CP 037 SGML declaration for use on EBCDIC systems
     IDDBKSYM.ENT - Character entity declaration file
     IDDJAPAN.AIX - CP 932 SGML declaration for use under *ix with Japanese char set
     IDDJAPAN.DCL - CP 932 SGML declaration for use on PC with Japanese char set
     IDDKOREA.AIX - CP 949 SGML declaration for use under *ix with Korean char set
     IDDKOREA.DCL - CP 949 SGML declaration for use on PC with Korean char set
     IDDSCHIN.AIX - CP 1381 SGML declaration for use under *ix with Simplified Chinese char set
     IDDSCHIN.DCL - CP 1381 SGML declaration for use on PC with Simplified Chinese char set
     IDDTC948.AIX - CP 948 SGML declaration for use under *ix with Traditional Chinese char set
     IDDTC948.DCL - CP 948 SGML declaration for use on PC with Traditional Chinese char set
     IDDTC950.AIX - CP 950 SGML declaration for use under *ix with Traditional Chinese char set
     IDDTC950.DCL - CP 950 SGML declaration for use on PC with Traditional Chinese char set
     INIT    .IDD - Trivial example for parsing SGML declaration and DTD
Notice that the *.AIX SGML declarations were ZIP'd on a PC and so have
CR,LF for record boundaries.
 
INFOMAST.ZIP:
     INFOMAST.DTD - InfoMast DTD
     IFMCOMMN.DTD - Common Fragment used by InfoMast DTD
     INIT.IFM     - Trivial example for parsing DTD
 
IDDOCPS.ZIP:
     IBMIDDoc User's Guide and Reference -- PS format
 
IDDOCPDF.ZIP:
     IBMIDDoc User's Guide and Reference -- PDF format
 
Notice that to use the INFOMAST.DTD, the SGML declarations must be
extracted from the IBMIDDOC.ZIP file.
 
Finally, also included in the package are some sample documents:
     ZENBOOK.ZIP
     CHINTAPP.ZIP
     RKTL1MST.ZIP
 
ERRATA
 
We are aware of an error in the DTD, discovered too late to correct
in this release:
1) There is a mixed content model with a SEQ connector in the content
   model of the Bridge element.  This will be corrected by replacing the
   content model (excluding the Title) with a required BridgeBody element
   with omissible start and end tags so that an SGML parser may imply its
   presence even when dealing with data from this DTD.
 
FUTURE PLANS
 
Work that we anticipate for the next release are:
- Finish work on bring the InfoMast architectural forms (INFOMAST.AF) up
  to date.  These forms are the 'models' to which the other Infomast DTDs
  must conform.
- SGML math markup (the basis for this markup is TBD)
- Continue to track SGML Open Table markup recommendations with the
  intent of being a superset
- A style specification language, based on DSSSL
- Modularize the DTD into a number of piece parts that may easily be
  included or excluded (InfoMast only)
- Changing the DTD to conform to and exploit the HyTime Corrigendum
- Provide an LPD for the architectural form fixed attributes
  (InfoMast only)
 
WHAT'S CHANGED
 
For those of you who were familiar with the earliest releases of IBMIDDoc
a few words describing the changes are in order:
- The most noticeable change is in the names of things.  We have
  abbreviated many of the terms used in the DTDs.  Every effort was made
  to make these abbreviations consistently applied.  They were used
  because it was found that with editors an inordinate amount of screen
  real estate was being used by the tag displays.  In addition, for
  those who still enter or read the tags by hand, long tags were a
  hindrance.  Finally, for modern tools which provide levels of
  indirection, the names become less relevant since style
  creators can insure the screen displays are readable regardless of
  the cryptic nature of the names used in the DTD itself.
- Content models have gotten more restrictive as we have tried to
  make them more representative of normal practice and what is
  practical to support.  We have also scrubbed the attributes allowed
  in different contexts to make sure they are appropriate.
- We have introduced CALS tables.  This was painful in some ways because
  of the degree of style attribution that it introduced to a DTD that has
  tried so strenuously to avoid style markup and attribute.  This was a
  concession to the tools available which support direct manipulation of
  tables and their output.  We still believe that content-based markup for
  most tabular data is the correct thing to do, modular information is
  still there and will stay in the DTD.
- Index markup and footnotes have been made (shutter) inclusions.  We still
  abhor inclusions but SGML's handling of record ends in the vicinity of
  inclusions (vs. proper subelements) and IBMIDDoc's semantic of having
  these elements apply to their entire parent necessitated this change.
- Several bits of content markup have been added:  parts assemblies,
  reader comment forms, edition notices for formal documents.  Procedures
  have been extensively revised.