To print structured SGML/XML documentation you need a print processor software and a style sheet. On this page we want to give an example for SGML files which are converted in printable form by a freeware print processor called JADE. The print processor needs the DTD, the SGML file and teh style sheet as input. The ouput of JADE can be selected via an option when calling it. We use the RTF output format which then can be used by a wide variety of other tools to edit, print and reconvert to e.g. PDF format. Here is an overview of the tool chain and the involved file formats:

The DTD and SGML files were already discussed on another page. What remains now is the style sheet. There is an international standard called DSSSL which describes style sheets for print processors. JADE is fulfilling this standard. Newer print processors of the XML world usually do not use the DSSSL standard any more. However to illustrate the principle one of our DSSSL based style sheets will do:

The DSSSL standard makes use of a programming language called "scheme" for style sheet implementation. There is the possiblility to make general defines as e.g. standard-font in our example. Using this define at all places where you want to set a font will enable you later on to quickly change the output font for the complete style sheet. Further it can be seen, that the complete document layout like size, margins, footers and headers can be set for the element document, which is the main element of the SGML file.

The above shown part of the style sheet shows how the structural elements are dealt with. By a switch it can be determined if legal paragrah numbering is ON or OFF.

Finally the last style sheet part shows how the texual descriptive elements are dealt with. Bold face, underline, etc. are set by the shown elements. We have a great variety of ready style sheet which we can adapt for your puroses and we have the necessary skills to make new one for you. Get in contact with us!

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