Is anyone using xDocBook with index entries?

Report · Jul 24, 2012

I've never done more than just briefly mess around with the xDocBook structure application in FM. Seemed to work fine, but never used it for real work so didn't get into it too deeply.

I was asked about using FM and DocBook specifically around indexing, so took a look at the indexterm element. If I create a very basic document .. title, para, and index entry, then save .. I get an error about mismatched tags. Looking at the resulting file I see this for the indexterm ..

<indexterm/><primary>level one</primary><secondary>level two</secondary></indexterm>

Notice the initial indexterm element, is EMPTY. This obviously hoses the entire document.

The same thing happens in FM8 through FM11.

When I try the SGML DocBook app, it works fine, which creates the correct structure of ..

<indexterm><primary>level one</primary><secondary>level two</secondary></indexterm>

Am I missing something very obvious here? Is there some setting that properly creates this structure? Or has no one tried to use DocBook (XML) in Frame for many years?

Cheers,

...scott

Report · Jul 25, 2012

I haven't used it myself, but it would appear that they have made an error in having your opening tag be a closed element when the application creates the doc, but the DTD must be fine or you wouldn't have gotten the error... Can you use the SGML DocBook app to structure the doc, and then save it as XML? My XML docs can use either SGML or XML DTDs because the tagging structure is identical.

Report · Jul 25, 2012

Yes .. the error is apparently in the import/export client .. this is the same client that's used by the SGML app. Don't know why it would work for SGML but not XML. Unfortunately the code doesn't appear to be available. I need to be able to use the XML app, and was wanting to know if someone was actually using the default xDocBook app that's provided by Adobe. I'm amazed that this appears to have been broken for so long (since FM8 at least) .. so am assuming that no one is using it.

Report · Jul 26, 2012

Have you had a look at Steve Whitlatch's page on FrameMaker's Docbook for XML? http://www.swhitlat.com/docbook.php. He has downloads available of his entire app, scripts, XSL,, customization layers, etc.

Report · Jul 26, 2012

Hadn't seen that .. will take a look, thanks!