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Subject:Re: Single Sourcing HTML Files From:Tim Altom <taltom -at- IQUEST -dot- NET> Date:Sat, 17 Aug 1996 07:34:00 EST
At 10:46 AM 8/17/96 +0100, you wrote:
>[Lee Bumgarner]
>>My manager has requested that I establish an internal web site for our
>>technical documents. From the same HTML files he wants to create
>>publishable documents.
>> Has anyone had experience creating single-source HTML files for the web
>>and for publishing hardcopy? Is anyone aware of print companies that take
>>HTML files and print from them? Would it be better to create these
>>documents in Frame or another application and convert to HTML for the web
>>side and keep the documents in Frame for the print company?
>I suggest you check out the SGML Standard (ISO 8879). SGML is specifically
>intended to solve the problem of using the same document for more than one
>purpose. SGML is particularly good at doing paper + web for many reasons -
>not least of which is that HTML is an application of SGML. Try
>www.sgmlopen.com and/or www.sil.org/sgml for more info.
>Hope this helps,
>Sean
There was an issue of the Journal a few years back dealing with SGML, but
I'll be darned if I can find it now.
I think I'd vote for the FrameMaker solution first, especially if the number
of documents was relatively small, say under a total of a thousand pages or
so. FrameMaker is a known and popular package with conditional text
capability and lots of third-party software for making docs into HTML. You
can find FrameMaker operators without much trouble and you can similarly
find support in most places. We use FrameMaker commonly for creating two or
more versions of a single document.
I'd recommend looking at SGML only when the load becomes enormous. It's a
lesser-known technology and its tools aren't widely known, either. You'll
have to retool more to work in an SGML environment. Of course, if you
already know Frame, you can move to its SGML tool, although it's probably
not the equal of many specifically SGML packages. In short, there's a
ballistic learning curve and lots of initial investment. However, if you're
planning for tens of thousands of pages, go to SGML.
Tim Altom
Vice President, Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice) 317.899.5987 (fax)
FrameMaker support ForeHelp support
Makers of DuoFrame, giving you online help and paper
documentation from a single parent FrameMaker document.
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