Steve Whitlatch wrote: > Thanks for the XMLmind DITA Converter package. I am impressed. It is a > generous offering and it appears excellent in every way. > > I'll try some dita-c features soon. I checked out the docs and some of > the source code. The docs are great--thanks for all the examples. > > I am familiar with using Runtime.getRuntime().exec() as is used in > SystemUtil.java. In many ways, the design for the XMLmind DITA > Converter is what I use in code of my own that works similarly, but > with DocBook and is server based.
Ditac has been designed not only to be used as an end-user, command-line, tool but also as a software component you can embed very easily in a server-based application (i.e. Servlet). For example, ditac can use an XSL-FO processor without invoking its command-line (e.g. fop.bat) by the means of Runtime.getRuntime().exec(). We have defined an interface for that: http://www.xmlmind.com/ditac/_distrib/doc/api/com/xmlmind/ditac/convert/FOConverter.html And also a way to register the implementation of the above interface with the Converter object: http://www.xmlmind.com/ditac/_distrib/doc/api/com/xmlmind/ditac/convert/Converter.html#registerFOConverter(com.xmlmind.ditac.convert.FOConverter) > > Things I like about DITA-C: > * probably much easier than using ant so much as with DITA-OT > * the ditac.options file will come in handy > * XSLT stylesheets parameters were/are much needed. I hope they become > as numerous and useful as the DocBook XSLT stylesheet parameters. Ditac already has a substantial number of XSLT stylesheet parameters (~70). We of course plan to add more parameters in the future in order to make ditac a more flexible tool. However, in our opinion, the DocBook XSLT stylesheet parameters, which we know very well and really appreciate, have too many XSLT stylesheet parameters. > Question: Perhaps this is already answered somewhere in the docs, but if > not maybe it is worth discussing. Is it possible to specify a > ditac.options file on the command line, thus making separate use of > multiple ditac.options files? No. For now, the only ditac.options file which is automatically loaded by ditac is found in $HOME/.ditac/. We have no problem supporting ditac.options files in a more flexible way, provided there is sufficient demand for this feature. > > Thanks much, You're welcome.
