> 1. A new param named 'make.strict.html' How about 'make.clean.html'? "strict" has a specific meaning with regard to HTML.
> 2. A new param named 'generate.css', which when set to 1 Why would this be necessary? Presumably one, or possibly a set of static CSS files could be supplied that provide all the basic styling based on classes used in the generated output. Or, are you suggesting that the XSL generate a per-output CSS with just the subset of the "master CSS" styles? On Sat, Nov 28, 2009 at 1:41 PM, Bob Stayton <[email protected]> wrote: > I have had a long standing goal to modernize the HTML output from the > DocBook XSL stylesheets. We have too many instances of hardcoded styles like > <b> and other transgressions of modern HTML practice. > > The problem is that doing the whole job is a big undertaking, and I, for > one, have never had the free time for it all. So instead I'd like to propose > a scheme to get there incrementally, so that improvements can be made by > many participants instead of just one. > > One of the critical features of this updating is adding a CSS stylesheet to > the output. Many of the current "bad" output coding could be cured through > CSS applied to class attributes. So I'd like to start the transition by > adding a mechanism to generate a default CSS stylesheet, which could be used > as a starting point for further CSS styling. > > I think two params could control this feature: > > 1. A new param named 'make.strict.html' would be used by the stylesheet to > replace any current instances of bad coding with good coding and CSS styles. > Or we could just say the the existing param 'make.valid.html' should do > this. Strictly speaking, these items are not necessarily invalid HTML, but > maybe people expect better HTML when using this param. > > 2. A new param named 'generate.css', which when set to 1, will generate a > CSS stylesheet file. The name of the file is given by the existing > 'html.stylesheet' param. The generated stylesheet would contain selectors > for all class attributes in the HTML output, and any styles that are needed > to format the new clean version of an element. Most of the selectors would > be empty of styles, but would be available for further styling of the HTML > output. If 'generate.css' is zero, then it is up to the user to supply the > CSS file. By default, 'generate.css' should be zero so as to not overwrite > an existing CSS file. > > Once this mechanism is in place, we could gradually comb through the > existing XSL and gradually replace deprecated HTML coding with clean coding. > > So if you were just starting out, you could run the process with > 'generate.css' = 1 and 'make.strict.html' = 1 to generate a starting CSS > file. After you edit the CSS file, though, you would leave 'generate.css' = > 0 and just run with 'make.strict.html' = 1. > > Comments and suggestions? > > Bob Stayton > Sagehill Enterprises > [email protected] > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: [email protected] > For additional commands, e-mail: [email protected] > >
