Displaying XML Content: A Conceptual Introduction to XSL-FO

(2-hr introductory seminar)

XSL-FO (Extensible Stylesheet Language – Formatting Objects) is a specification for formatting XML documents. Publishers are using XSL-FO to go directly from XML into PDF or PostScript, to format XML for print or web display.

This seminar introduces XSL-FO: what is is, how it works, and what it is capable of producing (and what it can’t!). Using a stylesheet-in-development, we illustrate:

• What XSL-FO is
• Where and how it can be used
• Logical components of an XSL-FO formatting system
• The basic vocabulary of XSL-FO: blocks, wrappers, CSS-like attributes, and pages
• How we are using XSL-FO
• Why isn’t everyone using XSL-FO?

Prerequisites: This seminar is designed for people who are or will be involved in XML publishing.