DocBookPublishingTools

Tools for transforming DocBook documents into other formats.

DocBook-specific publishing tools

Publishing tools designed specifically for use with DocBook include:

• DBLaTeX (home page) transforms DocBook SGML/XML documents into PDF, PostScript, and DVI by translating first to LaTeX. It supports MathML 2.0 markup. From Benoît Guillon (and based originally on Db2LaTex), and very actively maintained. The KDE documentation team is now using it as their DocBook-to-PDF solution.

• DocBook2x, a set of Perl utilities for generating man pages and Texinfo files from DocBook documents; from Steve Cheng

• Db2LaTeX, XSL stylesheets for generating LaTeX code from a DocBook XML documents; originally by Ramon Casellas, now by James Devenish (but currently appears not be actively maintained and perhaps has been superceded by dblatex

• DocBook to LaTeX using Perl, This small utility aims to enable easy and quick conversion from DocBook-documents to valid, human readable LaTeX-markup. It does only support a very small subset of DocBook-DTD, but it's usable; from Jon Grov

• DocBook in ConTeXt, a system that uses the ConTeXt macro package for TeX to generate PDF and DVI output from DocBook documents; from Simon Pepping and MichaelWiedmann.

• GemDoc, a Microsoft Windows GUI for transforming DocBook SGML to PDF, PostScript, Html Help, Html, RTF, and Text. Easy install. Also can convert HTML directly to PDF, PostScript and Text. Many options for all formats! Free, fully functional beta release available - freeware and commercial versions to follow.

• Publican, a command-line tool written in Perl that transforms DocBook XML into HTML, PDF, EPUB, Eclipse help, and formatted plain text. Publican incorporates a PO-based translation mechanism, RPM packaging, and can create documentation websites. Available for Linux and Windows. From Red Hat.

• Also see DocBookToXhtml.

XSL publishing tools

Tools in the DocBookXslStylesheets toolchain include general-purpose XSLT engines and FO engines. Note that NormanWalsh has created a DocBookPublishingModelDiagram to illustrate the XML publishing model for DocBook. A smaller DocBookXsltPublishingModelDiagram illustrates XML publishing with XSLT only.

XSLT engines

Tools used mainly for generating HTML and FO files from XML source files.

• xsltproc, fast XSLT engine written in C (doesn't yet support DocBookXsltExtensions) (MS-Windows binaries)

• Saxon, XSLT engine written in Java (supports DocBookXsltExtensions)

• Xalan-Java is an XSLT engine written in Java, and is included with some other tools, for example as part of an XSLT plugin for jEdit.

• TransforMiiX, XSLT engine in Mozilla.

• Sablotron XSLT engine written in C

FO engines

Tools for generating PDF, Postscript, RTF, and WordML from FO files.

• RenderX XEP is a production-quality commercial FO-to-PDF/Postscript converter. It is Java-based (and so runs on any OS, including Linux and *BSD). They provide a free Personal Edition for "non-commercial use" (which includes publishing documentation for open-source projects]. It is fully featured, but places a small RenderX stamp and hyperlink at the bottom of each page.

• XMLMind FO Converter is a Java-based commercial product that converts XSL-FO to formats compatible with Microsoft Word -- specifically, to RTF and WordML. They provide a free Personal Edition which is limited only in that it does not provide API access and you are not permitted to use it in a server environment.

• Antenna House XSL Formatter is another production-quality commercial FO-to-PDF converter (also converts to WordML). It is C -based, with Linux, Windows, Mac, Solaris, HP-UX, and AIX binaries available. They provide an 90-day evaluation version that places a watermark background image on each page.

• xmlroff is a C-based FO-to-PDF converter which uses libxml2 and libxslt plus some other libs. It is not yet complete but is being actively developed.

• Arbortext Epic Editor has an FO-to-PDF/Postscript engine bundled in (some?) current (4.2 ) versions (commercial product)

• FOP is a Java-based open-source FO-to-PDF/Postscript converter. It is not complete and the current version has been end-of-lifed by its maintainers, who are now working on a complete rewrite.

• PassiveTeX is a TeX-based open-source FO-to-PDF engine. It is very incomplete and has not been actively maintained for several years.

• jfor was a Java-based open-source FO-to-RTF engine. The source code has been donated to the FOP project.

DSSSL publishing tools

Tools in the DocBookDssslStylesheets toolchain include:

• Jade/Openjade, DSSSL engine (for generating HTML output and other formats)

• JadeTex, TeX macros for formatting Jade/Openjade output into PDF, Postscript, other formats

Note that Jade/Openjade and Jadetex can be used with XML content as well as SGML content.

Note: When using DocBook with OpenJade, a significant performance optimization comes if you ensure that material that is to be presented in literal form is drawn in as file inclusions rather than having the material in literal form in the SGML file. Large sections of literallayout material can process stunningly slowly.

Convenience tools

DocBook Customization

DocBookCustomization. While not exactly publishing tools themselves, the following customizations are useful for generating specialized types of content:

• WebsiteDoctype, customization for creating websites

• SlidesDoctype, customization for creating slide presentations

General-purpose Web-based XML publishing systems

Systems for Web-server-based on-the-fly generation/delivery of HTML, PDF, etc. from XML source documents.

• Apache AxKit, mod_perl-based Web publishing system

• Apache Cocoon, Java-based Web publishing system. Read DocbookTransformation. e.g. http://www.xml-dev.com:8080/cocoon/mount/docbook/openjade.html

• Apache Forrest, Cocoon-based documentation publishing system. Watch for version 0.5 with DocBook support.

• bitflux Popoon, PHP-based Cocoon-like XML publishing system. Open Source from BitFlux (Zürich).

• Calenco, Java-based open Source Web publishing system. Has a RESTful interface allowing to upload modules (XML and images) and automatically generate output formats.

Other

• Adobe InDesign can be used to fine-tune the formatting of DocBook documents. See DocBookInDesign.