Glossary

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bookbuild

The process of converting a book from FrameMaker files to SGML and HTML using SGI Professional Publisher tools. Sometimes called a “build.”

CGM

Computer Graphics Metafile image file format. An “infinite-resolution” image format, relying on shape descriptions rather than bitmaps.

chapter tabs

Pages used in a hard-copy book to mark the beginnings of chapters. Tabs often have shaded edges so that a reader can easily find them by looking at the edge of the book.

chunks

Small units of text, written so as to make sense without surrounding context. Text intended for online viewing should be chunked as much as possible, since there's no guarantee that a reader will have read any surrounding sections.

closing tag

The second tag in a pair of SGML tags. The corresponding opening tag stops applying to subsequent text after the closing tag.

composite figures

Figures in a FrameMaker file which consist of more than one image—either multiple imported image files in your book directory, or a combination of FrameMaker line art and one or more imported image files. Note that it's often best to create a composite image outside of FrameMaker—using IRIS ShowCase, for instance—and snap the result, in order to import only one file into a given frame in FrameMaker and thereby make color separations easier. However, it's legal to import multiple files into a single frame should you wish to do so.

DocBook DTD

A DTD designed for technical documentation. Used as a source or intermediate format within the SGI Book Publishing Tools.

DTD

Document Type Definition: a formal description of the allowable structure of a document. Specifies, for instance, what tags can follow what other tags.

entity

In SGML jargon, an entity is a named definition of a character, usually named with a cryptic-looking string like ““” (which indicates a left double quotation mark).

known error

An error during the bookbuild process with an obvious cause, recognized by the build tools.

MIF

Maker Interchange Format: an ASCII format for FrameMaker files which makes it easier to convert between FrameMaker's normal binary format and the formats of other systems and word processors.

opening tag

The first tag in a pair of SGML tags. An opening tag applies to all subsequent text up to the corresponding closing tag.

Part tabs

Pages used in a hard-copy book to mark the beginnings of multi-chapter sections of the book. Tabs often have shaded edges so that a reader can easily find them by looking at the edge of the book.

production editor

The person who handles production for a book—can include anything from incorporating an online book into a software product, to checking a hard-copy book's pagination, to doing color separations for figures.

SGIDOC DTD

One of the DTDs used by SGI.

SGIDOCBK DTD

One of the DTDs used by SGI.

SGML

Standard Generalized Markup Language: a standardized format for describing structured documents in terms of their nested structures.

short name

Another name for the short title of a book.

short title

An abbreviated form of the title of an online book. Appears as an icon label when the book window is iconified. Also called a “short name.”

unknown error

An error during the bookbuild process with a non-obvious cause, not recognized by the build tools.

XML

Extensible Markup Language: a subset of SGML designed as a simplified format for structured documents.