🚀 go-pugleaf

/ hpcupt3:comp.text.sgml / jem@hpcupt3.cup.hp.com (Jim McCauley) / 10:19 am  Aug 17, 1992 /
I have used more markup systems than I care to remember over my years
of technical writing, and I feel that one part of my job has never
been reasonably supported by any system: table preparation.

My view of tables has gone through many changes, but basically, I feel
that a table is a database for the eyes.  I have often wondered if it
might be worthwhile to create a markup subsystem for tables that is in
fact a database application.

Every tech writer with any degree of experience has faced the
regrettable task of reformatting tables to modify the sequence or
style of presentation.  Usually, the only tool for use is a text
editor.  While one can go a long way with string-manipulation macros,
they are often more treacherous than useful.

I would like to see a table preparation and editing system that allows
row data to be entered on a form, cell by cell.  Each data row gets
one form.  For any cell entry, one would have the option of
duplicating any other cell in the row (for horizontal spanning) or
duplicating the contents the same cell on any other form (for vertical
spanning).

Once the data for the body of the table is in a database, it becomes a
fairly simple matter to reorder columns, sort on any desired column,
and so forth.  Also, editing row data on a database form would be far
less likely to result in errors than editing continuous text
interspersed with markup.  Perhaps the system might also be able to
"autosort" complex tables for the most convenient conjunctions of
vertically-spanned material.

Table heads would be defined separately.  The database could supply a
source of column heads simply by allowing a file of column descriptors
for manual editing.  The creative aspects of spanning in tableheads
might make this a task which cannot usefully be automated.

Has any such table-creation tool ever been developed?  Is SGML useful
in defining such a tool?

Jim McCauley, Learning Products Engineer    **   I do not speak for   **
(that means that I write documentation)     ** Hewlett-Packard in any **
jem@cup.hp.com                              **   official capacity.   **
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