python-htmlgen 2.2.2-12.3 / usr / share / doc / python-htmlgen / data / document-txt.html

<h3>Document Hierarchy</h3>

    <P>HTMLgen defines a class hierarchy supporting
    several types of documents. A BasicDocument class provides a base
    class which all the other classes inherit from. A SimpleDocument
    can be used for most general purpose HTML files (it replaces what
    used to be known as MinimalDocument). A SeriesDocument supports a
    standardized page layout and navigation features. This was
    formally known as the Document class. FramesetDocument is, as
    before, used as a container for Frames and sub-documents. Separate
    from this inheritance tree is a new TemplateDocument class.
      <img src="../image/docclass.jpg" width="400" height="200"
    align="center">

<h3>BasicDocument</h3>

    <P>The BasicDocument primarily provides the common HTML document
    features for the other classes, although it is not abstract and
    can be used directly. It supports attributes such as title and
    colors but does not support CSS. Likewise it does NOT support the
    use of a resource file to specify attributes. The non-keyword
    arguments are assumed to be objects to place in the document as it's
    initial contents.

<h3>SimpleDocument</h3>

    <P>The SimpleDocument class is used when you don't want or need
    the header and footer document structure of the SeriesDocument
    class, but still want the other features. It supports the resource
    file feature for things like specifying backgrounds, etc., and is
    particularly useful for CGI scripts and documents where the
    content is fully customized. This is the replacement name for the
    older MinimalDocument class from HTMLgen 1.2.

<h3>SeriesDocument</h3>

      <p>The SeriesDocument class supports a style of web page structure
      described in Patrick Lynch's excellent <a
      href="http://info.med.yale.edu/caim/StyleManual_Top.HTML"> Web
      Page Style Manual</a> at the Yale Center for Advanced
      Instructional Media. The specifics of this document style can be
      altered to taste by the use of parameters set in a resource
      file.  Any class attribute can be set in the resource
      file and applied across many generated web pages. This way a
      series of pages can be generated with a consistent look without
      opening up the module and subclassing with Python.

      <p><img src="../image/Doc_Layout.GIF" width="472" height="297">

      <P>The SeriesDocument framework also provides a mechanism for
      inserting navigation buttons in each document.  It's important
      to provide navigation links in each web page as people tend to
      book-mark pages they like or have come from a search engine. We
      don't want to provide a page that they can't climb out of. There
      are four slots for navigation buttons; previous page, next page,
      top of manual, and home page. If a URL isn't provided then that
      slot is made transparent with another gif file called "blank"
      which is the same width as a navigation button it replaces.

<h4>Usage</h4> 

      <p>The typical use is to instantiate a SeriesDocument object using a
      resource file and then taking Python objects, (strings, list,
      etc.)  and sending them to classes appropriate for their mark-up.
      These mark-up objects are then appended into the document object
      until you are finished with the page.  Then simply use the write
      method on the document object to send the generated HTML to a
      file. See the HTMLtest module for examples.

      <p>The nominal argument to the SeriesDocument class is a filename. This
      resource file contains simple Python assignments for attributes
      which configure the class instance. All the following attributes
      can be set this way:

<ul>
<li><var>base</var> = object of the Base class
<li><var>meta</var> = object of the Meta class
<li><var>logo</var> = ('filename', width, height)  All images
	  are specified with a tuple of string, int, int. If the size
	  of the graphic is unknown, use 0, 0.  This one is the little
	  graphic on the footer of each page.
<li><var>banner</var> = ('filename', width, height) Banner graphic at
	  the top of page.
<li><var>title</var> =  string to be used as the document title.
<li><var>subtitle</var> = string to be used as the document subtitle.
	  If non-nil, this string will be used for the doc title
	  instead of title.
<li><var>author</var> = String used in the copyright notice
<li><var>email</var> = Email address for feedback mailto: tag
<li><var>zone</var> = string used to label the time zone if datetime
	  is used. By default not used.
<li><var>bgcolor</var> = Color string (can use variables from
	  HTMLcolors.py)
<li><var>background</var> = string filename of a graphic used as the
	  doc background.
<li><var>textcolor</var> = Color string used for text.  (can use
	  variables from HTMLcolors.py)
<li><var>linkcolor</var> = Color string used for hyperlinked text. 
<li><var>vlinkcolor</var> = Color string used for visited hypertext.
<li><var>place_nav_buttons</var> = Flag to enable/disable the use of
	  navigation buttons. Default is on. Set to 0 to disable.
<li><var>blank</var> = Image tuple for the transparent spacer gif
<li><var>prev</var> = Image tuple for the Previous Page button
<li><var>next</var> = Image tuple for the Next Page button
<li><var>top</var> = Image tuple for the Top of Manual button
<li><var>home</var> = Image tuple for the site Home Page button
<li><var>goprev</var> = URL string for the prev button
<li><var>gonext</var> = URL string for the next button
<li><var>gotop </var> = URL string for the top button
<li><var>gohome</var> = URL string for the home button
<li><var>script</var> = a single or list of Script objects to be included in the HEAD
<li><var>onLoad</var> = Script, which is executed when the document is loaded
<li><var>onUnload</var> = Script, which is executed when the document is unloaded
</ul>

      <p>Of the above, the most likely to be placed into a resource
      file will be the logo, author, email, the colors and graphics
      buttons. The resource file is execfile'd so it should be a
      trusted file. See the .rc files in the distribution directory
      for examples.

<h3>FramesetDocument</h3>

      <P>FramesetDocument inherits from BasicDocument and is used as a
      container for Frameset objects only.  The FramesetDocument is an
      even more stripped down class used for containing Framesets
      only. In this case there is no BODY element at all.  <BR><img
      src="../image/note.gif" width="20" height="20" alt="N.B.">The
      arguments given to the constructor are Framesets, not a resource
      file.

<h3>TemplateDocument</h3>

      <p>The new TemplateDocument class supports the use of an initial
      HTML file as a template into which substitutions are made at run
      time. Symbols surrounded by curly braces {like_this} act as
      markers and are checked against a given mapping then
      substitutions are made for each value found.  This class is used
      when you have an intricate HTML document which would be
      inconvenient to synthesize with HTMLgen classes from scratch. A
      WYSIWYG web page tool can then be used to write these template
      pages and just place the named symbols in the doc and just
      construct the substitution mapping at run time. This approach is
      fast and efficient but requires Python 1.5 or newer.