XML Document Preferences

Document preferences instruct Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher how strict to be when processing XML and how to handle some optional functionality which may affect performance. Preference settings also make it easier to create and use XML dynamically without unnecessary overheads.

When creating an Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher template from scratch, the default settings for handling XML in a document do not support the most common usage. You may need to configure your own settings.

• Access the preferences.xml property set of the fTemplate object with JavaScript

• Make changes manually in the document preferences menu in Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher — Desktop product

The following preferences are available. Refer to Best Practices for a list of recommended settings:

• Preference: Save parser errors with document

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.saveXMLErrors boolean property

Ensures any parser errors generated in the xerror namespace when trying to parse an XML content stream are kept with the document

This preference only needs to be activated if you want to provide specific information about a problem in parsing, for example to PTC Support.

• Preference: Ignore missing <?xml...?> declaration

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.ignoreMissingXMLDecl boolean property

Instructs Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to build a DOM using the fStream.isXML property, even if the text stream it encounters does not include the XML declaration

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.ignoreUndefinedEntities boolean property

Allows Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to ignore the presence of undeclared entities in content so the DOM tree can be built

When Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher receives XML content it does not always have a DTD available. It also uses &...; delimited markers in content to apply styling. A lack of entity reference declaration can cause a problem with some parsers.

• Preference: Replace undefined entity references

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.replaceUndefinedEntities boolean property

Instructs Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to leave an entity reference in output, rather than replacing it with its text equivalent

When parsing and/or processing XML using XSLT, if an entity reference is not defined, an attempt to replace it with its text equivalent would insert nothing.

• Preference: Validate against internal DTD

Instructs Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to validate XML content when a DTD is referenced from the XML instance

Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher’s libXML library can validate against DTDs (not schemas), but by default it is not necessary. It is assumed that validation occurred during content creation. However, it can be helpful to validate when allowing content editing in a saved document.

• Preference: Expand XInclude elements

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.processXInclude boolean property

• Preference: Load external files

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.loadExternalFiles boolean property.

Instructs Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to use external files referenced from an XML instance, for example in entities, when parsing

• Preference: Create links to external files

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.createLinksToFiles boolean property

Instructs Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher to create a Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher tag that links to an external content file, if Load external files specifies that they should be used

• Preference: Strip whitespace nodes

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.stripWhitespaceNodes boolean property

Strips nodes that only contain whitespace from the resulting tree during parsing

• Preference: Add default attributes from DTD

FOM: fTemplate.preferences.xml.addDefaultAttributes boolean property

Ensures that attribute processing is aware of all attributes that should appear on an element

When parsing and validating against a DTD, Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher can add default attributes to the resulting DOM tree if they are specified in the DTD.

Some other document preferences govern XPath behavior particular to Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher:

• Allow APP variables — before JavaScript, Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher accessed XPath using show strings. Accessing variables in XPath in show strings was complex before this setting was provided.

• Allow APP node tests — activates/deactivatesArbortext Advanced Print Publisher’s node test extensions to XPath

• Add APP functions to global namespace and Add APP functions to x3b2 namespace — Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher provides a number of extension functions to standard XPath 1.0. These preferences are used to make the extensions available without using a namespace prefix before the function name.

In Arbortext Styler, the x3b2 namespace prefix is required for Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher XPath extension functions.

Refer to XPath in Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher for information on Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher’s XPath support.

The following XML document preference settings are recommended when setting up a native Arbortext Advanced Print Publisher template:

• Save parser errors with document / fTemplate.preferences.xml.saveXMLErrors — false

• Ignore missing XML <?xml...?> declaration / fTemplate.preferences.xml.ignoreMissingXMLDecl — true

• Ignore undefined entity references / fTemplate.preferences.xml.ignoreUndefinedEntities — true

• Replace undefined entity references / fTemplate.preferences.xml.replaceUndefinedEntities — false

• Validate against DTD / fTemplate.preferences.xml.validateXML — false

• Expand XInclude elements / fTemplate.preferences.xml.processXInclude — false

• Load external files / fTemplate.preferences.xml.loadExternalFiles — false

• Create links to external files / fTemplate.preferences.xml.createLinksToFiles — false

• Strip whitespace nodes / fTemplate.preferences.xml.stripWhitespaceNodes — false

• Add default attributes from DTD / fTemplate.preferences.xml.addDefaultAttributes — false

• Allow APP variables — true

• Allow APP node tests — true

• Add APP functions to global namespace and Add APP functions to x3b2 namespace — true