SiSU is a framework for document structuring, publishing (in multiple open standard formats) and search, comprising of: (a) a lightweight document structure and presentation markup syntax; and (b) an accompanying engine for generating standard document format outputs from documents prepared in sisu markup syntax, which is able to produce multiple standard outputs (including the population of sql databases) that (can) share a common numbering system for the citation of text within a document.
SiSU is developed under an open source, software libre license (GPL3). Its use case for development is to cope with medium to large document sets with evolving markup related technologies, which should be prepared once, and for which you want multiple output formats that can be updated and a common mechanism for cross-output-format citation, and search.
SiSU both defines a markup syntax and provides an engine that produces open standards format outputs from documents prepared with SiSU markup. From a single lightly prepared document sisu custom builds several standard output formats which share a common (text object) numbering system for citation of content within a document (that also has implications for search). The sisu engine works with an abstraction of the document's structure and content from which it is possible to generate different forms of representation of the document. Significantly SiSU markup is more sparse than html and outputs which include html, LaTeX, landscape and portrait pdfs, Open Document Format (ODF), all of which can be added to and updated. SiSU is also able to populate SQL type databases at an object level, which means that searches can be made with that degree of granularity.
Source document preparation and output generation is a two step process: (i) document source is prepared, that is, marked up in sisu markup syntax and (ii) the desired output subsequently generated by running the sisu engine against document source. Output representations if updated (in the sisu engine) can be generated by re-running the engine against the prepared source. Using SiSU markup applied to a document, SiSU custom builds (to take advantage of the strengths of different ways of representing documents) various standard open output formats including plain text, HTML, XHTML, XML, OpenDocument, LaTeX or PDF files, and populate an SQL database with objects 1 (equating generally to paragraph-sized chunks) so searches may be performed and matches returned with that degree of granularity ( e.g. your search criteria is met by these documents and at these locations within each document). Document output formats share a common object numbering system for locating content. This is particularly suitable for "published" works (finalized texts as opposed to works that are frequently changed or updated) for which it provides a fixed means of reference of content.
In preparing a SiSU document you optionally provide semantic information related to the document in a document header, and in marking up the substantive text provide information on the structure of the document, primarily indicating heading levels and footnotes. You also provide information on basic text attributes where used. The rest is automatic, sisu from this information custom builds 2 the different forms of output requested.
SiSU works with an abstraction of the document based on its structure which is comprised of its structure (or frame) 3 and the objects 4 it contains, which enables SiSU to represent the document in many different ways, and to take advantage of the strengths of different ways of presenting documents. The objects are numbered, and these numbers can be used to provide a common base for citing material within a document across the different output format types. This is significant as page numbers are not well suited to the digital age, in web publishing, changing a browser's default font or using a different browser means that text appears on different pages; and in publishing in different formats, html, landscape and portrait pdf etc. again page numbers are of no use to cite text in a manner that is relevant against the different output types. Dealing with documents at an object level together with object numbering also has implications for search.
One of the challenges of maintaining documents is to keep them in a format that would allow users to use them without depending on a proprietary software popular at the time. Consider the ease of dealing with legacy proprietary formats today and what guarantee you have that old proprietary formats will remain (or can be read without proprietary software/equipment) in 15 years time, or the way the way in which html has evolved over its relatively short span of existence. SiSU provides the flexibility of outputing documents in multiple non-proprietary open formats including html, pdf 5 and the ISO standard ODF. 6 Whilst SiSU relies on software, the markup is uncomplicated and minimalistic which guarantees that future engines can be written to run against it. It is also easily converted to other formats, which means documents prepared in SiSU can be migrated to other document formats. Further security is provided by the fact that the software itself, SiSU is available under GPL3 a licence that guarantees that the source code will always be open, and free as in libre which means that that code base can be used, updated and further developed as required under the terms of its license. Another challenge is to keep up with a moving target. SiSU permits new forms of output to be added as they become important, (Open Document Format text was added in 2006 when it became an ISO standard for office applications and the archival of documents), and existing output to be updated (html has evolved and the related module has been updated repeatedly over the years, presumably when the World Wide Web Consortium (w3c) finalises html 5 which is currently under development, the html module will again be updated allowing all existing documents to be regenerated as html 5).
The document formats are written to the file-system and available for indexing by independent indexing tools, whether off the web like Google and Yahoo or on the site like Lucene and Hyperestraier.
SiSU also provides other features such as concordance files and document content certificates, and the working against an abstraction of document structure has further possibilities for the research and development of other document representations, the availability of objects is useful for example for topic maps and the commercial law thesaurus by Vikki Rogers and Al Krtizer, together with the flexibility of SiSU offers great possibilities.
SiSU is primarily for published works, which can take advantage of the citation system to reliably reference its documents. SiSU works well in a complementary manner with such collaborative technologies as Wikis, which can take advantage of and be used to discuss the substance of content prepared in SiSU.
SiSU markup is fairly minimalistic, it consists of: a (largely optional) document header, made up of information about the document (such as when it was published, who authored it, and granting what rights) and any processing instructions; and markup within the substantive text of the document, which is related to document structure and typeface. SiSU must be able to discern the structure of a document, (text headings and their levels in relation to each other), either from information provided in the document header or from markup within the text (or from a combination of both). Processing is done against an abstraction of the document comprising of information on the document's structure and its objects,[2] which the program serializes (providing the object numbers) and which are assigned hash sum values based on their content. This abstraction of information about document structure, objects, (and hash sums), provides considerable flexibility in representing documents different ways and for different purposes (e.g. search, document layout, publishing, content certification, concordance etc.), and makes it possible to take advantage of some of the strengths of established ways of representing documents, (or indeed to create new ones).
3. Summary of features
sparse/minimal markup (clean utf-8 source texts). Documents are prepared in a single UTF-8 file using a minimalistic mnemonic syntax. Typical literature, documents like "War and Peace" require almost no markup, and most of the headers are optional.
markup is easily readable/parsable by the human eye, (basic markup is simpler and more sparse than the most basic HTML), [this may also be converted to XML representations of the same input/source document].
markup defines document structure (this may be done once in a header pattern-match description, or for heading levels individually); basic text attributes (bold, italics, underscore, strike-through etc.) as required; and semantic information related to the document (header information, extended beyond the Dublin core and easily further extended as required); the headers may also contain processing instructions. SiSU markup is primarily an abstraction of document structure and document metadata to permit taking advantage of the basic strengths of existing alternative practical standard ways of representing documents [be that browser viewing, paper publication, sql search etc.] (html, xml, odf, latex, pdf, sql)
for output produces reasonably elegant output of established industry and institutionally accepted open standard formats.[3] takes advantage of the different strengths of various standard formats for representing documents, amongst the output formats currently supported are:
html - both as a single scrollable text and a segmented document
xhtml
XML - both in sax and dom style xml structures for further development as required
ODF - open document format, the iso standard for document storage
LaTeX - used to generate pdf
pdf (via LaTeX)
sql - population of an sql database, (at the same object level that is used to cite text within a document)
Also produces: concordance files; document content certificates (md5 or sha256 digests of headings, paragraphs, images etc.) and html manifests (and sitemaps of content). (b) takes advantage of the strengths implicit in these very different output types, (e.g. PDFs produced using typesetting of LaTeX, databases populated with documents at an individual object/paragraph level, making possible granular search (and related possibilities))
ensuring content can be cited in a meaningful way regardless of selected output format. Online publishing (and publishing in multiple document formats) lacks a useful way of citing text internally within documents (important to academics generally and to lawyers) as page numbers are meaningless across browsers and formats. sisu seeks to provide a common way of pinpoint the text within a document, (which can be utilized for citation and by search engines). The outputs share a common numbering system that is meaningful (to man and machine) across all digital outputs whether paper, screen, or database oriented, (pdf, HTML, xml, sqlite, postgresql), this numbering system can be used to reference content.
Granular search within documents. SQL databases are populated at an object level (roughly headings, paragraphs, verse, tables) and become searchable with that degree of granularity, the output information provides the object/paragraph numbers which are relevant across all generated outputs; it is also possible to look at just the matching paragraphs of the documents in the database; [output indexing also work well with search indexing tools like hyperestraier].
long term maintainability of document collections in a world of changing formats, having a very sparsely marked-up source document base. there is a considerable degree of future-proofing, output representations are "upgradeable", and new document formats may be added. e.g. addition of odf (open document text) module in 2006 and in future html5 output sometime in future, without modification of existing prepared texts
SQL search aside, documents are generated as required and static once generated.
documents produced are static files, and may be batch processed, this needs to be done only once but may be repeated for various reasons as desired (updated content, addition of new output formats, updated technology document presentations/representations)
document source (plaintext utf-8) if shared on the net may be used as input and processed locally to produce the different document outputs
document source may be bundled together (automatically) with associated documents (multiple language versions or master document with inclusions) and images and sent as a zip file called a sisupod, if shared on the net these too may be processed locally to produce the desired document outputs
generated document outputs may automatically be posted to remote sites.
for basic document generation, the only software dependency is Ruby, and a few standard Unix tools (this covers plaintext, HTML, XML, ODF, LaTeX). To use a database you of course need that, and to convert the LaTeX generated to pdf, a latex processor like tetex or texlive.
as a developers tool it is flexible and extensible
Syntax highlighting for SiSU markup is available for a number of text editors.
SiSU is less about document layout than about finding a way with little markup to be able to construct an abstract representation of a document that makes it possible to produce multiple representations of it which may be rather different from each other and used for different purposes, whether layout and publishing, or search of content
i.e. to be able to take advantage from this minimal preparation starting point of some of the strengths of rather different established ways of representing documents for different purposes, whether for search (relational database, or indexed flat files generated for that purpose whether of complete documents, or say of files made up of objects), online viewing (e.g. html, xml, pdf), or paper publication (e.g. pdf)...
the solution arrived at is by extracting structural information about the document (about headings within the document) and by tracking objects (which are serialized and also given hash values) in the manner described. It makes possible representations that are quite different from those offered at present. For example objects could be saved individually and identified by their hashes, with an index of how the objects relate to each other to form a document.
4. Help
4.1 SiSU Manual
The most up to date information on sisu should be contained in the sisu_manual, available at:
If SiSU is installed on your system usual man commands should be available, try:
man sisu
man sisu_markup
man sisu_commands
Most SiSU man pages are generated directly from sisu documents that are used to prepare the sisu manual, the sources files for which are located within the SiSU tarball at:
./data/doc/sisu/sisu_manual/
Once installed, directory equivalent to:
/usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_manual/
Available man pages are converted back to html using man2html:
/usr/share/doc/sisu/html/
./data/doc/sisu/html/
An online version of the sisu man page is available here:
This is particularly useful for getting the current sisu setup/environment information:
sisu --help
sisu --help [subject]
sisu --help commands
sisu --help markup
sisu --help env [for feedback on the way your system is setup with regard to sisu]
sisu -V [environment information, same as above command]
sisu (on its own provides version and some help information)
Apart from real-time information on your current configuration the SiSU manual and man pages are likely to contain more up-to-date information than the sisu interactive help (for example on commands and markup).
NOTE: Running the command sisu (alone without any flags, filenames or wildcards) brings up the interactive help, as does any sisu command that is not recognised. Enter to escape.
SiSU - Structured information, Serialized Units - a document publishing system
sisu [ -abcDdFHhIiMmNnopqRrSsTtUuVvwXxYyZz0-9 ] [ filename/ wildcard ]
sisu [ -Ddcv ] [ instruction ]
sisu [ -CcFLSVvW ]
Note: commands should be issued from within the directory that contains the marked up files, cd to markup directory.
5.2 Description
SiSUSiSU is a document publishing system, that from a simple single marked-up document, produces multiple of output formats including: plaintext, html, LaTeX, pdf, xhtml, XML, info, and SQL (PostgreSQL and SQLite), which share numbered text objects ("object citation numbering") and the same document structure information. For more see: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
5.3 Document Processing Command Flags
-a [filename/wildcard] produces plaintext with Unix linefeeds and without markup, (object numbers are omitted), has footnotes at end of each paragraph that contains them [ -A for equivalent dos (linefeed) output file] [see -e for endnotes]. (Options include: --endnotes for endnotes --footnotes for footnotes at the end of each paragraph --unix for unix linefeed (default) --msdos for msdos linefeed)
-b [filename/wildcard] produces xhtml/XML output for browser viewing (sax parsing).
-C [--init-site] configure/initialise shared output directory files initialize shared output directory (config files such as css and dtd files are not updated if they already exist unless modifier is used). -C --init-site configure/initialise site more extensive than -C on its own, shared output directory files/force update, existing shared output config files such as css and dtd files are updated if this modifier is used.
-CC configure/initialise shared output directory files initialize shared output directory (config files such as css and dtd files are not updated if they already exist unless modifier is used). The equivalent of: -C --init-site configure/initialise site, more extensive than -C on its own, shared output directory files/force update, existing shared output config files such as css and dtd files are updated if -CC is used.
-c [filename/wildcard] screen toggle ansi screen colour on or off depending on default set (unless -c flag is used: if sisurc colour default is set to 'true', output to screen will be with colour, if sisurc colour default is set to 'false' or is undefined screen output will be without colour).
-D [instruction] [filename] database postgresql ( --pgsql may be used instead) possible instructions, include: --createdb; --create; --dropall; --import [filename]; --update [filename]; --remove [filename]; see database section below.
-d [--db-[database type (sqlite|pg)]] --[instruction] [filename] database type default set to sqlite, (for which --sqlite may be used instead) or to specify another database --db-[pgsql, sqlite] (however see -D) possible instructions include: --createdb; --create; --dropall; --import [filename]; --update [filename]; --remove [filename]; see database section below.
-F [--webserv=webrick] generate examples of (naive) cgi search form for sqlite and pgsql depends on your already having used sisu to populate an sqlite and/or pgsql database, (the sqlite version scans the output directories for existing sisu_sqlite databases, so it is first necessary to create them, before generating the search form) see -d -D and the database section below. If the optional parameter --webserv=webrick is passed, the cgi examples created will be set up to use the default port set for use by the webrick server, (otherwise the port is left blank and the system setting used, usually 80). The samples are dumped in the present work directory which must be writable, (with screen instructions given that they be copied to the cgi-bin directory). -Fv (in addition to the above) provides some information on setting up hyperestraier for sisu
-H [filename/wildcard] produces html without link suffixes (.html .pdf etc.) ("Hide"). Requires an appropriately configured web server. [behaviour switched after 0.35 see -h].
-h [filename/wildcard] produces html (with hardlinks i.e. with name suffixes in links/local urls). html, with internal document links that include the document suffix, i.e. whether it is .html or .pdf (required for browsing directly off a file system, and works with most web servers). [behaviour switched after 0.35 see -H].
-I [filename/wildcard] produces texinfo and info file, (view with pinfo).
-i [filename/wildcard] produces man page of file, not suitable for all outputs.
-L prints license information.
-M [filename/wildcard/url] maintenance mode files created for processing preserved and their locations indicated. (also see -V)
-m [filename/wildcard/url] assumed for most other flags, creates new meta-markup file, (the metaverse ) that is used in all subsequent processing of other output. This step is assumed for most processing flags. To skip it see -n
-N [filename/wildcard/url] document digest or document content certificate ( DCC ) as md5 digest tree of the document: the digest for the document, and digests for each object contained within the document (together with information on software versions that produced it) (digest.txt). -NV for verbose digest output to screen.
-n [filename/wildcard/url] skip meta-markup (building of "metaverse"), this skips the equivalent of -m which is otherwise assumed by most processing flags.
-o [filename/wildcard/url] output basic document in opendocument file format (opendocument.odt).
-p [filename/wildcard] produces LaTeX pdf (portrait.pdf & landscape.pdf). Default paper size is set in config file, or document header, or provided with additional command line parameter, e.g. --papersize-a4 preset sizes include: 'A4', U.S. 'letter' and 'legal' and book sizes 'A5' and 'B5' (system defaults to A4).
-q [filename/wildcard] quiet less output to screen.
-R [filename/wildcard] copies sisu output files to remote host using rsync. This requires that sisurc.yml has been provided with information on hostname and username, and that you have your "keys" and ssh agent in place. Note the behavior of rsync different if -R is used with other flags from if used alone. Alone the rsync --delete parameter is sent, useful for cleaning the remote directory (when -R is used together with other flags, it is not). Also see -r
-r [filename/wildcard] copies sisu output files to remote host using scp. This requires that sisurc.yml has been provided with information on hostname and username, and that you have your "keys" and ssh agent in place. Also see -R
-S produces a sisupod a zipped sisu directory of markup files including sisu markup source files and the directories local configuration file, images and skins. Note: this only includes the configuration files or skins contained in ./_sisu not those in ~/.sisu -S [filename/wildcard] option. Note: (this option is tested only with zsh).
-S [filename/wildcard] produces a zipped file of the prepared document specified along with associated images, by default named sisupod.zip they may alternatively be named with the filename extension .ssp This provides a quick way of gathering the relevant parts of a sisu document which can then for example be emailed. A sisupod includes sisu markup source file, (along with associated documents if a master file, or available in multilingual versions), together with related images and skin. SiSU commands can be run directly against a sisupod contained in a local directory, or provided as a url on a remote site. As there is a security issue with skins provided by other users, they are not applied unless the flag --trust or --trusted is added to the command instruction, it is recommended that file that are not your own are treated as untrusted. The directory structure of the unzipped file is understood by sisu, and sisu commands can be run within it. Note: if you wish to send multiple files, it quickly becomes more space efficient to zip the sisu markup directory, rather than the individual files for sending). See the -S option without [filename/wildcard].
-s [filename/wildcard] copies sisu markup file to output directory.
-t [filename/wildcard (*.termsheet.rb)] standard form document builder, preprocessing feature
-U [filename/wildcard] prints url output list/map for the available processing flags options and resulting files that could be requested, (can be used to get a list of processing options in relation to a file, together with information on the output that would be produced), -u provides url output mapping for those flags requested for processing. The default assumes sisu_webrick is running and provides webrick url mappings where appropriate, but these can be switched to file system paths in sisurc.yml
-u [filename/wildcard] provides url mapping of output files for the flags requested for processing, also see -U
-V on its own, provides SiSU version and environment information (sisu --help env)
-V [filename/wildcard] even more verbose than the -v flag. (also see -M)
-v on its own, provides SiSU version information
-v [filename/wildcard] provides verbose output of what is being built, where it is being built (and error messages if any), as with -u flag provides a url mapping of files created for each of the processing flag requests. See also -V
-W starts ruby's webrick webserver points at sisu output directories, the default port is set to 8081 and can be changed in the resource configuration files. [tip: the webrick server requires link suffixes, so html output should be created using the -h option rather than -H; also, note -F webrick ].
-w [filename/wildcard] produces concordance (wordmap) a rudimentary index of all the words in a document. (Concordance files are not generated for documents of over 260,000 words unless this limit is increased in the file sisurc.yml)
-X [filename/wildcard] produces XML output with deep document structure, in the nature of dom.
-x [filename/wildcard] produces XML output shallow structure (sax parsing).
-Y [filename/wildcard] produces a short sitemap entry for the document, based on html output and the sisu_manifest. --sitemaps generates/updates the sitemap index of existing sitemaps. (Experimental, [g,y,m announcement this week])
-y [filename/wildcard] produces an html summary of output generated (hyperlinked to content) and document specific metadata (sisu_manifest.html). This step is assumed for most processing flags.
-Z [filename/wildcard] Zap, if used with other processing flags deletes output files of the type about to be processed, prior to processing. If -Z is used as the lone processing related flag (or in conjunction with a combination of -[mMvVq]), will remove the related document output directory.
-z [filename/wildcard] produces php (zend) [this feature is disabled for the time being]
6. command line modifiers
--no-ocn [with -h -H or -p] switches off object citation numbering. Produce output without identifying numbers in margins of html or LaTeX/pdf output.
--no-annotate strips output text of editor endnotes *1 denoted by asterisk or dagger/plus sign
--no-asterisk strips output text of editor endnotes *2 denoted by asterisk sign
--no-dagger strips output text of editor endnotes +1 denoted by dagger/plus sign
7. database commands
dbi - database interface
-D or --pgsql set for postgresql -d or --sqlite default set for sqlite -d is modifiable with --db=[database type (pgsql or sqlite)]
-Dv --createall initial step, creates required relations (tables, indexes) in existing postgresql database (a database should be created manually and given the same name as working directory, as requested) (rb.dbi) [ -dv --createall sqlite equivalent] it may be necessary to run sisu -Dv --createdb initially NOTE: at the present time for postgresql it may be necessary to manually create the database. The command would be 'createdb [database name]' where database name would be SiSU_[present working directory name (without path)]. Please use only alphanumerics and underscores.
-Dv --import [filename/wildcard] imports data specified to postgresql db (rb.dbi) [ -dv --import sqlite equivalent]
-Dv --update [filename/wildcard] updates/imports specified data to postgresql db (rb.dbi) [ -dv --update sqlite equivalent]
-D --remove [filename/wildcard] removes specified data to postgresql db (rb.dbi) [ -d --remove sqlite equivalent]
-D --dropall kills data" and drops (postgresql or sqlite) db, tables & indexes [ -d --dropall sqlite equivalent]
The v in e.g. -Dv is for verbose output.
8. Shortcuts, Shorthand for multiple flags
--update [filename/wildcard] Checks existing file output and runs the flags required to update this output. This means that if only html and pdf output was requested on previous runs, only the -hp files will be applied, and only these will be generated this time, together with the summary. This can be very convenient, if you offer different outputs of different files, and just want to do the same again.
-0 to -5 [filename or wildcard] Default shorthand mappings (note that the defaults can be changed/configured in the sisurc.yml file):
-0 -mNhwpAobxXyYv [this is the default action run when no options are give, i.e. on 'sisu [filename]']
-1 -mNHwpy
-2 -mNHwpaoy
-3 -mNhwpAobxXyY
-4 -mNhwpAobxXDyY --import
-5 -mNhwpAobxXDyY --update
add -v for verbose mode and -c for color, e.g. sisu -2vc [filename or wildcard]
consider -u for appended url info or -v for verbose output
8.1 Command Line with Flags - Batch Processing
In the data directory run sisu -mh filename or wildcard eg. "sisu -h cisg.sst" or "sisu -h *.{sst,ssm}" to produce html version of all documents.
Running sisu (alone without any flags, filenames or wildcards) brings up the interactive help, as does any sisu command that is not recognised. Enter to escape.
SiSU source documents are plaintext (UTF-8) 10 files
All paragraphs are separated by an empty line.
Markup is comprised of:
at the top of a document, the document header made up of semantic meta-data about the document and if desired additional processing instructions (such an instruction to automatically number headings from a particular level down)
followed by the prepared substantive text of which the most important single characteristic is the markup of different heading levels, which define the primary outline of the document structure. Markup of substantive text includes:
heading levels defines document structure
text basic attributes, italics, bold etc.
grouped text (objects), which are to be treated differently, such as code blocks or poems.
footnotes/endnotes
linked text and images
paragraph actions, such as indent, bulleted, numbered-lists, etc.
Some interactive help on markup is available, by typing sisu and selecting markup or sisu --help markup
There is of course this document, which provides a cursory overview of sisu markup and the respective output produced: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/sisu_markup/>
With SiSU installed sample skins may be found in: /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg (or equivalent directory) and if sisu-markup-samples is installed also under: /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/non-free
10. Markup of Headers
Headers consist of semantic meta-data about a document, which can be used by any output module of the program; and may in addition include extra processing instructions.
Note: the first line of a document may include information on the markup version used in the form of a comment. Comments are a percentage mark at the start of a paragraph (and as the first character in a line of text) followed by a space and the comment:
% this would be a comment
10.1 Sample Header
This current document has a header similar to this one (without the comments):
% SiSU 0.57
@title: SiSU
@subtitle: Markup
@creator: Ralph Amissah
@rights: Copyright (C) Ralph Amissah 2007, part of SiSU documentation, License GPL 3
% comment: in this @level header num_top=1 starts automatic heading numbering at heading level 1 (numbering continues 3 levels down); the new and break instructions are used by the LaTeX/pdf and odf output to determine where to put page breaks (that are not used by html output or say sql database population).
@skin: skin_sisu_manual
% skins modify the appearance of a document and are placed in a sub-directory under ./_sisu/skin ~/.sisu/skin or /etc/sisu/skin. A skin may affect single documents that request them, all documents in a directory, or be site-wide. (A document is affected by a single skin)
@bold: /Gnu|Debian|Ruby|SiSU/
@links: { SiSU Manual }http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/sisu_manual/
{ Book Samples and Markup Examples }http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/SiSU/examples.html
{ SiSU @ Wikipedia }http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SiSU
{ SiSU @ Freshmeat }http://freshmeat.net/projects/sisu/
{ SiSU @ Ruby Application Archive }http://raa.ruby-lang.org/project/sisu/
{ SiSU @ Debian }http://packages.qa.debian.org/s/sisu.html
{ SiSU Download }http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/SiSU/download.html
{ SiSU Changelog }http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/SiSU/changelog.html
10.2 Available Headers
Header tags appear at the beginning of a document and provide meta information on the document (such as the Dublin Core), or information as to how the document as a whole is to be processed. All header instructions take either the form @headername: or 0~headername. All Dublin Core meta tags are available
@indentifier: information or instructions
where the "identifier" is a tag recognised by the program, and the "information" or "instructions" belong to the tag/indentifier specified
Note: a header where used should only be used once; all headers apart from @title: are optional; the @structure: header is used to describe document structure, and can be useful to know.
This is a sample header
% SiSU 0.38 [declared file-type identifier with markup version]
@title: [title text] This is the title of the document and used as such, this header is the only one that is mandatory
@subtitle: The Subtitle if any
@creator: [or @author:] Name of Author
@subject: (whatever your subject)
@description:
@publisher:
@contributor:
@translator: [or @translated_by:]
@illustrator: [or @illustrated_by:]
@prepared_by: [or @digitized_by:]
@date: 2000-08-27 [ also @date.created: @date.issued: @date.available: @date.valid: @date.modified: ]
@type: article
@format:
@identifier:
@source:
@language: [or @language.document:] [country code for language if available, or language, English, en is the default setting] (en - English, fr - French, de - German, it - Italian, es - Spanish, pt - Portuguese, sv - Swedish, da - Danish, fi - Finnish, no - Norwegian, is - Icelandic, nl - Dutch, et - Estonian, hu - Hungarian, pl - Polish, ro - Romanian, ru - Russian, el - Greek, uk - Ukranian, tr - Turkish, sk - Slovak, sl - Slovenian, hr - Croatian, cs - Czech, bg - Bul garian ) [however, encodings are not available for all of the languages listed.]
[@language.original: original language in which the work was published]
@rights: Copyright (c) Name of Right Holder, all rights reserved, or as granted: public domain, copyleft, creative commons variant, etc.
@owner:
@keywords: text document generation processing management latex pdf structured xml citation [your keywords here, used for example by rss feeds, and in sql searches]
@abstract: [paper abstract, placed after table of contents]
@comment: [...]
@catalogue: loc=[Library of Congress classification]; dewey=[Dewey classification]; isbn=[ISBN]; pg=[Project Gutenberg text number]
@classify_loc: [Library of Congress classification]
@classify_dewey: [Dewey classification]
@classify_isbn: [ISBN]
@classify_pg: [Project Gutenberg text number]
@prefix: [prefix is placed just after table of contents]
@prefix_a: [prefix is placed just before table of contents - not implemented]
@prefix_b:
@rcs: $Id: sisu_markup.sst,v 1.1 2008/12/11 02:50:34 ralph Exp ralph $ [used by rcs or cvs to embed version (revision control) information into document, rcs or cvs can usefully provide a history of updates to a document ]
@structure: PART; CHAPTER; SECTION; ARTICLE; none; none; optional, document structure can be defined by words to match or regular expression (the regular expression is assumed to start at the beginning of a line of text i.e. ^) default markers :A~ to :C~ and 1~ to 6~ can be used within text instead, without this header tag, and may be used to supplement the instructions provided in this header tag if provided (@structure: is a synonym for @toc:)
@level: newpage=3; breakpage=4 [paragraph level, used by latex to breakpages, the page is optional eg. in newpage]
@markup: information on the markup used, e.g. new=1,2,3; break=4; num_top=4 [or newpage=1,2,3; breakpage=4; num_top=4] newpage and breakpage, heading level, used by LaTeX to breakpages. breakpage: starts on a new page in single column text and on a new column in double column text; newpage: starts on a new page for both single and double column texts. num_top=4 [auto-number document, starting at level 4. the default is to provide 3 levels, as in 1 level 4, 1.1 level 5, 1.1.1 level 6, markup to be merged within level] num_extract [take numbering of headings provided (manually in marked up source document), and use for numbering of segments. Available where a clear numbering structure is provided within document, without the repetition of a number in a header.] [In 0.38 notation, you would map to the equivalent levels, the examples provided would map to the following new=A,B,C; break=1; num_top=1 [or newpage=A,B,C; breakpage=1; num_top=1] see headings]
@bold: [regular expression of words/phrases to be made bold]
@italics: [regular expression of words/phrases to italicise]
@vocabulary: name of taxonomy/vocabulary/wordlist to use against document
@skin: skin_doc_[name_of_desired_document_skin] skins change default settings related to the appearance of documents generated, such as the urls of the home site, and the icon/logo for the document or site.
@links: { SiSU }http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/; { FSF }http://www.fsf.org
@promo: sisu, ruby, search_libre_docs, open_society [places content in right pane in html, makes use of list.yml and promo.yml, commented out sample in document sample: free_as_in_freedom.richard_stallman_crusade_for_free_software.sam_williams.sst]
11. Markup of Substantive Text
11.1 Heading Levels
Heading levels are :A~ ,:B~ ,:C~ ,1~ ,2~ ,3~ ... :A - :C being part / section headings, followed by other heading levels, and 1 -6 being headings followed by substantive text or sub-headings. :A~ usually the title :A~? conditional level 1 heading (used where a stand-alone document may be imported into another)
:A~ [heading text] Top level heading [this usually has similar content to the title @title: ] NOTE: the heading levels described here are in 0.38 notation, see heading
:B~ [heading text] Second level heading [this is a heading level divider]
:C~ [heading text] Third level heading [this is a heading level divider]
1~ [heading text] Top level heading preceding substantive text of document or sub-heading 2, the heading level that would normally be marked 1. or 2. or 3. etc. in a document, and the level on which sisu by default would break html output into named segments, names are provided automatically if none are given (a number), otherwise takes the form 1~my_filename_for_this_segment
2~ [heading text] Second level heading preceding substantive text of document or sub-heading 3, the heading level that would normally be marked 1.1 or 1.2 or 1.3 or 2.1 etc. in a document.
3~ [heading text] Third level heading preceding substantive text of document, that would normally be marked 1.1.1 or 1.1.2 or 1.2.1 or 2.1.1 etc. in a document
1~filename level 1 heading,
% the primary division such as Chapter that is followed by substantive text, and may be further subdivided (this is the level on which by default html segments are made)
11.2 Font Attributes
markup example:
normal text !{emphasis}! *{bold text}* _{underscore}_ /{italics}/ "{citation}" ^{superscript}^ ,{subscript}, +{inserted text}+
normal text
!{emphasis}!
*{bold text}*
_{underscore}_
/{italics}/
"{citation}"
^{superscript}^
,{subscript},
+{inserted text}+
-{strikethrough}-
resulting output:
normal text emphasisbold textunderscoreitalics citation superscriptsubscript inserted text strikethrough
normal text
emphasis
bold text
underscore
italics
citation
superscript
subscript
inserted text
strikethrough
11.3 Indentation and bullets
markup example:
ordinary paragraph
_1 indent paragraph one step
_2 indent paragraph two steps
_9 indent paragraph nine steps
resulting output:
ordinary paragraph
indent paragraph one step
indent paragraph two steps
indent paragraph nine steps
markup example:
_* bullet text
_1* bullet text, first indent
_2* bullet text, two step indent
resulting output:
bullet text
bullet text, first indent
bullet text, two step indent
Numbered List (not to be confused with headings/titles, (document structure))
markup example:
# numbered list numbered list 1., 2., 3, etc.
_# numbered list numbered list indented a., b., c., d., etc.
11.4 Footnotes / Endnotes
Footnotes and endnotes not distinguished in markup. They are automatically numbered. Depending on the output file format (html, odf, pdf etc.), the document output selected will have either footnotes or endnotes.
Alternative endnote pair notation for footnotes/endnotes:
% note the endnote marker "~^"
normal text~^ continues
^~ endnote text following the paragraph in which the marker occurs
the standard and pair notation cannot be mixed in the same document
11.5 Links
11.5.1 Naked URLs within text, dealing with urls
urls are found within text and marked up automatically. A url within text is automatically hyperlinked to itself and by default decorated with angled braces, unless they are contained within a code block (in which case they are passed as normal text), or escaped by a preceding underscore (in which case the decoration is omitted).
% maps to: { [text to link] }http://url.org ~{ http://url.org }~
% which produces hyper-linked text within a document/paragraph, with an endnote providing the url for the text location used in the hyperlink
text marker *~name
note at a heading level the same is automatically achieved by providing names to headings 1, 2 and 3 i.e. 2~[name] and 3~[name] or in the case of auto-heading numbering, without further intervention.
11.6 Grouped Text
11.6.1 Tables
Tables may be prepared in two either of two forms
markup example:
table{ c3; 40; 30; 30;
This is a table
this would become column two of row one
column three of row one is here
And here begins another row
column two of row two
column three of row two, and so on
}table
resulting output:
This is a table
this would become column two of row one
column three of row one is here
And here begins another row
column two of row two
column three of row two, and so on
a second form may be easier to work with in cases where there is not much information in each column
!_ Table 3.1: Contributors to Wikipedia, January 2001 - June 2005
{table~h 24; 12; 12; 12; 12; 12; 12;}
|Jan. 2001|Jan. 2002|Jan. 2003|Jan. 2004|July 2004|June 2006
Contributors* | 10| 472| 2,188| 9,653| 25,011| 48,721
Active contributors** | 9| 212| 846| 3,228| 8,442| 16,945
Very active contributors*** | 0| 31| 190| 692| 1,639| 3,016
No. of English language articles| 25| 16,000| 101,000| 190,000| 320,000| 630,000
No. of articles, all languages | 25| 19,000| 138,000| 490,000| 862,000|1,600,000
\* Contributed at least ten times; \** at least 5 times in last month; \*\** more than 100 times in last month.
resulting output:
Table 3.1: Contributors to Wikipedia, January 2001 - June 2005
Jan. 2001
Jan. 2002
Jan. 2003
Jan. 2004
July 2004
June 2006
Contributors*
10
472
2,188
9,653
25,011
48,721
Active contributors**
9
212
846
3,228
8,442
16,945
Very active contributors***
0
31
190
692
1,639
3,016
No. of English language articles
25
16,000
101,000
190,000
320,000
630,000
No. of articles, all languages
25
19,000
138,000
490,000
862,000
1,600,000
* Contributed at least ten times; ** at least 5 times in last month; *** more than 100 times in last month.
11.6.2 Poem
basic markup:
poem{
Your poem here
}poem
Each verse in a poem is given a separate object number.
markup example:
poem{
`Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
"Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
YOU. --Come,
I'll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I've
nothing
to do."
Said the
mouse to the
cur, "Such
a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath."
"I'll be
judge, I'll
be jury,"
Said
cunning
old Fury:
"I'll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death."'
}poem
resulting output:
`Fury said to a mouse, That he met in the house, "Let us both go to law: I will prosecute YOU. --Come, I'll take no denial; We must have a trial: For really this morning I've nothing to do." Said the mouse to the cur, "Such a trial, dear Sir, With no jury or judge, would be wasting our breath." "I'll be judge, I'll be jury," Said cunning old Fury: "I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death."'
11.6.3 Group
basic markup:
group{
Your grouped text here
}group
A group is treated as an object and given a single object number.
markup example:
group{
`Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
"Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
YOU. --Come,
I'll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I've
nothing
to do."
Said the
mouse to the
cur, "Such
a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath."
"I'll be
judge, I'll
be jury,"
Said
cunning
old Fury:
"I'll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death."'
}group
resulting output:
`Fury said to a mouse, That he met in the house, "Let us both go to law: I will prosecute YOU. --Come, I'll take no denial; We must have a trial: For really this morning I've nothing to do." Said the mouse to the cur, "Such a trial, dear Sir, With no jury or judge, would be wasting our breath." "I'll be judge, I'll be jury," Said cunning old Fury: "I'll try the whole cause, and condemn you to death."'
11.6.4 Code
Code tags are used to escape regular sisu markup, and have been used extensively within this document to provide examples of SiSU markup. You cannot however use code tags to escape code tags. They are however used in the same way as group or poem tags.
A code-block is treated as an object and given a single object number. [an option to number each line of code may be considered at some later time]
use of code tags instead of poem compared, resulting output:
`Fury said to a
mouse, That he
met in the
house,
"Let us
both go to
law: I will
prosecute
YOU. --Come,
I'll take no
denial; We
must have a
trial: For
really this
morning I've
nothing
to do."
Said the
mouse to the
cur, "Such
a trial,
dear Sir,
With
no jury
or judge,
would be
wasting
our
breath."
"I'll be
judge, I'll
be jury,"
Said
cunning
old Fury:
"I'll
try the
whole
cause,
and
condemn
you
to
death."'
11.7 Book index
To make an index append to paragraph the book index term relates to it, using an equal sign and curly braces.
Currently two levels are provided, a main term and if needed a sub-term. Sub-terms are separated from the main term by a colon.
Paragraph containing main term and sub-term.
={Main term:sub-term}
The index syntax starts on a new line, but there should not be an empty line between paragraph and index markup.
The structure of the resulting index would be:
Main term, 1
sub-term, 1
Several terms may relate to a paragraph, they are separated by a semicolon. If the term refers to more than one paragraph, indicate the number of paragraphs.
Paragraph containing main term, second term and sub-term.
={first term; second term: sub-term}
The structure of the resulting index would be:
First term, 1,
Second term, 1,
sub-term, 1
If multiple sub-terms appear under one paragraph, they are separated under the main term heading from each other by a pipe symbol.
Paragraph containing main term, second term and sub-term.
={Main term:sub-term+1|second sub-term
A paragraph that continues discussion of the first sub-term
The plus one in the example provided indicates the first sub-term spans one additional paragraph. The logical structure of the resulting index would be:
Main term, 1,
sub-term, 1-3,
second sub-term, 1,
12. Composite documents markup
It is possible to build a document by creating a master document that requires other documents. The documents required may be complete documents that could be generated independently, or they could be markup snippets, prepared so as to be easily available to be placed within another text. If the calling document is a master document (built from other documents), it should be named with the suffix .ssm Within this document you would provide information on the other documents that should be included within the text. These may be other documents that would be processed in a regular way, or markup bits prepared only for inclusion within a master document .sst regular markup file, or .ssi (insert/information) A secondary file of the composite document is built prior to processing with the same prefix and the suffix ._sst
basic markup for importing a document into a master document
<< filename1.sst
<< filename2.ssi
The form described above should be relied on. Within the Vim editor it results in the text thus linked becoming hyperlinked to the document it is calling in which is convenient for editing. Alternative markup for importation of documents under consideration, and occasionally supported have been.
<< filename.ssi
<<{filename.ssi}
% using textlink alternatives
<< |filename.ssi|@|^|
Markup Syntax History
13. Notes related to Files-types and Markup Syntax
0.38 is substantially current, depreciated 0.16 supported, though file names were changed at 0.37
sisu --query=[sisu version [0.38] or 'history]
provides a short history of changes to SiSU markup
0.57 (2007w34/4) SiSU 0.57 is the same as 0.42 with the introduction of some a shortcut to use the headers @title and @creator in the first heading [expanded using the contents of the headers @title: and @author:]
:A~ @title by @author
0.52 (2007w14/6) declared document type identifier at start of text/document:
SiSU 0.52
or, backward compatible using the comment marker:
% SiSU 0.38
variations include 'SiSU (text|master|insert) [version]' and 'sisu-[version]'
0.42 (2006w27/4) * (asterisk) type endnotes, used e.g. in relation to author
SiSU 0.42 is the same as 0.38 with the introduction of some additional endnote types,
Introduces some variations on endnotes, in particular the use of the asterisk
~{* for example for describing an author }~ and ~{** for describing a second author }~
* for example for describing an author
** for describing a second author
and
~[* my note ]~ or ~[+ another note ]~
which numerically increments an asterisk and plus respectively
*1 my note +1 another note
0.38 (2006w15/7) introduced new/alternative notation for headers, e.g. @title: (instead of 0~title), and accompanying document structure markup, :A,:B,:C,1,2,3 (maps to previous 1,2,3,4,5,6)
SiSU 0.38 introduced alternative experimental header and heading/structure markers,
@headername: and headers :A~ :B~ :C~ 1~ 2~ 3~
as the equivalent of:
0~headername and headers 1~ 2~ 3~ 4~ 5~ 6~
The internal document markup of SiSU 0.16 remains valid and standard Though note that SiSU 0.37 introduced a new file naming convention
SiSU has in effect two sets of levels to be considered, using 0.38 notation A-C headings/levels, pre-ordinary paragraphs /pre-substantive text, and 1-3 headings/levels, levels which are followed by ordinary text. This may be conceptualised as levels A,B,C, 1,2,3, and using such letter number notation, in effect: A must exist, optional B and C may follow in sequence (not strict) 1 must exist, optional 2 and 3 may follow in sequence i.e. there are two independent heading level sequences A,B,C and 1,2,3 (using the 0.16 standard notation 1,2,3 and 4,5,6) on the positive side: the 0.38 A,B,C,1,2,3 alternative makes explicit an aspect of structuring documents in SiSU that is not otherwise obvious to the newcomer (though it appears more complicated, is more in your face and likely to be understood fairly quickly); the substantive text follows levels 1,2,3 and it is 'nice' to do most work in those levels
0.22 (2005w35/3) image dimensions may be omitted if rmagick is available to be relied upon
0.20.4 (2005w33/4) header 0~links
0.16 (2005w25/2) substantial changes introduced to make markup cleaner, header 0~title type, and headings [1-6]~ introduced, also percentage sign (%) at start of a text line as comment marker
SiSU 0.16 (0.15 development branch) introduced the use of
the header 0~ and headings/structure 1~ 2~ 3~ 4~ 5~ 6~
in place of the 0.1 header, heading/structure notation
SiSU 0.1 headers and headings structure represented by header 0{~ and headings/structure 1{ 2{ 3{ 4{~ 5{ 6{
14. SiSU filetypes
SiSU has plaintext and binary filetypes, and can process either type of document.
14.1 .sst .ssm .ssi marked up plain text
SiSU documents are prepared as plain-text (utf-8) files with SiSU markup. They may make reference to and contain images (for example), which are stored in the directory beneath them _sisu/image. SiSU plaintext markup files are of three types that may be distinguished by the file extension used: regular text .sst; master documents, composite documents that incorporate other text, which can be any regular text or text insert; and inserts the contents of which are like regular text except these are marked .ssi and are not processed.
SiSU processing can be done directly against a sisu documents; which may be located locally or on a remote server for which a url is provided.
SiSU source markup can be shared with the command:
sisu -s [filename]
14.1.1 sisu text - regular files (.sst)
The most common form of document in SiSU, see the section on SiSU markup.
Composite documents which incorporate other SiSU documents which may be either regular SiSU text .sst which may be generated independently, or inserts prepared solely for the purpose of being incorporated into one or more master documents.
The mechanism by which master files incorporate other documents is described as one of the headings under under SiSU markup in the SiSU manual.
Note: Master documents may be prepared in a similar way to regular documents, and processing will occur normally if a .sst file is renamed .ssm without requiring any other documents; the .ssm marker flags that the document may contain other documents.
Note: a secondary file of the composite document is built prior to processing with the same prefix and the suffix ._sst 16
Inserts are documents prepared solely for the purpose of being incorporated into one or more master documents. They resemble regular SiSU text files except they are ignored by the SiSU processor. Making a file a .ssi file is a quick and convenient way of flagging that it is not intended that the file should be processed on its own.
A sisupod is a zipped SiSU text file or set of SiSU text files and any associated images that they contain (this will be extended to include sound and multimedia-files)
SiSU plaintext files rely on a recognised directory structure to find contents such as images associated with documents, but all images for example for all documents contained in a directory are located in the sub-directory _sisu/image. Without the ability to create a sisupod it can be inconvenient to manually identify all other files associated with a document. A sisupod automatically bundles all associated files with the document that is turned into a pod.
The structure of the sisupod is such that it may for example contain a single document and its associated images; a master document and its associated documents and anything else; or the zipped contents of a whole directory of prepared SiSU documents.
The command to create a sisupod is:
sisu -S [filename]
Alternatively, make a pod of the contents of a whole directory:
sisu -S
SiSU processing can be done directly against a sisupod; which may be located locally or on a remote server for which a url is provided.
15. Experimental Alternative Input Representations
15.1 Alternative XML
SiSU offers alternative XML input representations of documents as a proof of concept, experimental feature. They are however not strictly maintained, and incomplete and should be handled with care.
convert from sst to simple xml representations (sax, dom and node):
sisu --to-sax [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxs [filename/wildcard]
sisu --to-dom [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxd [filename/wildcard]
sisu --to-node [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxn [filename/wildcard]
convert to sst from any sisu xml representation (sax, dom and node):
sisu --from-xml2sst [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
or the same:
sisu --from-sxml [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
15.1.1 XML SAX representation
To convert from sst to simple xml (sax) representation:
sisu --to-sax [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxs [filename/wildcard]
To convert from any sisu xml representation back to sst
sisu --from-xml2sst [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
or the same:
sisu --from-sxml [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
15.1.2 XML DOM representation
To convert from sst to simple xml (dom) representation:
sisu --to-dom [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxd [filename/wildcard]
To convert from any sisu xml representation back to sst
sisu --from-xml2sst [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
or the same:
sisu --from-sxml [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
15.1.3 XML Node representation
To convert from sst to simple xml (node) representation:
sisu --to-node [filename/wildcard] or sisu --to-sxn [filename/wildcard]
To convert from any sisu xml representation back to sst
sisu --from-xml2sst [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
or the same:
sisu --from-sxml [filename/wildcard [.sxs.xml,.sxd.xml,sxn.xml]]
16. Configuration
16.1 Determining the Current Configuration
Information on the current configuration of SiSU should be available with the help command:
sisu -v
which is an alias for:
sisu --help env
Either of these should be executed from within a directory that contains sisu markup source documents.
16.2 Configuration files (config.yml)
SiSU configration parameters are adjusted in the configuration file, which can be used to override the defaults set. This includes such things as which directory interim processing should be done in and where the generated output should be placed.
The SiSU configuration file is a yaml file, which means indentation is significant.
SiSU resource configuration is determined by looking at the following files if they exist:
./_sisu/sisurc.yml
~/.sisu/sisurc.yml
/etc/sisu/sisurc.yml
The search is in the order listed, and the first one found is used.
In the absence of instructions in any of these it falls back to the internal program defaults.
Configuration determines the output and processing directories and the database access details.
If SiSU is installed a sample sisurc.yml may be found in /etc/sisu/sisurc.yml
17. Skins
Skins modify the default appearance of document output on a document, directory, or site wide basis. Skins are looked for in the following locations:
./_sisu/skin
~/.sisu/skin
/etc/sisu/skin
Within the skin directory are the following the default sub-directories for document skins:
./skin/doc
./skin/dir
./skin/site
A skin is placed in the appropriate directory and the file named skin_[name].rb
The skin itself is a ruby file which modifies the default appearances set in the program.
17.1 Document Skin
Documents take on a document skin, if the header of the document specifies a skin to be used.
@skin: skin_united_nations
17.2 Directory Skin
A directory may be mapped on to a particular skin, so all documents within that directory take on a particular appearance. If a skin exists in the skin/dir with the same name as the document directory, it will automatically be used for each of the documents in that directory, (except where a document specifies the use of another skin, in the skin/doc directory).
A personal habit is to place all skins within the doc directory, and symbolic links as needed from the site, or dir directories as required.
17.3 Site Skin
A site skin, modifies the program default skin.
17.4 Sample Skins
With SiSU installed sample skins may be found in:
/etc/sisu/skin/doc and /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg/_sisu/skin/doc
(or equivalent directory) and if sisu-markup-samples is installed also under:
CSS files to modify the appearance of SiSU html, XHTML or XML may be placed in the configuration directory: ./_sisu/css; ~/.sisu/css or; /etc/sisu/css and these will be copied to the output directories with the command sisu -CC.
The basic CSS file for html output is html.css, placing a file of that name in directory _sisu/css or equivalent will result in the default file of that name being overwritten.
HTML: html.css
XML DOM: dom.css
XML SAX: sax.css
XHTML: xhtml.css
The default homepage may use homepage.css or html.css
Under consideration is to permit the placement of a CSS file with a different name in directory _sisu/css directory or equivalent, and change the default CSS file that is looked for in a skin. 17
19. Organising Content
19.1 Directory Structure and Mapping
The output directory root can be set in the sisurc.yml file. Under the root, subdirectories are made for each directory in which a document set resides. If you have a directory named poems or conventions, that directory will be created under the output directory root and the output for all documents contained in the directory of a particular name will be generated to subdirectories beneath that directory (poem or conventions). A document will be placed in a subdirectory of the same name as the document with the filetype identifier stripped (.sst .ssm)
The last part of a directory path, representing the sub-directory in which a document set resides, is the directory name that will be used for the output directory. This has implications for the organisation of document collections as it could make sense to place documents of a particular subject, or type within a directory identifying them. This grouping as suggested could be by subject (sales_law, english_literature); or just as conveniently by some other classification (X University). The mapping means it is also possible to place in the same output directory documents that are for organisational purposes kept separately, for example documents on a given subject of two different institutions may be kept in two different directories of the same name, under a directory named after each institution, and these would be output to the same output directory. Skins could be associated with each institution on a directory basis and resulting documents will take on the appropriate different appearance.
19.1.1 General Directories
./subject_name/
% files stored at this level e.g. sisu_manual.sst
./subject_name/_sisu
% configuration file e.g. sisurc.yml
./subject_name/_sisu/skin
% skins in various skin directories doc, dir, site, yml
./subject_name/_sisu/css
./subject_name/_sisu/image
% images for documents contained in this directory
./subject_name/_sisu/mm
19.1.2 Remote Directories
./subject_name/
% containing sub_directories named after the generated files from which they are made
./subject_name/src
% contains shared source files text and binary e.g. sisu_manual.sst and sisu_manual.sst.zip
./subject_name/_sisu
% configuration file e.g. sisurc.yml
./subject_name/_sisu/skin
% skins in various skin directories doc, dir, site, yml
./subject_name/_sisu/css
./subject_name/_sisu/image
% images for documents contained in this directory
./subject_name/_sisu/mm
19.1.3 Sisupod
./sisupod/
% files stored at this level e.g. sisu_manual.sst
./sisupod/_sisu
% configuration file e.g. sisurc.yml
./sisupod/_sisu/skin
% skins in various skin directories doc, dir, site, yml
./sisupod/_sisu/css
./sisupod/_sisu/image
% images for documents contained in this directory
./sisupod/_sisu/mm
19.2 Organising Content
20. Homepages
SiSU is about the ability to auto-generate documents. Home pages are regarded as custom built items, and are not created by SiSU. More accurately, SiSU has a default home page, which will not be appropriate for use with other sites, and the means to provide your own home page instead in one of two ways as part of a site's configuration, these being:
1. through placing your home page and other custom built documents in the subdirectory _sisu/home/ (this probably being the easier and more convenient option)
2. through providing what you want as the home page in a skin,
Document sets are contained in directories, usually organised by site or subject. Each directory can/should have its own homepage. See the section on directory structure and organisation of content.
20.1 Home page and other custom built pages in a sub-directory
Custom built pages, including the home page index.html may be placed within the configuration directory _sisu/home/ in any of the locations that is searched for the configuration directory, namely ./_sisu; ~/_sisu; /etc/sisu From there they are copied to the root of the output directory with the command:
sisu -CC
20.2 Home page within a skin
Skins are described in a separate section, but basically are a file written in the programming language Ruby that may be provided to change the defaults that are provided with sisu with respect to individual documents, a directories contents or for a site.
If you wish to provide a homepage within a skin the skin should be in the directory _sisu/skin/dir and have the name of the directory for which it is to become the home page. Documents in the directory commercial_law would have the homepage modified in skin_commercial law.rb; or the directory poems in skin_poems.rb
class Home
def homepage
# place the html content of your homepage here, this will become index.html
<<HOME <html>
<head></head>
<doc>
<p>this is my new homepage.</p>
</doc>
</html>
HOME
end
end
For some documents hardly any markup at all is required at all, other than a header, and an indication that the levels to be taken into account by the program in generating its output are.
Note you may set results either for documents matched and object number locations within each matched document meeting the search criteria; or display the names of the documents matched along with the objects (paragraphs) that meet the search criteria. 49
21.4 Lex Mercatoria as an example
There is quite a bit to peruse if you explore the site Lex Mercatoria:
This table gives an indication of the features that are available for various forms of output of SiSU. 54
feature
txt
ltx/pdf
HTML
XHTML
XML/s
XML/d
ODF
SQLite
pgSQL
headings
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
footnotes
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
bold, underscore, italics
.
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
strikethrough
.
*
*
*
*
*
*
superscript, subscript
.
*
*
*
*
*
*
extended ascii set (utf-8)
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
indents
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
bullets
.
*
*
*
*
*
.
groups
* tables
*
*
.
.
.
.
.
.
* poem
*
*
*
.
.
.
*
.
.
* code
*
*
*
.
.
.
*
.
.
url
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
.
.
links
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
.
.
images
-
*
*
T
T
T
*
T
T
image caption
-
*
*
table of contents
*
*
*
*
*
.
page header/footer?
-
*
*
*
*
*
t
line break
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
page break
*
*
segments
*
skins
*
*
*
*
*
*
ocn
.
*
*
*
*
*
-?
*
*
auto-heading numbers
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
minor list numbering
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
special characters
.
.
.
Done * yes/done . partial - not available/appropriate
Not Done T task todo t lesser task/todo not done
23. SiSU Search - Introduction
SiSU output can easily and conveniently be indexed by a number of standalone indexing tools, such as Lucene, Hyperestraier.
Because the document structure of sites created is clearly defined, and the text object citation system is available hypothetically at least, for all forms of output, it is possible to search the sql database, and either read results from that database, or just as simply map the results to the html output, which has richer text markup.
In addition to this SiSU has the ability to populate a relational sql type database with documents at an object level, with objects numbers that are shared across different output types, which make them searchable with that degree of granularity. Basically, your match criteria is met by these documents and at these locations within each document, which can be viewed within the database directly or in various output formats.
24. SQL
24.1 populating SQL type databases
SiSU feeds sisu markupd documents into sql type databases PostgreSQL 55 and/or SQLite 56 database together with information related to document structure.
This is one of the more interesting output forms, as all the structural data of the documents are retained (though can be ignored by the user of the database should they so choose). All site texts/documents are (currently) streamed to four tables:
one containing semantic (and other) headers, including, title, author, subject, (the Dublin Core...);
another the substantive texts by individual "paragraph" (or object) - along with structural information, each paragraph being identifiable by its paragraph number (if it has one which almost all of them do), and the substantive text of each paragraph quite naturally being searchable (both in formatted and clean text versions for searching); and
a third containing endnotes cross-referenced back to the paragraph from which they are referenced (both in formatted and clean text versions for searching).
a fourth table with a one to one relation with the headers table contains full text versions of output, eg. pdf, html, xml, and ascii.
There is of course the possibility to add further structures.
At this level SiSU loads a relational database with documents chunked into objects, their smallest logical structurally constituent parts, as text objects, with their object citation number and all other structural information needed to construct the document. Text is stored (at this text object level) with and without elementary markup tagging, the stripped version being so as to facilitate ease of searching.
Being able to search a relational database at an object level with the SiSU citation system is an effective way of locating content generated by SiSU. As individual text objects of a document stored (and indexed) together with object numbers, and all versions of the document have the same numbering, complex searches can be tailored to return just the locations of the search results relevant for all available output formats, with live links to the precise locations in the database or in html/xml documents; or, the structural information provided makes it possible to search the full contents of the database and have headings in which search content appears, or to search only headings etc. (as the Dublin Core is incorporated it is easy to make use of that as well).
25. Postgresql
25.1 Name
SiSU - Structured information, Serialized Units - a document publishing system, postgresql dependency package
25.2 Description
Information related to using postgresql with sisu (and related to the sisu_postgresql dependency package, which is a dummy package to install dependencies needed for SiSU to populate a postgresql database, this being part of SiSU - man sisu).
25.3 Synopsis
sisu -D [instruction] [filename/wildcard if required]
sisu -D --pg --[instruction] [filename/wildcard if required]
25.4 Commands
Mappings to two databases are provided by default, postgresql and sqlite, the same commands are used within sisu to construct and populate databases however -d (lowercase) denotes sqlite and -D (uppercase) denotes postgresql, alternatively --sqlite or --pgsql may be used
-D or --pgsql may be used interchangeably.
25.4.1 create and destroy database
--pgsql --createall initial step, creates required relations (tables, indexes) in existing (postgresql) database (a database should be created manually and given the same name as working directory, as requested) (rb.dbi)
sisu -D --createdb creates database where no database existed before
sisu -D --create creates database tables where no database tables existed before
sisu -D --Dropall destroys database (including all its content)! kills data and drops tables, indexes and database associated with a given directory (and directories of the same name).
sisu -D --recreate destroys existing database and builds a new empty database structure
25.4.2 import and remove documents
sisu -D --import -v [filename/wildcard] populates database with the contents of the file. Imports documents(s) specified to a postgresql database (at an object level).
sisu -D --update -v [filename/wildcard] updates file contents in database
sisu -D --remove -v [filename/wildcard] removes specified document from postgresql database.
26. Sqlite
26.1 Name
SiSU - Structured information, Serialized Units - a document publishing system.
26.2 Description
Information related to using sqlite with sisu (and related to the sisu_sqlite dependency package, which is a dummy package to install dependencies needed for SiSU to populate an sqlite database, this being part of SiSU - man sisu).
26.3 Synopsis
sisu -d [instruction] [filename/wildcard if required]
sisu -d --(sqlite|pg) --[instruction] [filename/wildcard if required]
26.4 Commands
Mappings to two databases are provided by default, postgresql and sqlite, the same commands are used within sisu to construct and populate databases however -d (lowercase) denotes sqlite and -D (uppercase) denotes postgresql, alternatively --sqlite or --pgsql may be used
-d or --sqlite may be used interchangeably.
26.4.1 create and destroy database
--sqlite --createall initial step, creates required relations (tables, indexes) in existing (sqlite) database (a database should be created manually and given the same name as working directory, as requested) (rb.dbi)
sisu -d --createdb creates database where no database existed before
sisu -d --create creates database tables where no database tables existed before
sisu -d --dropall destroys database (including all its content)! kills data and drops tables, indexes and database associated with a given directory (and directories of the same name).
sisu -d --recreate destroys existing database and builds a new empty database structure
26.4.2 import and remove documents
sisu -d --import -v [filename/wildcard] populates database with the contents of the file. Imports documents(s) specified to an sqlite database (at an object level).
sisu -d --update -v [filename/wildcard] updates file contents in database
sisu -d --remove -v [filename/wildcard] removes specified document from sqlite database.
27. Introduction
27.1 Search - database frontend sample, utilising database and SiSU features, including object citation numbering (backend currently PostgreSQL)
Sample search frontend57 A small database and sample query front-end (search from) that makes use of the citation system, object citation numbering to demonstrates functionality. 58
SiSU can provide information on which documents are matched and at what locations within each document the matches are found. These results are relevant across all outputs using object citation numbering, which includes html, XML, LaTeX, PDF and indeed the SQL database. You can then refer to one of the other outputs or in the SQL database expand the text within the matched objects (paragraphs) in the documents matched.
Note you may set results either for documents matched and object number locations within each matched document meeting the search criteria; or display the names of the documents matched along with the objects (paragraphs) that meet the search criteria. 59
sisu -F --webserv-webrick builds a cgi web search frontend for the database created
The following is feedback on the setup on a machine provided by the help command:
sisu --help sql
Postgresql
user: ralph
current db set: SiSU_sisu
port: 5432
dbi connect: DBI:Pg:database=SiSU_sisu;port=5432
sqlite
current db set: /home/ralph/sisu_www/sisu/sisu_sqlite.db
dbi connect DBI:SQLite:/home/ralph/sisu_www/sisu/sisu_sqlite.db
Note on databases built
By default, [unless otherwise specified] databases are built on a directory basis, from collections of documents within that directory. The name of the directory you choose to work from is used as the database name, i.e. if you are working in a directory called /home/ralph/ebook the database SiSU_ebook is used. [otherwise a manual mapping for the collection is necessary]
27.2 Search Form
sisu -F generates a sample search form, which must be copied to the web-server cgi directory
sisu -F --webserv-webrick generates a sample search form for use with the webrick server, which must be copied to the web-server cgi directory
sisu -Fv as above, and provides some information on setting up hyperestraier
sisu -W starts the webrick server which should be available wherever sisu is properly installed
The generated search form must be copied manually to the webserver directory as instructed
Check which directories in the webserver/output directory (~/sisu_www or elsewhere depending on configuration) you wish to include in the search index.
As sisu duplicates output in multiple file formats, it it is probably preferable to limit the estraier index to html output, and as it may also be desirable to exclude files 'plain.txt', 'toc.html' and 'concordance.html', as these duplicate information held in other html output e.g.
from your current document preparation/markup directory, you would construct a rune along the following lines:
find /home/ralph/sisu_www -type f | egrep '/home/ralph/sisu_www/([specify first directory for inclusion]|[specify second directory for inclusion]|[another directory for inclusion? ...])/.+?.html$' | egrep -v '(doc|concordance).html$' |estcmd gather -sd /home/ralph/sisu_www/casket -
(B) to set up the search form
(i) copy estseek.cgi to your cgi directory and set file permissions to 755:
SiSU - Structured information, Serialized Units - a document publishing system
29.2 Synopsis
sisu_webrick [port]
or
sisu -W [port]
29.3 Description
sisu_webrick is part of SiSU (man sisu) sisu_webrick starts Ruby's Webrick web-server and points it to the directories to which SiSU output is written, providing a list of these directories (assuming SiSU is in use and they exist).
The default port for sisu_webrick is set to 8081, this may be modified in the yaml file: ~/.sisu/sisurc.yml a sample of which is provided as /etc/sisu/sisurc.yml (or in the equivalent directory on your system).
29.4 Summary of man page
sisu_webrick, may be started on it's own with the command: sisu_webrick [port] or using the sisu command with the -W flag: sisu -W [port]
where no port is given and settings are unchanged the default port is 8081
29.5 Document processing command flags
sisu -W [port] starts Ruby Webrick web-server, serving SiSU output directories, on the port provided, or if no port is provided and the defaults have not been changed in ~/.sisu/sisurc.yaml then on port 8081
SiSU processing instructions can be run against remote source documents by providing the url of the documents against which the processing instructions are to be carried out. The remote SiSU documents can either be sisu marked up files in plaintext .sst or .ssm or; zipped sisu files, sisupod.zip or filename.ssp
.sst / .ssm - sisu text files
SiSU can be run against source text files on a remote machine, provide the processing instruction and the url. The source file and any associated parts (such as images) will be downloaded and generated locally.
sisu -3 http://[provide url to valid .sst or .ssm file]
NOTE: to set up a remote machine to serve SiSU documents in this way, images should be in the directory relative to the document source ../_sisu/image
sisupod - zipped sisu files
A sisupod is the zipped content of a sisu marked up text or texts and any other associated parts to the document such as images.
SiSU can be run against a sisupod on a (local or) remote machine, provide the processing instruction and the url, the sisupod will be downloaded and the documents it contains generated locally.
sisu -3 http://[provide url to valid sisupod.zip or .ssp file]
Once properly configured SiSU output can be automatically posted once generated to a designated remote machine using either rsync, or scp.
In order to do this some ssh authentication agent and keychain or similar tool will need to be configured. Once that is done the placement on a remote host can be done seamlessly with the -r (for scp) or -R (for rsync) flag, which may be used in conjunction with other processing flags, e.g.
sisu -3R sisu_remote.sst
31.1 commands
-R [filename/wildcard] copies sisu output files to remote host using rsync. This requires that sisurc.yml has been provided with information on hostname and username, and that you have your "keys" and ssh agent in place. Note the behavior of rsync different if -R is used with other flags from if used alone. Alone the rsync --delete parameter is sent, useful for cleaning the remote directory (when -R is used together with other flags, it is not). Also see -r
-r [filename/wildcard] copies sisu output files to remote host using scp. This requires that sisurc.yml has been provided with information on hostname and username, and that you have your "keys" and ssh agent in place. Also see -R
31.2 configuration
[expand on the setting up of an ssh-agent / keychain]
32. Remote Servers
As SiSU is generally operated using the command line, and works within a Unix type environment, SiSU the program and all documents can just as easily be on a remote server, to which you are logged on using a terminal, and commands and operations would be pretty much the same as they would be on your local machine.
Download information
33. Download SiSU - Linux/Unix
SiSU Current Version - Linux/Unix
Source (tarball tar.gz)
Download the latest version of SiSU (and SiSU markup samples): 60
Book markup samples have been moved to non-free as the substantive text of the documents are available under the author or original publisher's license, and usually do not comply with the Debian Free Software Guidelines.
See the download pages84 for information related to installation.
34.1 Debian
SiSU is developed on Debian, and packages are available for Debian that take care of the dependencies encountered on installation.
The package is divided into the following components:
sisu, the base code, (the main package on which the others depend), without any dependencies other than ruby (and for convenience the ruby webrick web server), this generates a number of types of output on its own, other packages provide additional functionality, and have their dependencies
sisu-complete, a dummy package that installs the whole of greater sisu as described below, apart from sisu-examples
sisu-pdf, dependencies used by sisu to produce pdf from LaTeX generated
sisu-postgresql, dependencies used by sisu to populate postgresql database (further configuration is necessary)
sisu-remote, dependencies used to place sisu output on a remote server (further configuration is necessary)
sisu-sqlite, dependencies used by sisu to populate sqlite database
sisu-markup-samples, sisu markup samples and other miscellany (under Debian Free Software Guidelines non-free)
SiSU is available off Debian Unstable and Testing85 install it using apt-get, aptitude or alternative Debian install tools. SiSU is currently comprised of eight packages.
Initial packaging is done here and to get the latest version of SiSU available you may add the following line(s) to your sources list:
#/etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/archive unstable main non-free
deb-src http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/archive unstable main non-free
The non-free section is for sisu markup samples provided, which contain authored works the substantive text of which cannot be changed, and which as a result do not meet the debian free software guidelines.
On Debian there is little more to know beyond how to install software on Debian using apt, aptitude or synaptic.
A source tarball or an rpms built using alien are available, (however dependencies have not been tested). SiSU is first packaged and tested with dependency handling for Debian. 86 Information on dependencies configured for Debian is provided as this may be of assistance.
34.2.1 source tarball
installation with provided install script
To install SiSU, in the root directory of the unpacked SiSUas root type: 87
ruby install
Once installed see man 8 sisu for information on additional programs that sisu makes use of.
Further notes on install script.
The install script is prepared using Rant, and a Rantfile is provided, 88 with more comprehensive install options, and post install and setup configuration and generation of first test file, if you have installed Stefan Lang's Rant89 installed. While in the package directory, type: rant help, or rant -T, or to install SiSUas root, type:
install is an install script prepared using Stefan Lang's Rant90 It should work whether you have previously installed Rant or not. It has fairly comprehensive install options, and can do some post install and setup configuration and generation of first test file. For options type:
ruby install -T
To install as root type:
ruby install
For a minimal install type:
ruby install base
installation with setup.rb
setup.rb91 is provided the package and will install SiSU92 installation is a 3 step process 93 the following string assumes you are in the package directory and that you have root as sudo:
The RPM is generated from the source file using Alien. 94 Dependencies are not handled, not even that of the essential Ruby.
35. SiSU Components, Dependencies and Notes
The dependency lists are from the Debian control file for SiSU version 0.36, and may assist in building SiSU on other distributions.
35.1 sisu
the base code, (the main package on which the others depend), without any dependencies other than ruby (and for convenience the ruby webrick web server), this generates a number of types of output on its own, other packages provide additional functionality, and have their dependencies
installs dependencies for sisu to work with and populate sqlite database
create database
sisu -dv createall
drop database
sisu -dv dropall
update content
sisu -div [filename/wildcard]
sisu -dv import [filename/wildcard]
update content
sisu -duv [filename/wildcard]
sisu -dv update [filename/wildcard]
[the -v is for verbose]
The following are available without installation of the sisu-sqlite component, but are of interest in this context
generate a sample database query form for use with webserver on port 80
sisu -F
or for use with webrick server
sisu -F webrick
to start webrick server
sisu -W
36. Quickstart - Getting Started Howto
36.1 Installation
Installation is currently most straightforward and tested on the Debian platform, as there are packages for the installation of sisu and all requirements for what it does.
36.1.1 Debian Installation
SiSU is available directly from the Debian Sid and testing archives (and possibly Ubuntu), assuming your /etc/apt/sources.list is set accordingly:
aptitude update
aptitude install sisu-complete
The following /etc/apt/sources.list setting permits the download of additional markup samples:
#/etc/apt/sources.list
deb http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
deb-src http://ftp.fi.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
d
Note however that it is not necessary to install sisu-complete if not all components of sisu are to be used. Installing just the package sisu will provide basic functionality.
36.1.2 RPM Installation
RPMs are provided though untested, they are prepared by running alien against the source package, and against the debs.
Two alternative modes of installation from source are provided, setup.rb (by Minero Aoki) and a rant(by Stefan Lang) built install file, in either case: the first steps are the same, download and unpack the source file:
For basic use SiSU is only dependent on the programming language in which it is written Ruby, and SiSU will be able to generate html, various XMLs, including ODF (and will also produce LaTeX). Dependencies required for further actions, though it relies on the installation of additional dependencies which the source tarball does not take care of, for things like using a database (postgresql or sqlite) 95 or converting LaTeX to pdf.
setup.rb
This is a standard ruby installer, using setup.rb is a three step process. In the root directory of the unpacked SiSU as root type:
The "install" file provided is an installer prepared using "rant". In the root directory of the unpacked SiSU as root type:
ruby install base
or for a more complete installation:
ruby install
or
ruby install base
This makes use of Rant (by Stefan Lang) and the provided Rantfile. It has been configured to do post installation setup setup configuration and generation of first test file. Note however, that additional external package dependencies, such as tetex-extra are not taken care of for you.
Depending on your mode of installation one or a number of markup sample files may be found either in the directory:
...
or
...
change directory to the appropriate one:
cd /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg
36.2.1 basic text, plaintext, html, XML, ODF
Having moved to the directory that contains the markup samples (see instructions above if necessary), choose a file and run sisu against it
sisu -NhwoabxXyv free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
this will generate html including a concordance file, opendocument text format, plaintext, XHTML and various forms of XML, and OpenDocument text
36.2.2 LaTeX / pdf
Assuming a LaTeX engine such as tetex or texlive is installed with the required modules (done automatically on selection of sisu-pdf in Debian)
Having moved to the directory that contains the markup samples (see instructions above if necessary), choose a file and run sisu against it
sisu -pv free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
sisu -3 free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
should generate most available output formats: html including a concordance file, opendocument text format, plaintext, XHTML and various forms of XML, and OpenDocument text and pdf
36.2.3 relational database - postgresql, sqlite
Relational databases need some setting up - you must have permission to create the database and write to it when you run sisu.
Assuming you have the database installed and the requisite permissions
sisu --sqlite --recreate
sisu --sqlite -v --import free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
sisu --pgsql --recreate
sisu --pgsql -v --import free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
36.3 Getting Help
36.3.1 The man pages
Type:
man sisu
The man pages are also available online, though not always kept as up to date as within the package itself:
Additional markup samples are packaged separately in the file:
*
On Debian they are available in non-free 99 to include them it is necessary to include non-free in your /etc/apt/source.list or obtain them from the sisu home site.
The manual pages provided with SiSU are also available online, and there is an interactive help, which is being superseded by the man page, and possibly some document which contains this component.
37.1 SiSU "man" pages
If SiSU is installed on your system usual man commands should be available, try:
(4) use sisu tp populate a database with some text
within the sisu-examples directory
sisu -div free_*.sst
or
sisu -dv import free_*.sst debian_constitution_v1.2.sst debian_social_contract_v1.1.sst gpl2.fsf.sst
(5) use sisu to start the webrick (httpd) server (if it has not already been started):
sisu -W
(6) use sisu to create a search form (for use with the webrick server, and your sample documents)
within the sisu-examples directory
sisu -F webrick
#here i run into a problem, you are working from a read only #directory..., not my usual mode of operation, to complete the example #the following is necessary sudo touch sisu_sqlite.cgi sisu_pgsql.cgi sudo -P chown $USER sisu_sqlite.cgi sisu_pgsql.cgi
#now this should be possible: sisu -F webrick
(7) copy the search form to the cgi directory
the string should be provided as output from the previous command
Some notes are contained within the man page, man sisu and within sisu help via the commands sisu help markup and sisu help headers
SiSU is for literary and legal text, also for some social science material. In particular it does not do formula, and is not particularly suited to technical documentation. Despite the latter caveat, some notes will be provided here and added to over time:
40.1 Headers
Headers @headername: provide information related to the document, this may relate to
1. how it is to be processed, such as whether headings are to be numbered, what skin is to be used and markup instructions, such as the document structure, or words to be made bold within the document
2. semantic information about the document including the dublin core
40.2 Font Face
Defaults are set. You may change the face to: bold, italics, underscore, strikethrough, ...
40.2.1 Bold
\@bold: [list of words that should be made bold within document]
bold line
!_ bold line
bold word or sentence
!{ bold word or sentence }!
*{ bold word or sentence }*
boldword or boldword
*boldword* or !boldword!
40.2.2 Italics
\@italics: [list of words that should be italicised within document]
italicise word or sentence
/{ italicise word or sentence }/
italicisedword
/italicisedword/
40.2.3 Underscore
underscore word or sentence
_{ underscore word or sentence }_
underscoreword
40.2.4 Strikethrough
strikethrough word or sentence
-{ strikethrough word or sentence }-
strikeword
-strikeword-
40.3 Endnotes
There are two forms of markup for endnotes, they cannot be mixed within the same document
There was a young lady from Clyde, who ate a green apple and died, but the apple fermented inside the lamented, and made cider inside her inside.
poem{
There was a young lady from Clyde, who ate a green apple and died, but the apple fermented inside the lamented, and made cider inside her inside.
}\poem
40.9 Composite Document
To import another document, the master document or importing document should be named filename.r3 (r for require)
<< { filename.sst }
<< { filename.ssi }
41. Change Appearance
41.1 Skins
"Skins" may be used to change various aspects related to the output documents appearance, including such things as the url for the home page on which the material will be published, information on the credit band, and for html documents colours and icons used in navigation bars. Skins are ruby files which permit changing of the default values set within the program for SiSU output.
There are a few examples provided, on untarring the source tarball:
Skins under the searched paths in a per document directory, a per directory directory, or a site directory, named:
doc [may be specified individually in each document]
dir [used if identifier part of name matches markup directory name]
site
It is usual to place all skins in the document directory, with symbolic links as required from dir or site directories.
41.2 CSS
The appearance of html and XML related output can be changed for an ouput collection directory by prepareing and placing a new css file in one of the sisu css directories searched in the sisu configuration path. These are located at:
_./_sisu/css
~/.sisu/css
and
/etc/sisu/css
The contents of the first directory found in the search path are copied to the corresponding sisu output directory with the commnd:
SiSU is lightweight markup based document creation and publishing framework that is controlled from the command line. Prepare documents for SiSU using your text editor of choice, then use SiSU to generate various output document formats.
With minimal preparation of a plain-text (UTF-8) file using its native markup-syntax, SiSU produces: plain-text, HTML, XHTML, XML, ODF:ODT (Opendocument), LaTeX, PDF, and populates an SQL database (PostgreSQL or SQLite) in paragraph sized chunks so that document searches are done at this "atomic" level of granularity.
Outputs share a common citation numbering system, and any semantic meta-data provided about the document.
SiSU also provides concordance files, document content certificates and manifests of generated output.
SiSU takes advantage of well established open standard ways of representing text, and provides a bridge to take advantage of the strengths of each, while remaining simple. SiSU implements across document formats a "useful common feature set" [coming from a humanities, law, and possibly social sciences perspective, rather than technical or scientific writing] ... focus is primarily on content and data integrity rather than appearance, (though outputs in the various formats are respectable).
A vim syntax highlighting file and an ftplugin with folds for sisu markup is provided. Vim 7 includes syntax highlighting for SiSU.
man pages, and interactive help are provided.
Dependencies for various features are taken care of in sisu related packages. The package sisu-complete installs the whole of SiSU.
Additional document markup samples are provided in the package sisu-markup-samples which is found in the non-free archive the licenses for the substantive content of the marked up documents provided is that provided by the author or original publisher.
SiSU - simple information structuring universe, is a publishing tool, document generation and management, (and search enabling) tool primarily for literary, academic and legal published works.
SiSU can be used for Internet, Intranet, local filesystem or cd publishing.
SiSU can be used directly off the filesystem, or from a database.
SiSU's scalability, is be dependent on your hardware, and filesystem (in my case Reiserfs), and/or database Postgresql.
Amongst it's characteristics are:
simple mnemonoic markup style,
the ability to produce multiple output formats, including html, structured XML, LaTeX, pdf (via LaTeX), stream to a relational database whilst retaining document structure - Postgresql and Sqlite,
that all share a common citation system (a simple idea from which much good), possibly most exciting, the following: if fed into a relational database (as it can be automatically), the document set is searchable, with results displayed at a paragraph level, or the possibility of an indexed display of documents in which the match is found together with a hyperlinked listing for each of each paragraph in which the match is found. In any event citations using this system (with or without the relational database) are relevant for all output formats.
it is command line driven, and can be set up on a remote server
Documents are marked up in SiSU syntax in your favourite editor. SiSU syntax may be regarded as a type of smart ascii - which in its basic form is simpler than the most elementary html. There is currently a syntax highlighter, and folding for Vim. Syntax highlighters for other editors are welcome.
[the non-free line is for document markup samples, for which the substantive text is provided under the author or original publisher's license and which in most cases will not be debian free software guideline compliant]
Then as root run:
aptitude update
aptitude install sisu-complete
42.2.2 RPM
RPMs are provided though untested, they are prepared by running alien against the source package, and against the debs.
alternative modes of installation from source are provided, setup.rb (by Minero Aoki), rake (by Jim Weirich) built install file, rant (by Stefan Lang) built install file,
Ruby is the essential dependency for the basic operation of SiSU
1. Download the latest source (information available) from:
in the root directory of the unpacked SiSU as root type:
rake
or
rake base
This makes use of Rake (by Jim Weirich) and the provided Rakefile
For a list of alternative actions you may type:
rake help
rake -T
42.2.6 to use install (prapared with "Rant")
(you may use the instructions above for rake substituting rant if rant is installed on your system, or you may use an independent installer created using rant as follows:)
in the root directory of the unpacked SiSU as root type:
ruby ./sisu-install
or
ruby ./sisu-install base
This makes use of Rant (by Stefan Lang) and the provided Rantfile. It has been configured to do post installation setup setup configuration and generation of first test file. Note however, that additional external package dependencies, such as tetex-extra are not taken care of for you.
Once installed see 'man 8 sisu' for some information on additional programs that sisu makes use of, and that you may need or wish to install. (this will depend on such factors as whether you want to generate pdf, whether you will be using SiSU with or without a database, ...) 'man sisu_markup-samples' may also be of interest if the sisu-markup-samples package has also been installed.
The information in man 8 may not be most up to date, and it is possible that more useful information can be gleaned from the following notes taken from the Debian control file (end edited), gives an idea of additional packages that SiSU can make use of if available, (the use/requirement of some of which are interdependent for specific actions by SiSU).
The following is from the debian/control file of sisu-0.58.2, which amongst other things provides the dependencies of sisu within Debian.
Source: sisu
Section: text
Priority: optional
Maintainer: Ralph Amissah <ralph@amissah.com>
Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 5)
Standards-Version: 3.7.2
Package: sisu
Architecture: all
Depends: ruby (>= 1.8.2), ruby (<< 1.9), libwebrick-ruby, unzip, zip
Conflicts: vim-sisu, sisu-vim, sisu-remote
Replaces: vim-sisu, sisu-vim
Recommends: sisu-doc, sisu-pdf, sisu-sqlite, sisu-postgresql, hyperestraier, keychain, librmagick-ruby, librexml-ruby, openssl, openssh-client | lsh-client, rsync, tidy, vim-addon-manager
Suggests: kdissert, lv, rcs | cvs, pinfo, texinfo, trang
Description: documents - structuring, publishing in multiple formats and search
SiSU is a lightweight markup based, command line oriented, document
structuring, publishing and search framework for document collections.
.
With minimal preparation of a plain-text, (UTF-8) file, using its native
markup syntax in your text editor of choice, SiSU can generate various
document formats (most of which share a common object numbering system for
locating content), including plain text, HTML, XHTML, XML, OpenDocument text
(ODF:ODT), LaTeX, PDF files, and populate an SQL database with objects
(roughly paragraph-sized chunks) so searches may be performed and matches
returned with that degree of granularity: your search criteria is met by these
documents and at these locations within each document. Object numbering is
particularly suitable for "published" works (finalized texts as opposed to
works that are frequently changed or updated) for which it provides a fixed
means of reference of content. Document outputs also share semantic meta-data
provided.
.
SiSU also provides concordance files, document content certificates and
manifests of generated output.
.
A vim syntax highlighting file and an ftplugin with folds for sisu markup is
provided, as are syntax highlighting files for kate, kwrite, gedit and
diakonos. Vim 7 includes syntax highlighting for SiSU.
.
man pages, and interactive help are provided.
.
Dependencies for various features are taken care of in sisu related packages.
The package sisu-complete installs the whole of SiSU.
.
Additional document markup samples are provided in the package
sisu-markup-samples which is found in the non-free archive the licenses for
the substantive content of the marked up documents provided is that provided
by the author or original publisher.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
Package: sisu-complete
Architecture: all
Depends: ruby (>= 1.8.2), ruby (<< 1.9), sisu, sisu-doc, sisu-pdf, sisu-postgresql, sisu-sqlite
Recommends: hyperestraier
Description: installs all SiSU related packages
This package installs SiSU and related packages that enable sisu to produce
pdf and to populate postgresql and sqlite databases.
.
SiSU is a lightweight markup based document structuring, publishing and search
framework for document collections.
.
See sisu for a description of the package.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
Package: sisu-doc
Architecture: all
Depends: sisu
Recommends: sisu-pdf, sisu-postgresql, sisu-sqlite
Description: sisu manual and other documentation for sisu
Multiple file formats generated output of sisu documentation generated from
sisu markup source documents included in the main package
.
SiSU is a lightweight markup based document structuring, publishing and search
framework for document collections.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
Package: sisu-pdf
Architecture: all
Depends: sisu, texlive-latex-base, texlive-fonts-recommended, texlive-latex-recommended, texlive-latex-extra
Recommends: sisu-doc
Description: dependencies to convert SiSU LaTeX output to pdf
This package enables the conversion of SiSU LaTeX output to pdf.
.
SiSU is a lightweight markup based document structuring, publishing and search
framework for document collections.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
Package: sisu-postgresql
Architecture: all
Depends: sisu, libdbd-pg-ruby, libdbi-ruby, libdbm-ruby, postgresql
Recommends: sisu-doc, libfcgi-ruby
Suggests: postgresql-contrib
Description: SiSU dependencies for use with postgresql database
This package enables SiSU to populate a postgresql database. This is done at
an object/paragraph level, making granular searches of documents possible.
.
This relational database feature of SiSU is not required but provides
interesting possibilities, including that of granular searches of documents
for matching units of text, primarily paragraphs that can be displayed or
identified by object citation number, from which an index of documents
matched and each matched paragraph within them can be displayed.
.
SiSU is a lightweight markup based document structuring, publishing and search
framework for document collections.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
Package: sisu-sqlite
Architecture: all
Depends: sisu, sqlite, libdbd-sqlite-ruby, libdbi-ruby, libdbm-ruby
Recommends: sisu-doc, libfcgi-ruby
Description: SiSU dependencies for use with sqlite database
This package enables SiSU to populate an sqlite database. This is done at an
object/paragraph level, making granular searches of documents possible.
.
This relational database feature of SiSU is not required but provides
interesting possibilities, including that of granular searches of documents
for matching units of text, primarily paragraphs that can be displayed or
identified by object citation number, from which an index of documents
matched and each matched paragraph within them can be displayed.
.
SiSU is a lightweight markup based document structuring, publishing and search
framework for document collections.
.
Homepage: <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu>
42.4 Quick start
Most of the installation should be taken care of by the aptitude or rant install. (The rant install if run in full will also test run the generation of the first document).
After installation of sisu-complete, move to the document samples directory
cd /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg
and run
sisu -3 free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
or the same:
sisu -NhwpoabxXyv free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
look at output results, see the "sisu_manifest" page created for the document
or to generate an online document move to a writable directory, as the file will be downloaded there and e.g.
the database stuff is extra perhaps, the latex stuff could be considered extra perhaps but neither needs to be installed for most of sisu output to work
The default configuration/setup is contained within the program and is altered by configuration settings in etc[sisu version]/sisurc.yml or in ~/.sisu/sisurc.yml
configuration file - a yaml file
/etc/sisu/[sisu version]/sisurc.yml
~/.sisu/sisurc.yml
directory structure - setting up of output and working directory.
* skins - changing the appearance of a project, directory or individual documents within ~/.sisu/skin
~/.sisu/skin/doc contains individual skins, with symbolic links from
~/.sisu/skin/dir if the contents of a directory are to take a particular document skin.
additional software - eg. Tex and LaTeX (tetex, tetex-base, tetex-extra on Debian), Postgresql, [sqlite], trang, tidy, makeinfo, ... none of which are required for basic html or XML processing.
if you use Vim as editor there is a syntax highlighter and fold resource config file for SiSU. I hope more syntax highlighters follow.
There are post installation steps (which are really part of the overall installation)
sisu -C in your marked up document directory, should do some auto-configuring provided you have the right permissions for the output directories. (and provided the output directories have already been specified if you are not using the defaults).
42.6 Use General Overview
Documents are marked up in SiSU syntax and kept in an ordinary text editable file, named with the suffix .sst, or .ssm
Marked up SiSU documents are usually kept in a sub-directory of your choosing
use the interactive help and man pages
sisu --help
man sisu
42.7 Help
interactive help described below, or man page:
man sisu
man 8 sisu
'man sisu_markup-samples' [if the sisu-markup-samples package is also installed]
Once installed an interactive help is available typing 'sisu' (without) any flags, and select an option:
sisu
alternatively, you could type e.g.
sisu --help commands
sisu --help env
sisu --help headers
sisu --help markup
sisu --help headings
etc.
for questions about mappings, output paths etc.
sisu --help env
sisu --help path
sisu --help directory
42.8 Directory Structure
Once installed, type:
sisu --help env
or
sisu -V
42.9 Configuration File
The defaults can be changed via SiSU's configure file sisurc.yml which the program expects to find in ./_sisu ~/.sisu or /etc/sisu (searched in that order, stopping on the first one found)
42.10 Markup
See man pages.
man sisu
man 8 sisu
Once installed there is some information on SiSU Markup in its help:
sisu --help markup
and
sisu --help headers
Sample marked up document are provided with the download tarball in the directory:
./data/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg
These are installed on the system usually at:
/usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg
More markup samples are available in the package sisu-markup-samples
After installation of sisu-complete, move to the document samples directory,
cd /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg
[this is not where you would normally work but provides sample documents for testing, you may prefer instead to copy the contents of that directory to a local directory before proceeding]
and in that directory, initialise the output directory with the command
sisu -CC
then run:
sisu -1 free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
or the same:
sisu -NhwpoabxXyv free_as_in_freedom.rms_and_free_software.sam_williams.sst
look at output results, see the "sisu_manifest" page created for the document
for an overview of your current sisu setup, type:
sisu --help env
or
sisu -V
To generate a document from a remote url accessible location move to a writable directory, (create a work directory and cd into it) as the file will be downloaded there and e.g.
it should also be possible to run sisu against sisupods (prepared zip files, created by running the command sisu -S [filename]), whether stored locally or remotely.
there is a security issue associated with the running of document skins that are not your own, so these are turned of by default, and the use of the following command, which switches on the associated skin is not recommended:
sisu --help env for the way sisu "sees/maps" your system
sisu --help commands for list of commands and so on
43.2 Document markup directory
Perhaps the easiest way to begin is to create a directory for sisu marked up documents within your home directory, and copy the file structure (and document samples) provided in the document sample directory:
mkdir ~/sisu_test
cd ~/sisu_test
cp -a /usr/share/doc/sisu/sisu_markup_samples/dfsg/* ~/sisu_test/.
Tip: the markup syntax examples may be of interest
notes taken from the Debian control file (end edited), gives an idea of additional packages that SiSU can make use of if available, (the use/requirement of some of which are interdependent for specific actions by SiSU):
Package: sisu
SiSU is a lightweight markup based, command line oriented, document structuring, publishing and search framework for document collections.
With minimal preparation of a plain-text, (UTF-8) file, using its native markup syntax in your text editor of choice, SiSU can generate various document formats (most of which share a common object numbering system for locating content), including plain text, HTML, XHTML, XML, OpenDocument text (ODF:ODT), LaTeX, PDF files, and populate an SQL database with objects (roughly paragraph-sized chunks) so searches may be performed and matches returned with that degree of granularity: your search criteria is met by these documents and at these locations within each document. Object numbering is particularly suitable for "published" works (finalized texts as opposed to works that are frequently changed or updated) for which it provides a fixed means of reference of content. Document outputs also share semantic meta-data provided.
SiSU also provides concordance files, document content certificates and manifests of generated output.
A vim syntax highlighting file and an ftplugin with folds for sisu markup is provided, as are syntax highlighting files for kate, kwrite, gedit and diakonos. Vim 7 includes syntax highlighting for SiSU.
man pages, and interactive help are provided.
Dependencies for various features are taken care of in sisu related packages. The package sisu-complete installs the whole of SiSU.
Additional document markup samples are provided in the package sisu-markup-samples which is found in the non-free archive the licenses for the substantive content of the marked up documents provided is that provided by the author or original publisher.
sisu resource configuration information is obtained from sources (where they exist):
~/.sisu/sisurc.yaml
/etc/sisu/[sisu version]/sisurc.yaml
sisu program defaults
43.2.4 Skins
Skins default document appearance may be modified using skins contained in sub-directories located at the following paths:
./_sisu/skin
~/.sisu/skin
/etc/sisu/skin
more specifically, the following locations (or their /etc/sisu equivalent) should be used:
~/.sisu/skin/doc
skins for individual documents;
~/.sisu/skin/dir
skins for directories of matching names;
~/.sisu/skin/site
site-wide skin modifying the site-wide appearance of documents.
Usually all skin files are placed in the document skin directory:
~/.sisu/skin/doc
with softlinks being made to the skins contained there from other skin directories as required.
44. FAQ - Frequently Asked/Answered Questions
44.1 Why are urls produced with the -v (and -u) flag that point to a web server on port 8081?
Try the following rune:
sisu -W
This should start the ruby webserver. It should be done after having produced some output as it scans the output directory for what to serve.
44.2 I cannot find my output, where is it?
The following should provide help on output paths:
sisu --help env
sisu -V [same as the previous command]
sisu --help directory
sisu --help path
sisu -U [filename]
man sisu
44.3 I do not get any pdf output, why?
SiSU produces LaTeX and pdflatex is run against that to generate pdf files.
If you use Debian the following will install the required dependencies
aptitude install sisu-pdf
the following packages are required: tetex-bin, tetex-extra, latex-ucs
44.4 Where is the latex (or some other interim) output?
Try adding -M (for maintenance) to your command flags, e.g.:
sisu -HpMv [filename]
this should result in the interim processing output being retained, and information being provided on where to find it.
sisu --help directory
sisu --help path
should also provide some relevant information as to where it is placed.
44.5 Why isn't SiSU markup XML
I worked with text and (though I find XML immensely valuable) disliked noise ... better to sidestep the question and say:
SiSU currently "understands" three XML input representations - or more accurately, converts from three forms of XML to native SiSU markup for processing. The three types correspond to SAX (structure described), DOM (structure embedded, whole document must be read before structure is correctly discernable) and node based (a tree) forms of XML document structure representation. Problem is I use them very seldom and check that all is as it should be with them seldom, so I would not be surprised if something breaks there, but as far as I know they are working. I will check and add an XML markup help page before the next release. There already is a bit of information in the man page under the title SiSU VERSION CONVERSION
sisu --to-sax [filename/wildcard]
sisu --to-dom [filename/wildcard]
sisu --to-node [filename/wildcard]
The XML should be well formed... must check, but lacks sensible headers. Suggestions welcome as to what to make of them. [For the present time I am satisfied that I can convert (both ways) between 3 forms of XML representation and SiSU markup].
sisu --from-xml2sst [filename/wildcard]
44.6 LaTeX claims to be a document preparation system for high-quality typesetting. Can the same be said about SiSU?
SiSU is not really about type-setting.
LaTeX is the ultimate computer instruction type-setting language for paper based publication.
LaTeX is able to control just about everything that happens on page and pixel, position letters kerning, space variation between characters, words, paragraphs etc. formula.
SiSU is not really about type-setting at all. It is about a lightweight markup instruction that provides enough information for an abstraction of the documents structure and objects, from which different forms of representation of the document can be generated.
SiSU with very little markup instruction is able to produce relatively high quality pdf by virtue of being able to generate usable default LaTeX; it produces "quality" html by generating the html directly; likewise it populates an SQL database in a useful way with the document in object sized chunks and its meta-data. But SiSU works on an abstraction of the document's structure and content and custom builds suitable uniform output. The html for browser viewing and pdf for paper viewing/publishing are rather different things with different needs for layout - as indeed is what is needed to store information in a database in searchable objects.
The pdfs or html produced for example by open office based on open document format and other office/word processor suits usually attempt to have similar looking outputs - your document rendered in html looks much the same, or in pdf... sisu is less this way, it seeks to have a starting point with as little information about appearance as possible, and to come up with the best possible appearance for each output that can be derived based on this minimal information.
Where there are large document sets, it provides consistency in appearance in each output format for the documents.
The excuse for going this way is, it is a waste of time to think much about appearance when working on substantive content, it is the substantive content that is relevant, not the way it looks beyond the basic informational tags - and yet you want to be able to take advantage of as many useful different ways of representing documents as are available, and for various types of output to to be/look as good as it can for each medium/format in which it is presented, (with different mediums having different focuses) and SiSU tries to achieve this from minimal markup.
44.7 Can the SiSU markup be used to prepare for a LaTex automatic building of an index to the work?
Has not been, is of interest though the question on introducing such possibilities is how to keep them as unobtrusive as possible, and as generically relevant as possible to other output formats (which is why the focus on object numbers). Unobtrusive refers both to the markup (where there is no big problem with introducing optional extras); and, more challengingly how to minimise impact on competing ideas/interests, such allowing the addition of semantic tags which could be tied to objects, mapped against the objects that contain them, (permitting mapping and mining of content in various ways that would be largely agnostic of output format - object numbering being an attempt to move beyond output format based content locators (such as page numbers). The desire being to (be a meta markup and) maintain agnosticism as to what is being generated and in development to favor solutions of that nature. Keep bridging LaTeX, XML, SQL ... make use of objects and serialisation for mapping whether against content or meta-content (such as semantic [or additional structural] markers).
44.8 Can the conversion from SiSU to LaTeX be modified if we have special needs for the LaTeX, or do we need to modify the LaTeX manually?
Should be possible to modify code, it is GPLv3, should be possible either to modify existing modules or write an independent module for generating bespoke latex. Generic improvements are welcome for inclusion/incorporation in the existing code base.
If there are tools to generate mathematical/scientific formula from latex to images (jpg, png), the latex parser could conceivably be used to make these available to other output formats.
44.9 How do I create GIN or GiST index in Postgresql for use in SiSU
This at present needs to be done "manually" and it is probably necessary to alter the sample search form. The following is a helpful response from one of the contributors of GiN to Postgresql Oleg Bartunov 2006-12-06:
FTS in PostgreSQL is provided by tsearch2, which should works without any indices (GiST or GIN) ! Indices provide performance, not functionality.
In your example I'd do ( simple way, just for demo):
0. compile, install tsearch2 and load tsearch2 into your database
cd contrib/tsearch2; make&&make&&install&&make installcheck; psql DB < tsearch2.sql
1. Add column fts, which holds tsvector
alter table documents add column fts tsvector;
2. Fill fts column
update document set fts = to_tsvector(clean);
3. create index - just for performance !
create index fts_gin_idx on document using gin(fts);
4. Run vacuum
vacuum analyze document;
That's all.
Now you can search:
select lid, metadata_tid, rank_cd(fts, q,2)as rank from document, plainto_tsquery('markup syntax') q where q @@ fts order by rank desc limit 10;
44.10 Are there some examples of using Ferret Search with a SiSU repository?
Heard good things about Ferret, but have not used it. The output directory structure and content produced by SiSU is very uniform. Have looked at a couple of other engines (hyperestraier, lucene). There it was enough to identify the files that needed to be indexed and pass them to the search indexing tool. Some Unix rune doing the job, such as:
you would have to experiment with what gives the desired result, the file doc.html is the complete text in html (there are additional smaller html segments), and plain.txt the document as a text file. It may be possible to index the text file and return the html document.
44.11 Have you had any reports of building SiSU from tar on Mac OS 10.4?
None. In the early days of its release a Mac friend built and run the ruby code part that did not rely on system calls to bits like the latex engine. That is already some years back. He was not into writing or document markup, and did it as a favour at the time. I have not followed up that thread of development.
It should however be possible, much of the output relies on plain ruby, and the system commands to latex etc. could be made appropriate for the underlying OS.
44.12 Where is version 1.0?
Most of SiSU is mature and stable. Version 1.0 will be based on the current markup, (more likely with optional additions rather than significant changes) and directory structure. At this point (semantic tagging apart) it is largely a matter of choice as to when the version change is made.
The feature set for html, 111 LaTeX/pdf and opendocument is in place. XML, and plaintext are in order.
html and LaTeX/pdf may be regarded as reference copy outputs
With regard to the populating of sql databases (postgresql and sqlite), there is a bit to be done.
We are still almost there.
45. Who might be interested in the SiSU feature set?
SiSU is most likely to be of interest to people who are working with medium to large volumes of published texts that would like to have the presented in a uniform way that is searchable (either using sisu database integration or an appropriate indexing tool), with the possibility of multiple alternative output formats that may be added to and upgraded/updated over time. SiSU should be of interest to institutions/ organisations/ governments/ individuals with document collections and some technical knowhow that are interested in:
long term maintenance and reducing downstream/future costs of maintaining those document sets for which SiSU is suited.
the ability to output multiple standard format outputs for various purposes.
the implications for search offered
46. Work Needed
SiSU is fairly mature and for most purposes the syntax and what it is supposed to do is clear. For the most part additions and changes are minor and backward compatible, (in particular there may be things of interest that to be able to achieve will require additions to the syntax).
Amongst the most requested features is a way to represent and extract bibliographies from scholarly and other writings. This involves an extension of sisu markup syntax and a new module to extract the bibliography.
Integration of postgresql tsearch2 / gin indexing, (which currently needs to be done manually, and) which has been waiting for the integration of tsearch2 / gin into Postgresql main, which is supposed to occur in Postgresql 8.3
Internationalisation always. SiSU is utf-8 and for those parts that are utf-8 friendly will work out of the box - html and postgresql for example work out of the box (and for example comfortably represent Chinese text), LaTeX and odf do not work out of the box, they need additional work for extended language sets.
Refinements and improvements to output representations, some are fairly mature, others (such as manpages and info files (and even ODF) remain young.
Simple extension to contain, link and share included audio and multi-media files, (including sisupod.zip)
47. Wishlist
SiSU provides a lot of "plumbing" and is readily usable as a tool by those comfortable with marking up documents with an editor. The syntax is fairly easy to learn, especially the subset required to start using SiSU effectively.
SiSU might also be of interest to developers interested in:
experimenting with the search implications offered
producing additional output formats
producing conversion tools
producing input interfaces, (experimenting with additional interfaces for producing sisu source documents)
Several tools that are of interest would come under the heading interface and conversion. Amongst others, the following are of interest:
Converters from various document formats, such as Open Document Text (ODF), MS Word(TM) and Word Perfect(TM), even html. The problem here is one of the most important things for SiSU is to be able to recognise the structure of a document, and many documents prepared in other formats have not been prepared strictly with a view to representing structure, but appearance - so heading levels may be "painted" to look right rather than have the correct structural representation. Even if conversion is not perfect this may serve as a first step in assisting in conversion of documents to SiSU for those with legacy document sets that they would like to have in sisu format. (once in SiSU it is easier to get out in various other formats as this is what sisu does, within the constraints of the information that sisu uses to generate output)
The possibility to save directly from from various word processors, and possibly templates within them to assist in making sure the document structure is "understood" by SiSU.
Web interface/front-end, a form like front end for the writing or submission of sisu documents to a server which uses SiSU to generate output. Headers could be made available as separate small entry forms with help provided to explain where they might be used. Apart from the most important headers such as title, author, date and possibly subject the remainder of the header forms could be placed after the form for substantive content. This would offer a more Web 2.0 like approach to the use of SiSU and the possibility of using it for collaborative editing of content (possibly for documents that are to be finalised/published as the citation system is most suited to published works). [Collaborative editing is currently possible through use of a collaborative editor such as Gobby which makes use of the Obby protocol].
48. Editor Files, Syntax Highlighting
The directory:
./data/sisu/conf/editor-syntax-etc/
/usr/share/sisu/conf/editor-syntax-etc
contains rudimentary sisu syntax highlighting files for:
package is the most comprehensive sisu syntax highlighting and editor environment provided to date (is for vim/ gvim, and is separate from the contents of this directory)
status: this includes: syntax highlighting; vim folds; some error checking
comments: this editor features display line wrap
NOTE:
[SiSU parses files with long lines or line breaks, but, display linewrap (without line-breaks) is a convenient editor feature to have for sisu markup]
49. Help Sources
For a summary of alternative ways to get help on SiSU try one of the following:
Note SiSU documentation is prepared in SiSU and output is available in multiple formats including amongst others html, pdf, and odf which may be also be accessed via the html pages 112
1. objects include: headings, paragraphs, verse, tables, images, but not footnotes/endnotes which are numbered separately and tied to the object from which they are referenced.
2. i.e. the html, pdf, odf outputs are each built individually and optimised for that form of presentation, rather than for example the html being a saved version of the odf, or the pdf being a saved version of the html.
16. .ssc (for composite) is under consideration but ._sst makes clear that this is not a regular file to be worked on, and thus less likely that people will have "accidents", working on a .ssc file that is overwritten by subsequent processing. It may be however that when the resulting file is shared .ssc is an appropriate suffix to use.
17.SiSU has worked this way in the past, though this was dropped as it was thought the complexity outweighed the flexibility, however, the balance was rather fine and this behaviour could be reinstated.
28. <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/war_and_peace.leo_tolstoy/toc.html> The ascii text was taken from Project Gutenberg. The markup transforms required are trivial. Of interest, in this instance I am saved by having alternative syntaxes/(structural modes) for marking up endnotes... as it was possible to do a simple search and replace to make the Project Gutenberg ascii presentation suitable for SiSU , using the older endnote markup style. This example instructs the program to use regular expressions, in this example the words: none; none; BOOK|FIRST|SECOND; CHAPTER; occurring at the beginning of a line, to identify what should be treated as different levels of heading in a document (and used to make the table of contents). Note that there was very little markup required after the document headers and Project Gutenberg legal notices. As I presume the legal notices are similar in Project Gutenberg documents, (and I could not bear to think of preparing the same legal notices twice), I moved those to the "skin" for the Project, and these are now represented in the markup by < :insert1> and < :insert2> and the legal notices are available for similar insertion into the next Project Gutenberg text prepared for SiSU , should there be one. I did a stylesheet/skin for the Gutenberg Project, ... I may have to remove. The markup transforms required are trivial. Of interest, in this instance I am saved by having alternative syntaxes/(structural modes) for marking up endnotes... as it is possible to do a simple search and replace to make Project Gutenberg ascii presentations suitable for SiSU using the older endnote markup style. There is very little markup required after the document headers and Project Gutenberg legal notices. As I presume the legal notices are similar in Project Gutenberg documents, (and I could not bear to think of preparing the same legal notices twice), I moved those to the "skin" for the Project, and these are now represented in the markup by the < :insert1> and < :insert2> markers and the legal notices are available for similar insertion into the next Project Gutenberg text prepared for SiSU , should there be one.
46. <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/un_contracts_international_sale_of_goods_convention_1980/toc.html> This example instructs the program to use regular expressions, in this example the words: Part, Chapter, Section, Article occurring at the beginning of a line, to identify what should be treated as different levels of heading in a document (and used to make the table of contents). This example instructs the program to use regular expressions, in this example the words: Part, Chapter, Section, Article occurring at the beginning of a line, to identify what should be treated as different levels of heading in a document (and used to make the table of contents).
49. of this feature when demonstrated to an IBM software innovations evaluator in 2004 he said to paraphrase: this could be of interest to us. We have large document management systems, you can search hundreds of thousands of documents and we can tell you which documents meet your search criteria, but there is no way we can tell you without opening each document where within each your matches are found.
58. (which could be extended further with current back-end). As regards scaling of the database, it is as scalable as the database (here Postgresql) and hardware allow.
59. of this feature when demonstrated to an IBM software innovations evaluator in 2004 he said to paraphrase: this could be of interest to us. We have large document management systems, you can search hundreds of thousands of documents and we can tell you which documents meet your search criteria, but there is no way we can tell you without opening each document where within each your matches are found.
74. <http://www.jus.uio.no/sisu/archive/pool/main/s/sisu/sisu_0.70.0-1_all.deb> sisu, the base code, (the main package on which the others depend), without any dependencies other than ruby (and for convenience the ruby webrick web server), this generates a number of types of output on its own, other packages provide additional functionality, and have their dependencies Depends: ruby (>=1.8.2), libwebrick-ruby Recommends: sisu-pdf, sisu-sqlite, sisu-postgresql, sisu-examples, vim-sisu, librmagick-ruby, trang, tidy, libtidy, librexml-ruby, zip, unzip, openssl
86. Notes on dependencies are provided in the section that follows
87. This makes use of rant and the provided Rantfile. Note however, that additional external package dependencies, such as tetex-extra are not taken care of for you.
88. a Rantfile has been configured to do post installation setup
99. the Debian Free Software guidelines require that everything distributed within Debian can be changed - and the documents are authors' works that while freely distributable are not freely changeable.
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