Discussion:
lout2html?
(too old to reply)
ex cord
2008-12-20 04:17:13 UTC
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Is there currently any relatively easy way to convert lout files to html?

Are there any plans to include that functionality into Lout?

Also, is <http://lout.wiki.sourceforge.net/> the current Lout wiki? Is
it up to date?

Thanks.
KHMan
2008-12-20 04:51:29 UTC
Permalink
Post by ex cord
Is there currently any relatively easy way to convert lout files to html?
Are there any plans to include that functionality into Lout?
Also, is <http://lout.wiki.sourceforge.net/> the current Lout wiki? Is
it up to date?
Mostly... :-)

A number of us on the list have dev permissions on SF for the
project account, and the bulk of the wiki was updated based on the
previous Lout website(s) material a few months ago. It's
edit-restricted to minimize maintenance effort.

Some of the things, like version information and frequent updates,
we have left out to reduce maintenance load. If there is
out-of-date information, please do post your comments on this list
and Remo or me will update the relevant material.
--
Cheers,
Kein-Hong Man (esq.)
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
excord80
2008-12-21 05:43:11 UTC
Permalink
Post by KHMan
Post by ex cord
Also, is <http://lout.wiki.sourceforge.net/> the current Lout wiki? Is
it up to date?
Mostly... :-)
A number of us on the list have dev permissions on SF for the
project account, and the bulk of the wiki was updated based on the
previous Lout website(s) material a few months ago. It's
edit-restricted to minimize maintenance effort.
Some of the things, like version information and frequent updates,
we have left out to reduce maintenance load. If there is
out-of-date information, please do post your comments on this list
and Remo or me will update the relevant material.
Dunno if it's out of date, but:

1. The main page on the wiki says pdf output is "highly experimental".
If this is no longer the case, you might want to rephrase that. As an
aside, it would be great to see at least a small amount of discussion
about the pros and cons of ps vs. pdf.

2. Regarding the faq page of the wiki, I'd suggest adding:

2.1. "Can Lout generate HTML output?". After having received a reply
about this off-list, I think the correct answer probably is, "No, and
there are no plans to have it do so. However, if you'd like to have
multiple output formats, you might be best served to write your
documents in some higher-level or more generic "front-end" format
(such as Texinfo, for example), and then use Lout specifically to
produce postscript output." Good discussion on that in the very recent
thread, <http://groups.google.com/group/fa.lout/browse_thread/thread/
9bf03ef7663484ab#> for possibly better wording regarding this matter.
Note, I've got no idea if there's a "texi2lout" tool out there, but it
sounds like an interesting idea. :)

2.2. "When is it a good idea to write my docs in Lout?" (Ans.: "when
you don't need to create output as anything other than ps or pdf, and
when you want fairly fine control over how the printed output will
look on the page." --- I'm only making a guess about that answer.)

2.3. Other useful items that could be added to the faq:

2.3.1. a couple of png's comparing mathematical equation rendering of
Lout vs. LaTeX would be nice (and useful for users considering the
switch from LaTeX to Lout)
2.3.2. an item describing how you can change the main font(s) in your
document.
2.3.3 "Can I use the Computer Modern font with Lout?" (Answer would
include brief instructions on how to get this to work.)

Just my 2 cents. :)
excord80
2008-12-21 05:52:20 UTC
Permalink
KHMan, one last thing: on the examples page, it would be very
convenient if you pasted in the example given at the very beginning of
the user manual (first example in chapter 1). This would very quickly
give readers a feel for what Lout-formatted text looks like.

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