Tag Archive for: EPUB

Learning About EPUB: Structure and Content


e-Books have revolutionized how an increasing number of people consume written content, allowing convenient access to myriad publications on e-readers, mobile devices, and computers.  But did you ever wonder about the technology that makes it all possible?

There are various formats used to create e-books, and one of the most popular is the standards-based EPUB format. Let’s take a look at how EPUB works by creating our own EPUB e-book, then re-purposing some existing HTML pages to flesh out the content.

e-reader

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Automating Data Integration Workflows – Download the E-Book


We’ve published an e-book titled Automating Data Integration Workflows with Altova FlowForce Server that is now available for free download from the Altova Web site.

Here is a brief description: FlowForce Server is a highly-customizable platform to automate data transformations defined by MapForce data mappings, report and document generation, and other tasks on dedicated servers, virtual machines, or workstations scaled for the scope of the project. FlowForce Server empowers data architects, analysts, and other IT professionals to efficiently complete enterprise-level data integration tasks.

Automating Data Integration Workflows with Altova FlowForce Server provides an overview of the Altova FlowForce Server platform through a series of real-world data integration tasks and examples.

Automating Data Integration Workflows with Altova FlowForce Server

The new e-book collects updated information from the Altova Blog, the Altova Web site, and some all-new material, organized in one location to help new FlowForce Server users get started and to suggest new applications and efficiencies for experienced users.

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DiffDog E-book Now Available


We’ve published an e-book in multiple formats for your favorite tablet or other e-reader.

DiffDog Field Trials e-book cover image

DiffDog Field Trials is a collection of information from the Altova blog, Tech Notes from the Library section of the Altova Web site, and DiffDog product feature pages. The e-book describes a wide range of real-world applications for DiffDog, Altova’s XML-aware diff/merge tool for files, folders, directories, and databases.

You can download DiffDog Field Trials from the Altova Web site in various formats:

· EPUB (1.57 mb)

· Kindle (3.08 mb)

· PDF (11.1 mb)

· iBooks (16.5 mb)

Or, look for DiffDog Field Trials soon in your favorite online electronic bookstore.

Editing EPUB files with DiffDog

As you can see from the list above, EPUB, the XML-based free and open e-book standard by the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF), is potentially the most efficient sharable file format. An EPUB document is based on a ZIP compressed archive containing style information, text formatted as html, and the images that appear in the e-book.

Altova XMLSpy provides powerful support for accessing, editing, validating and previewing EPUB 2.x documents. We used XMLSpy to assemble the EPUB version of our book, where we were able to interactively preview the result as we worked:
XMLSpy EPUB Preview Window Read more…

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XPath Expressions for Data Reporting


In our earlier post titled Use XPath Expressions to Refine Data Selection, we described how to use XMLSpy to develop an XPath expression to select one table of data contained in a much larger data set provided by the US Department of Education.

An HTML report based on XPath data selection in StyleVision

We can reuse the work in XMLSpy to quickly create a StyleVision design for a report or an e-Form to communicate highlights from the data.
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Release 2 of the Altova MissionKit 2012


It’s an exciting week here at Altova! We have several new offerings to tell you about, including Release 2 of the Version 2012 Altova MissionKit and entire product line, a new Altova Online Training course on XSLT Technology, and a new service called Altova Product Consulting. clip_image001 Let’s start with what’s included in the latest product release. Version 2012 Release 2 delivers a host of the new features that have been most frequently requested by our customers, including support for EPUB 2.x, sorting of data mapping results, RichEdit functionality for Authentic eForms, code generation from UML sequence diagrams, and much more.

Version 2012 Release 2 Highlights

EPUB As the demand for e-books and other digital publications has exploded, so have the number of requests we’ve received from developers who need an easy way to create and edit these documents in XMLSpy 2012. In Release 2 we’ve added support for EPUB® (electronic publication), the open standard for e-books from the International Digital Publishing Forum (IDPF). It’s easy to view and work with the various files that make up an EPUB document in XMLSpy’s Archive View, which supports creating, editing, validating, and previewing EPUB digital publications. clip_image003 XMLSpy already provides validation and support for editing XML, XHTML, CSS, and other standards-based files that comprise EPUB documents, making it a natural choice for creating and working with EPUB content. Check out all the new features in XMLSpy. Sorting for Data Mapping Projects Another frequently requested feature is the ability to sort data in mapping projects where the final output format needs to be ordered differently than it was in the input. MapForce 2012r2 includes two powerful new sorting features that you can apply in a variety of ways. The screenshot below shows a new function that performs a multi-level sort on the source data before writing the output file: clip_image004 Another option is available for sorting relational input. MapForce users have long been able to sort database data through ORDER BY statements in SQL queries. However, SQL queries that operate inside the database are not always sufficient for complex data mapping tasks. MapForce 2012r2 adds additional database sorting functionality to the existing MapForce SQL-WHERE component to become SQL-WHERE/ORDER, which is especially useful when database input requires additional processing that cannot be accomplished in a SQL query, or other data or conditions can impact the sorted order of data rows. clip_image005 Read more about new MapForce features. Other important features added in R2 include RichEdit functionality for Authentic eForms created in StyleVision, code generation from UML sequence diagrams in UModel, support for logical files in IBM® iSeries® databases across the product line, and much more.

Upgrade Info

Check out the rest of the features added in Release 2. This new version is free to download and install for customers with Support and Maintenance. If you’re not already an Altova customer, you can download a free, fully functional 30-day trial.

XSLT Technology Training

We are thrilled to announce the latest Altova Online Training course, XSLT Technology. This free, online, self-paced class introduces students to the concepts of XSL, XSLT, XPath, XSL-FO, and more, through guided tutorials and videos. You can practice working with these technologies using the tools of the Altova MissionKit to transform XML to XML, to HTML, and to PDF. clip_image007

Altova Product Consulting

Have you ever wished you could purchase a few hours of a product expert’s time – whether you need to determine if a particular tool could solve your problem, or need help creating a schema or mapping project, or simply require in-depth product support? We’ve heard from a lot of customers with this very requirement – and in response we have created Altova Product Consulting. Altova’s Product Consulting engineers are experts on Altova software and related technologies. Services include determining if an Altova product meet the needs of a particular project, creating a MapForce mapping file (.mfd), designing a StyleVision design (.sps), and so on. Unlike typical complicated consulting engagements, Altova Product Consulting services are sold per hour, the allotment of which is agreed upon in advance, so there are no surprises. Get more information on specific services provided, pricing, and how to get started.

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