Docma

Docma is an acronym for DOCument MAker, a suite of small applications which take Silva XML and convert it to another document format. Currently there is a server for batch processing and two sub-applications, plus an independent app for PDF export:

DocmaServer

The DocmaServer is a standalone application that integrates with Silva to generate and read structured MS Word documents. DocmaServer is a batch processing server that does a ‘round trip’, converting Silva XML to Word documents and back. The server is designed for handling multiple simultaneous users, and queues conversion requests much like a print queuer, providing job status feedback and estimated processing times. Go get it....

Docma allows users to export entire trees of Silva content (a whole branch of the site, including folders and documents) edit the content in Word, and import it back into Silva, retaining all the site and information structure. Technical details...

Silva2Doc

Converts Silva XML to a Word doc. A small Python application (thus Python must be installed on the user's machine), it uses COM calls to generate a Word 2000 document. Silva2Doc is delivered with the DocmaServer, but can also run locally on a Windows machine.

Doc2Silva

Converts to a Word doc to Silva XML. Entire trees of website content can be edited in in Word, then imported into Silva with a reorganized document hierarchy. Doc2Silva is delivered with the DocmaServer, but can also run locally on a Windows machine.

Silva2PDF

Takes Silva XML and converts it into a PDF document using ReportLab. The application has a multitude of preferences which allow the user to define all typographical styles, and save, copy and delete style sheets. Accessible with a browser, the Zope and Python application runs in a Linux environment.

In the future we expect to build more Docma conversion applications, depending on need and priority.