summaryrefslogtreecommitdiff
path: root/info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex
diff options
context:
space:
mode:
authorNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900
committerNorbert Preining <norbert@preining.info>2019-09-02 13:46:59 +0900
commite0c6872cf40896c7be36b11dcc744620f10adf1d (patch)
tree60335e10d2f4354b0674ec22d7b53f0f8abee672 /info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex
Initial commit
Diffstat (limited to 'info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex')
-rw-r--r--info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex103
1 files changed, 103 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex b/info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..5150756a02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/info/digests/texline/no11/dbp.tex
@@ -0,0 +1,103 @@
+\centerline{\bf dbPublisher}
+\smallskip\noindent
+Two products have appeared on the market in the last year or so
+which enable the user (naive or not-so naive -- see below) to extract data from
+a database or spreadsheet and automatically typeset (or DTP) it. The two
+products are called, rather confusingly, dbPublisher (distributed in the UK by
+Migent) and DataBase Publisher (written and distributed by the Graphics
+Technology Group -- GTG). So what is the difference between them and why review
+the former in \Texline?
+
+DataBase Publisher is intended to be an interface
+between dBase and either Ventura or Pagemaker. It will also pick up from
+sequential \ascii\ files (and this is how one handles data from other databases)
+and GTG will write output filters to other DTP\slash typesetting packages; they
+presumably could write one for \TeX. In other words DataBase Publisher has no
+formatting or output facilities of its own. dbPublisher, on the other hand does
+everything -- it makes it possible to pick up data directly from a whole range of
+databases, spreadsheets and word-processors (as well as sequential \ascii\ files)
+and it pipes this data (I use a \unix\ term even though the package only runs
+under DOS, because there is a direct transfer from one process to the
+next), through a generic mark-up interpreter, to (surprise, surprise!) \TeX{}.
+It does take some time to realise that \TeX{} is the formatter used in this package
+(unless you recognise the otherwise uninterpretable error messages), because it
+is only hidden away in one of the Appendices of the manual, describing a form of
+generic coding, that suddenly one sees
+
+{\narrower
+\noindent
+\hbox{``|<literal>... | {\tt \TeX\ Commands} |</literal>|}\hfil\break
+ Allows passing \TeX{} commands
+directly through \SGML\ mode. If you know what \TeX{} is you will be pleased. If
+you are not familiar with \TeX{}, this command should not be used. It is
+included only for those wonderful lunatic-fringe folks who have mastered \TeX{}
+macros (you know who you are).''
+\smallskip}
+So there it is and incidentally there is
+also a \PS\ {\tt Passthrough} command `for certifiable \PS\ addicts
+only'.
+
+That is the good side of dbPublisher, in other words, at least in
+theory, you have the potential to anything that \TeX{} can do, with a powerful
+data extraction and sort facility on the front. The problems come once one
+starts to use it. The first problem I had (and still have) is that dbPublisher
+uses its own graphics interface (one of the many produced before Windows became
+standard). This is different enough from Windows to be confusing at times (when
+do you click and when do you double-click?) and for my system, an ACER 386 with
+an Adaptec controller, was disastrous because the controller uses the same
+interrupts as the windowing software and every time I tried to preview a file,
+the system rebooted! I still have not solved this problem and changing the
+Adaptec interrupts seems to be the only way, which I am not keen on doing. So
+the following comments are based on work on a client's system (a Tandon, where
+everything did work properly).
+
+DataBase Publisher has a very easy to use
+interface, using Windows, where one clicks on options or clicks, holds and moves
+fields into the order required; everything is graphical and one can achieve
+results very quickly. With dbPublisher, however, the interface is partly
+graphical and partly character-based. And it is difficult to learn. The manual
+takes one through a series of exercises, which are fine if that is what you want
+to do, but if what you want to do is slightly different, then it may take quite
+a while to work out how to achieve it. The selection and formatting commands are
+interspersed and can be accessed in most cases either by typing in what you
+want, although you will probably have to bring up a 4GL-type menu to do it, or
+by placing boxes on the graphically displayed page. To try and summarize the
+procedure in a review is almost impossible; after all the manual does not
+succeed very well in over 200 pages.
+
+Having been fairly critical, I should say
+that I believe that dbPublisher is an immensely powerful package, once one has
+worked out what to do. I managed to produce a directory using it, and more
+recently a mailmerge program which works directly from the database (Rbase in
+this case) with virtually any selection criterion and the ability to allow for
+missing address fields while still starting the salutation line (Dear\dots) at
+the same point for window-envelope use. This can obviously be achieved in
+other ways, but the final program (once I had worked it out) is really
+quite simple. Programs can of course be very complicated, but the
+processing times tend to extend; this is fine if you know that everything is
+working, but when you are testing a program it can be annoying. One good feature
+is that one can test programs on a few database records, so that development
+times are reduced (this was not so on the first version). Another good feature
+is that you can preview files before printing them (if your system allows it!),
+and I would suggest that this is always the way to operate.
+
+I have not said
+anything about how dbPublisher uses \TeX{}. This is mainly because I am no
+\TeX{}pert. Certainly, I have found no problem in getting the typographic output
+I wanted; most of the problems I have encountered have been in the selection
+side. There is a sample generic file provided, but not a sample \TeX{} file. It
+would be interesting to try to pass a complete \TeX{} file through dbPublisher
+and see if the result is as expected. If only the package would work on my
+system\dots\
+
+In summary, I think that dbPublisher is very good value for
+someone who has no DTP program already, but has some programming experience (or
+access to someone who has -- runtime versions can be produced). If you are
+already running Ventura or PageMaker, then DataBase Publisher is probably a more
+practical solution. However, as a \TeX{} user you would certainly find
+dbPublisher interesting, if at times frustrating, to play with and for the right
+application it could be just what you want. And if someone would write a good
+manual or handbook on the package, then I am sure that it could almost become a
+leading contender in the DTP field, unless of course you have an Adaptec
+controller!
+\author{David Penfold}