XML

[raymond]

Hello,

I have saved a TextEdit document into XML. I remember that the Mellel
format now is XML, if I am not mistaken.

I have tried to open it with mellel and got 80 pages of garbage.
Of course importing it as RTF did the trick.

My question: For what it is good to have XML format if I can't import
this format into mellel.

Raymond

[Stephen Still]

XML is a way of making formats - it isn't a format in and of itself.

The advantage of an XML-based document format is that because it is a plain text format, and because it has very strict rules about the structure of the markup, it is vastly easier to programmatically manipulate - i.e. to convert to and from other document formats. That does not happen automatically - it requires someone to sit down and write a converter.

So, for example, I have thrown together a quick Mellel to HTML converter, and am working on a Mellel to OpenDocument converter. That would not have been possible without an XML file format. They certainly do not just happen for free, unfortunately.

[Marco]

I wish to thank and give credit to Stephen for mellel to html converter.

When he first posted the link to his converter, I downloaded it and tried it. I could generate easily an html page out of a document that had Unicode Hebrew inside it. The direction of Hebrew was preserved correctly.

The html page had one inconsistency, though. This forced me to examine again my Mellel file, and I noticed that I had pasted a footnote within a footnote. This problem is described elsewhere in this forum.

See this image for reference:

The inconsistency that resulted was invisible in Mellel, but it showed up in html.

[raymond]

How do you attach screen picture to your post?

[Marco]

Yesterday I couldn't do that.

Today I could, because I actually pasted a link to an image that is already posted on this same forum.

I would like to be able to post new images, but I still don't know how to do that.

Anyone knows?

[nicka]

I would like to be able to post new images, but I still don't know how to do that.

There's no provision for hosting the image here, as far as I know, so you have to link to an image which you host on your own webspace, or one that you have put up on some kind of image hosting site.

[signinstranger]

The html page had one inconsistency, though. This forced me to examine again my Mellel file, and I noticed that I had pasted a footnote within a footnote. This problem is described elsewhere in this forum.

See this image for reference..

I guess I have to make a proper bug report then and and send it to Redler's email support. This behaviour is prone to cause nasty side effects when you work with Mellel's XML files.

EDIT: Done!

[dp]

I've not yet bought Mellel, and would like to pose a question the opposite of Raymond's. If I have a number of Mellel files, but unfortunately no longer have access to Mellel, how can I extract the XML text?

Thanks,
dp

[signinstranger]

Try Stephen Still's Mellel to HTML Converter or copy&paste to TextEdit from Mellel (if the unregistered version permits that). I'd buy Mellel if I were you. It's quite a bargain.

[ozean]

I've not yet bought Mellel, and would like to pose a question the opposite of Raymond's. If I have a number of Mellel files, but unfortunately no longer have access to Mellel, how can I extract the XML text?

Or you just unzip the XML file that is embedded in the .mellel package and open it in a text editor of your choice (or a browser). Once opened in the text (or XML) editor, you have access to the full text and you can also fiddle around with search and replace to transform at least some of the formatting into formatting that is useful for you.

I guess that with time we will see a few XML converters or XSLTs that can do most of the work for you… (i.e. transform to ODF or OfiiceXML - similar to the HTML transformation that we already have thanks to Stephen)

[dp]

It certainly is a bargain, and impressive in many other ways. But I'm still trying to decide between Mellel and Nisus Writer Pro. I'm concerned about long-term data preservation. I've demonstrated to myself that I can get at NWP files with any rtf reader. I'm trying to see what it takes to extract content from Mellel. Ozean's reply helps, too. But I don't know how to get into the package.

dp

[ozean]

But I don't know how to get into the package.

Do a right click/control click on the .mellel file (which is the package) and then select Show Package Contents in the context menu. This will open a new window displaying the contents of the package…

A package is just a folder that pretends to be a file. If you move this to a Windows system, you will just see it as a folder with the contents of the package ordered within the folder.

[dp]

Well, that was simple enough. Thank you, Ozean.

dp

[signinstranger]

...still trying to decide between Mellel and Nisus Writer Pro. I'm concerned about long-term data preservation. I've demonstrated to myself that I can get at NWP files with any rtf reader. I'm trying to see what it takes to extract content from Mellel.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XSLT

[raymond]

What is then the advantage for Mellel using XML comparing it to the RTF format, in terms of compatibility to other writing formats?

Why XML of Mellel is not compatible with other wrodprocessors XML formats?