General ⇒ Image file insert from http

[4parsec]

Hello!

We have (had ) an ongoing documentation project in MS W0RD. We used master/subdocument functionality but later realized on tech forums that this functionality is simply corrput in W0RD and not recommended to use (!).
And on the other hand, the resulting solid PDF is above 80MB and when saving to HTML, paragraph numbering restarts in each file and table of contents won't link to each html files.

Yes... it's, well... not good at all.

For my private tasks I use latex/lyx with great success - it generates individual html for document parts (latex2html) and in general, works great.

I decided to migrate the company documetation project to latex. I'll keep the individual word subdocuments and I'll create a macro that will convert it to latex. Documents use 3 level headings, image inserts and a lot of screenshots - simple markup it'll be.

- Why would you do it Robert?
- This is the only editor my colleagues know and company IT organization won't let me to install anything else on their boxes.
- Oh, I see.
- No problem.


FACT:

As we have above hundreds of screenshots, we inserted them into word as a

Code: Select all

http://intranet/dir/chapter/img1.jpg

link to a local web server, so files are kept small, images are stored only once. And also my colleagues see the screenshot while authoring. (This is a functional software documentation project of an existing in-house developed software with no documentation existing at all )

QUESTIONS:

- Is it possible to include an image from a http:// source and not the file system?
- If yes, could it be solved to keep it as a http:// reference when I convert it to html?
- Could latex2html process 5-600 pages with 2-3 images (linked into) each page?

Any help are welcome... I must find a solution and set up the new documentation process in two weeks...

thanks!
Robert

[T3.]

- Is it possible to include an image from a http:// source and not the file system?

Take a look at this thread.

- If yes, could it be solved to keep it as a http:// reference when I convert it to html?

I suppose it depends on the converter you use. You mention latex2html - I haven't used this one but after a quick look in the documentation I found \html and \latexhtml commands that could be used to pass some stuff to generated html document so it should be possible.

- Could latex2html process 5-600 pages with 2-3 images (linked into) each page?

I can't say since I don't use it. But it's should be easy enough to find out - just test it on some dummy auto-generated file.

Cheers,

Tomek

PS.

You intend to write a custom Word->LaTeX converter and then use latex2html if I understand correctly. Wouldn't direct conversion Word->html be simpler?

[4parsec]

Hello Tomek!

Thanks for the tips! I'll read and try them. The direct html inculde sounds promising! However, a printable version later would be nice - but this time html is more inportant, as hopefully only a few plans to print it all. You know, I simply like to look at LaTeX generated PS files

>> "You intend to write a custom Word->LaTeX converter and then use latex2html if I understand correctly. Wouldn't direct conversion Word->html be simpler?"


It would be, but as an MS expert recommended, we should finish using master documents ASAP in word as it is a corrupted function. From this point I have no chance to generate one table of contents, and as I've written above, even with this function the generated html is bad - TOC links are not working and numbering restarts in each file.
I need one file for chapters, and other levels, just like latex2html does it.

Do you know other converters as well?

thanks again!
Robert

[T3.]

A list of available TeX -> X converters and X -> TeX.

A simple way to setup a (limited) Word to LaTeX converter is to prepare a mapping table of Word constructs to LaTeX equivalents. Then it will be easy to retarget your converter to html by just swapping this table if the need arises.

As for converters from TeX to hypertext, tex4ht seems to be the king ATM. Beware, that tex4ht ships with broken configuration in MiKTeX. It is probably the best to install it manually and separately from MiKTeX. I have recently prepared an installation script that partially automates this task, see this thread.

Another suggestion that comes to my mind is to convert .doc to .odt with OO Writer and then use writer2latex. Maybe this could be tailored to your needs. Despite its name, writer2latex can be used to generate xhtml as well as LaTeX.

Cheers,

Tomek