ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd 1:2005

Information technology — Document description and processing languages — DSSSL library for complex compositions — Amendment 1: Extensions to basic composition styles and tables

Technologies de l'information — Description de document et langages de traitement — Bibliothèque DSSSL pour compositions complexes — Amendement 1: Extensions aux styles de composition de base et aux tableaux

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 05-Jul-2005
• ICS: 35.060 - Languages used in information technology
• Technical Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 - Document description and processing languages
• Drafting Committee: ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 - Document description and processing languages
• Current Stage: 6060 - International Standard published
• Start Date: 06-Jul-2005
• Completion Date: 14-Feb-2026

Relations

• Amends: ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003 - Information technology — Document description and processing languages — DSSSL library for complex compositions
• Effective Date: 06-Jun-2022
• Child: ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003 - Information technology — Document description and processing languages — DSSSL library for complex compositions
• Effective Date: 15-Apr-2008

Overview

ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd 1:2005 is an amendment to the established ISO standard for information technology concerning document description and processing languages, specifically focusing on the DSSSL (Document Style Semantics and Specification Language) library for complex compositions. This amendment introduces important extensions to the standard, addressing enhancements to basic composition styles and table functionalities. By incorporating these developments, the standard supports improved methods for laying out documents, supporting more flexible and detailed table designs and page composition techniques.

Key Topics

• Graphical Method for Page Composition
  The amendment introduces a graphical composition method using the Unwin module concept, which allows content-driven page layout based on graphical margin specifications. This method:

  • Defines all four page margins graphically.
  • Supports precise specification of starting points and floating line direction using calculated values based on line count, line spacing, and character size.
  • Encourages efficient data input by focusing on gutter margin and font size, streamlining the specification process for DSSSL-powered compositions.

• Table Specification Enhancements
  Several extensions enhance table features for better document structure and aesthetics:

  • Rounded Corner Tables: Table element specifications now allow for rounded corners, with radius being adjustable for visual impact.
  • Table Header Columns and Rows: Specific definitions enable clear distinction and styling of header rows and columns, including customizable background color.
  • Multiple Strings in Table Cells: The structure permits cells to contain both row and column strings, enhancing representation of complex tabular data.
  • Diagonal Lines Through Tables: Support is added for drawing diagonal lines through square tables, ideal for applications like league standings.
  • Word Wrapping and Font Reduction: Automatic font size reduction or word wrapping is controlled via new attributes, ensuring content fits within cell boundaries.

Applications

The extensions provided in this amendment address the needs of organizations and developers working with structured document formats that require advanced page and table composition capabilities. Common use cases include:

• Technical Documentation: Creation of highly formatted manuals, standards documents, and handbooks that require precise control over page layout and tables.
• Automated Publishing Workflows: Integration within publishing systems that generate documents from XML or SGML sources, leveraging DSSSL for style and format consistency.
• Complex Tabular Reports: Rendering of financial, statistical, or scientific reports where advanced table structures (e.g., multi-string cells, diagonal cell division) are essential for clarity and data presentation.
• Internationalized Content Design: Accommodates various formatting needs for different languages and scripts, thanks to flexible margin and table style options.

Related Standards

Organizations implementing ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd 1:2005 may find the following standards relevant:

• ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003 - The original technical report outlining comprehensive DSSSL library functions for complex document composition.
• ISO/IEC 10179:1996 - The core specification for DSSSL, foundational for structured document styling and transformation.
• ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 34 Standards - A suite of related standards on document description and processing languages, supporting advanced publishing and information management requirements.

By adhering to these international standards, users ensure greater interoperability, consistency, and quality in document processing and automated publishing environments, particularly when handling structured documents with complex composition and tabular requirements.

Standards Content (Sample)

TECHNICAL ISO/IEC
REPORT TR
First edition
2003-04-01
AMENDMENT 1
2005-07-01
Information technology — Document
description and processing languages —
DSSSL library for complex compositions
AMENDMENT 1: Extensions to basic
composition styles and tables
Technologies de l'information — Description de document et langages
de traitement — Bibliothèque DSSSL pour compositions complexes —
AMENDEMENT 1: Extensions aux styles de composition de base et
aux tableaux
Reference number
ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)
©
ISO/IEC 2005
ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)
PDF disclaimer
This PDF file may contain embedded typefaces. In accordance with Adobe's licensing policy, this file may be printed or viewed but
shall not be edited unless the typefaces which are embedded are licensed to and installed on the computer performing the editing. In
downloading this file, parties accept therein the responsibility of not infringing Adobe's licensing policy. The ISO Central Secretariat
accepts no liability in this area.
Adobe is a trademark of Adobe Systems Incorporated.
Details of the software products used to create this PDF file can be found in the General Info relative to the file; the PDF-creation
parameters were optimized for printing. Every care has been taken to ensure that the file is suitable for use by ISO member bodies. In
the unlikely event that a problem relating to it is found, please inform the Central Secretariat at the address given below.

©  ISO/IEC 2005
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, no part of this publication may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and microfilm, without permission in writing from either ISO at the address below or
ISO's member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
Case postale 56 • CH-1211 Geneva 20
Tel. + 41 22 749 01 11
Fax + 41 22 749 09 47
E-mail [e-mail]
Web www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO/IEC 2005 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
In exceptional circumstances, the joint technical committee may propose the publication of a Technical Report
of one of the following types:
— type 1, when the required support cannot be obtained for the publication of an International Standard,
despite repeated efforts;
— type 2, when the subject is still under technical development or where for any other reason there is the
future but not immediate possibility of an agreement on an International Standard;
— type 3, when the joint technical committee has collected data of a different kind from that which is
normally published as an International Standard (“state of the art”, for example).
Technical Reports of types 1 and 2 are subject to review within three years of publication, to decide whether
they can be transformed into International Standards. Technical Reports of type 3 do not necessarily have to
be reviewed until the data they provide are considered to be no longer valid or useful.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
Amendment 1 to ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1,
Information technology, Subcommittee SC 34, Document description and processing languages.
This amendment provides additional DSSSL library specifications for basic composition styles and table
compositions.
© ISO/IEC 2005 – All rights reserved iii

ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)

Information technology — Document description and
processing languages — DSSSL library for complex
compositions
AMENDMENT 1
Extensions to basic composition styles and tables
Page 5, Clause 4.4
Add the following clause 4.4.1 before 4.5:
“
4.4.1 Graphical method using the Unwin module concept
Content-driven specification can be determined by using a graphical method based on the Unwin module
concept. The following procedure and Figure A1.1 show how all four margins are specified graphically using
the Unwin module concept.
a) Specify S point.
b) Draw diagonal line from the top-right edge through S point to bottom left edge.
c) Draw line from left page of bottom-left edge to right page of top-right edge.
d) Draw line from left page of top-left edge to right page of bottom-right edge.
e) Draw line from left page of top-left edge to left page of bottom right edge.
f) Draw line from right page of top-left edge to right page of bottom right edge.
g) Draw horizontal line from S point until reaching line which was drawn in procedure d).
h) Draw vertical line from point A until reaching line which was drawn in procedure b).
i) Draw horizontal line from point B and vertical line from S to set point C.

S
1.33 1.33
A
g a
f
2.0 2.1.01.00
e d
b
i
10.6 10.6
BCc
h
Figure A1.1 — Procedure of graphical method
© ISO/IEC 2005 – All rights reserved 1

ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)
It is difficult to flow content into areas defined using the Unwin.

Ｓ
Diagonal Line B Diagonal Line A
Figure A1.2 — Specification of starting point
The number of em characters in a line and the number of lines in a page must be specified in a content-driven
specification. As shown in figure A1.2, starting point S is determined by the closest starting point on diagonal
line A that will give the largest number of designated em characters in a line between diagonal lines A and B.
The following equation is used to calculate the length of the line floating direction:
length of line direction = (number of line -1) (line spacing) + (character size)
By adopting this equation, the graphical method can be applied to content-driven method.
When using the above content-driven method as part of a DSSSL library, specification of right margin, font
size, number of lines and line spacing is required.
Since the use of four sets of data is not efficient within a DSSSL library, users should limit the inputting data to
values of gutter margin (*gutter-margin*) and font size (*default-font-size*).
The default value of line-spacing is designated as 1.5 em.
”
Page 14, Clause 4.18
Add the following clauses after 4.18.2:
“
4.18.3 Rounded corner table
The shape of a table is rectangular, though corners are allowed to be rounded.
— If you wish to round the corner of table, use *corner-rounded-table-style* under the specification of element
table.
— The radius of the corner is specified using (define *base-table-corner-radius* 3pt). By changing the number
within define, the radius of table corner is specified as the value of it. The default value of a table corner
radius is 3pt.
2 © ISO/IEC 2005 – All rights reserved

ISO/IEC TR 19758:2003/Amd.1:2005(E)
4.18.4 Table header column and row

Row Table header row
○○○○○ ○○ ○○ ○○
○○○ ○○○ ○ ○○
Column
○○○ ○ ○○ ○○○
Cell
Table header column
Figure A1.3 — Major Table layout
Table header column and table header row should be defined as siblings of table column
and table row respectively. The table header column and table header row should have the same
children as table column and table row respectively, and initially be specified with their background color of
light-gray, as shown in figure A1.3.
4.18.5 Multiple strings in table cells
○○ ○○ ○○
alpha
num
○○○ ○○○ ○ ○○
○○○ ○ ○○ ○○○
Figure A1.4 — Multiple strings in table cell
Multiple table cell should be defined as siblings of table-cell , and have its children; row string
and column string . The row string includes #PCDATA which are related to row data. The
column string includes #PCDATA which are related to column data.
The multiple table cell with the following specification will be rendered as shown at the top-left cell of figure
A1.4.

alpha