PDF processing modules

The PDF (formerly known as PDF2) transformation process runs the pre-processing routine and follows it by a series of additional targets. These steps work together to create a merged set of content, convert the merged content to XSL-FO, and then format the XSL-FO file to PDF.

The PDF process includes many Ant targets. During a typical conversion from map to PDF, the following targets are most significant.

  • map2pdf2

    Creates a merged file by calling a common Java merge module. It then calls the publish.map.pdf target to do the remainder of the work.

  • publish.map.pdf

    Performs some initialization and then calls the transform.topic2pdf target to do the remainder of processing.

  • transform.topic2pdf

    Converts the merged file to XSL-FO, generates the PDF, and deletes the topic.fo file, unless instructed to keep it.

The transform.topic2pdf target uses the following targets to perform those tasks:

  • transform.topic2fo

    Convert the merged file to an XSL-FO file. This process is composed of several sub-targets.

  • transform.topic2fo.index

    Runs a Java process to set up index processing, based on the document language. This step generates the file stage1.xml in the temporary processing directory.

  • transform.topic2fo.flagging

    Sets up preprocessing for flagging based on a DITAVAL file. This step generates the file stage1a.xml in the temporary processing directory.

  • transform.topic2fo.main

    Does the bulk of the conversion from DITA to XSL-FO. It runs the XSLT-based process that creates stage2.fo in the temporary processing directory

  • transform.topic2fo.i18n

    Does additional localization processing on the FO file; it runs a Java process that converts stage2.fo into stage3.fo, followed by an XSLT process that converts stage3.fo into topic.fo.

  • transform.fo2pdf

    Converts the topic.fo file into PDF using the specified FO processor (Antenna House, XEP, or Apache FOP).

  • delete.fo2pdf.topic.fo

    Deletes the topic.fo file, unless otherwise specified by setting an Ant property or command-line option.