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Stationery
A Stationery contains a single file (.wxsp) that stores all the configured settings from the ePublisher Pro UI. The concept of a Stationery is not only to capture all of the configured style and behavior settings of the generated output, but to also capture the entire implementation of the conversion and isolate it from changes to future releases of ePublisher. Since you can always use ePublisher Pro to create a new Stationery, you can easily maintain isolation while at the same time moving forward with new releases of ePublisher. You can also limit the number of formats that are packaged in a Stationery, which serves to reduce potential confusion with your working environment. Each output format (e.g., WebWorks Help 5.0, HTML Help, JavaHelp, Dynamic HTML, etc.) requires certain files to generate output; without them, the formats would not have the necessary components to create the Help system.
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ePublisher Express users must have access to a Stationery in order to create new projects. |
Components of Stationery
Stationery contains the following components:
Figure 7-1: Contents of Stationery Folder
The .WXSP File
The .wxsp is the file that contains the style definitions and formatting information configured in your ePublisher Pro project.
The following is a list of items that gets stored in the .wxsp file:
The Formats Folder
When you save Stationery, ePublisher Pro copies the output format information for your format targets and places it into a Formats folder. The Formats folder, which is located in your project’s root directory, contains all the necessary files to create your output files. The benefit of having output format information contained within the Stationery is that you can ensure that your Stationery will not be affected by any ePublisher Pro updates.
Oftentimes, when you install a new build of ePublisher Pro, modifications may have been made to files within the output formats directory. When this occurs, any projects with format overrides may be affected by the updates. To resolve this issue, Stationery maintains the existing copies of the output format files within the Formats folder.
One of the main benefits of saving a Stationery is that your output format information will never change, which means that your target format overrides will not be affected by any updates to ePublisher Pro. This ensures that the Stationery file will continue working in your production environment.
The Targets Folder
The Targets folder contains the target overrides for your project. Target overrides exist whenever there are customzations that you want to make to your output that cannot be made through the user interface. For example, modifications to Page.asp or changes to the splash image are considered target overrides.
If you have made any target overrides to your ePublisher Pro project, then the Targets folder from your ePublisher Pro project will be copied into the Stationery.
The Manifest File
A Stationery has a manifest file. The manifest file lists all of the files that are currently associated with the Stationery file. The manifest specifically lists files that are in the:
Anytime a file has been modified, removed from, or added to any of these folders in the stationery, the stationery’s manifest file will be updated to reflect those changes; therefore, the manifest file is a record of the Target, Format, and User files that are currently associated with a stationery file.
The manifest file is mostly used by ePublisher Express and AutoMap to determine if the Stationery has been modified, which allows the application to alert the user to synchronize their project to the most current version of the Stationery.
Items Contained within Stationery
The following is a list items stored in Stationery:
Saving Stationery
Once you save the ePublisher Pro project as a Stationery file, all of the style information, settings, and definitions from the project will be added to the stationery file. ePublisher Pro will also copy over the necessary user, output format, and format target files and save it as part of your Stationery.
Once you have finished the Stationery file, it needs to be placed in a central location where all ePublisher Express and AutoMap users can access it. This location must be communicated to any writers who need to access the Stationery file. If the stationery designer moves or deletes the Stationery from the location from which ePublisher Express projects are accessing it, then the ePublisher Express will alert you that it cannot find the location of the Stationery file. If this occurs, you will need to update your project and direct it to the new location of the Stationery or point it to a new Stationery file.
To save as Stationery:
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Open an existing project or create a new project (.wep) file that you wish to save as a Stationery. |
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Choose File > Save as Stationery. |
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In the Location field, browse to the location where you would like to store the stationery file. |
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Select the option Package as Stationery. |
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Under the Targets section, select the target formats you would like to include in the stationery. |
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4. |
Click OK. |
