Inserting User Notes into Local DESL Web Documentation

It is possible to have a collection of DESL web pages be (re)created locally using the downloaded makesys.exe utility. This may be what is desired for one or more of the following reasons :

1. secure situation
2. assure faster web page access
3. to take advantage of the capability to have local DESL user notes be included in the local web documentation.

The DESL documentation as well as the makesys utility are freely downloadable at any time by those having a subscription to DESL as a part of the overall downloaded DESL system.

The local web pages produced via the makesys utility contain built-in note ID names which serve as reference points at predetermined locations for potential or actual user note inclusion in the web documentation. These reference point note identification names will not change as DESL evolves.

A note ID reference point in the DESL web pages shows up as a violet-colored parenthetical ID string name preceded by a black musical eighth note. The string itself may or may not make sense; this is simply a unique string for linking notes to web pages.

An example : ( AGmakelist)

When the local web pages are produced via the makesys utility notes files, or user notebooks, can be pointed to to indicate sources of notes, tied to specific note id names within the web pages, from which to extract the pertinent information to be inserted into the local web pages as they are produced. Up to 10 notes files (user notebooks) whose names can be up to 64 characters long can be specified.

If a demo version of DESL is being executed no notes can be linked to the local documentation. Additionally, before the makesys utility can be executed to insert notes in the local documentation, DESL must have been run at least once in the unrestricted mode.

User notes can be straight ASCII text and/or legitimate HTML. Whatever is contained in a user note is inserted verbatim into the web page(s) being built.

A notes file itself is an editable file of ASCII information which has an unlimited number of lines for up to 10,000 notes. Each line can be up to 256 characters long. There can be more than one occurrence of a note tied to the same note id reference point. Once a potential note site is determined from the existing DESL web pages that site's id name string can be used to add an entry to a notes file such that, upon recreation of the web pages via the makesys utility, the new note will be inserted at the proper location.

If the makesys.exe program is run with the -notes file_name option pointing to one or more up to 64-character file or path+file names, then the ASCII files named will be used, in the order specified, for user note extraction. If more than note references the same note id then all will force the appearance of their respective notes in the web page.

Example : makesys -notes c:\path1\path2\note1.txt c:\desl\doc\notes.sys

Here, the files note1.txt located at c:\path1\path2\ and the file notes.sys located at c:\desl\doc will be used as the notes files as the DESL web documentation is being produced.

The structure of a notes file is the following :

NOTE note_id color_name
ASCII/HTML ...
...
ASCII/HTML ...
NOTE note_id color_name
ASCII/HTML ...
ASCII/HTML ...
...
ASCII/HTML ...
...

where,

• note_id is a unique DESL-determined, unchanging note reference point identification string
• color_name is optional and is any legitimate HTML color name or 6-character hexadecimal string. The "color" indicates the note background color. The default color is violet .
• ASCII/HTML is any ASCII and/or HTML strings, up to 256 characters long. There is not limit on the number of lines allowed per note.

An actual example of a notes file is shown below :

NOTE BRkeyjustify yellow
A note attached to the "keyjustify" option doc.
 
NOTE AGmakelist red
12/3/98 <br>
This option is best demonstrated
by the <a href= "exmklist.htm" > example </a> . <BR>
 
NOTE BRkeyjustify
Another note related to the "keyjustify" option.
 
NOTE AGfiles 00ff00
A note attached to the "files" COPY option.
More information about the use of the <b>files</b>
option, perhaps such that is DESL site-dependent,
may be specified here.

( BRkeyjustify) (Command :pubplot) Details for the keyjustify option.

[General syntax rules for this keyword.]

A note attached to the "keyjustify" option doc.

Another note related to the "keyjustify" option.

Indicates the code value, per key column, which may override the key body justification set with the "V" part of the key code. See the "key" option. Up to 10 values may be specified - one per key column. The values can be 0, 1, 2, or 3, meaning, respectively, to (1) not change the justification for a key column from that which was set or implied by the "V" part of the key code, (2) left-justify the key body column, (3) center the key body column, or (4) right-justify the key body column.