Outline Numbering

I realize this is not really a content management or TeamSite issue but there are some EWebEditPro implications (specifically with paste from Word) and hopefully someone has hit a similar issue.

Some Ektron-enabled fields in TeamSite templates need to generate outline numbered lists (I would prefer to move the data items into individual fields but the users vehemently reject on usability issues). The format is something like:

1.
1.1
1.1.1
2.
2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2

etc. Even if the data were as simple as just <ol> and <li> I can't figure out a CSS style that would format the <li> elements this way. So my next idea is to put some logic in the presentation template or elsewhere that converts <li> to data in the required format.

What is worse is that most of the time users will paste data from Word. I know that different versions of Word will copy the code into VFE differently. When I do this I get something like this:

1. Asdasda

1.1. Asdasdasd

1.1.1. Asdasdasdasda

1.2. Sdasdasdasd

Asdasdasdasd

So the custom logic would have to support both Word what Ektron gives me by default. I don't see any way that this Word jumble can be reliably parsed. It does point out that the user could be responsible for creating the outline numbers, but if it is done this way then they can't use VFE bulleting stuff to insert items.

Does anyone have a similar requirement, any solution or suggestions (other than better structuring of the data/DCT or requiring the user to key in the identifiers)? The technologies I can use include DCT/FormAPI, CSS, XSL, Java and Perl.

To get support on this from Ektron would I go directly to Ektron or to Interwoven?

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Comments

gzevin

with numbering - you could always use your presentation template logic to cater for any requirement like this. However, to simplify this requirement, I'd design a set of replicants (if the list is not going to be too big).

as far as the pasting from Word is concerned, I am afraid this is not Ektron to blame. It's a 'feature' of MS Windows and its rich-text textarea, that gets everything from the clipboard.

There are a few ways of dealing with this - a button-controlled cleanup, also, one could write a set of fumctions with regexes that clean the text, or use some other modules to parse the HTML code ....

Greg Zevin
Independent Interwoven Consultant/Architect
Sydney, AU

Migrateduser

My original suggestion was the list of replicants. But since it's replicants within replicants, and the lists can be long, this is actually pretty bad.

I thought about using the TPL to filter the data. But it may not only be TPLs that read the DCR - it could be Java, DataDeploy, etc.

I don't think VFE config is strong enough to handle this - I think by the time VFE sees the data Word has already munged it.

I think a FormAPI solution could be used to parse out the numbers (convert them to LI) but the guy who is responsible for this thinks a callout is in order. I don't see how the code can tell an item such as "1.1.1." from references such as "refer to item 1.1.1." but we will see.

Migrateduser

John

If you have access to the Interwoven Support site KB article

https://support.interwoven.com/kb/kb_show_article2.asp?ArticleID=48509

shows how to change the appearance of the list via the ektnormal.css

however you probably know more than I but I don't believe there are values to get the list items you require. I don't think they exist for css yet, as if they did they you would be done.

Have you checked the ektron KBs or developers network there? If I discover anything from ektron I'll post the info when I receive it.

Mike
Interwoven Support