[scribus] Tagging CHARACTER text for styles.

[john Culleton]

On Fri, 29 Jun 2012 09:09:42 +0200
Richard Foley <rich.inud at naktiv.net> wrote:

> Applying character styles to text, alongside an easy way to group
> images with a text caption, are the two items I most missed while
> using Scribus 1.4.n Otherwise a pleasant to use and *reliable* piece
> of software.  The paragraph styles seem to be applied like a broad
> brush stroke, delineated by having a start-tag and an end of
> paragraph (or start of new one). Very useful, but frustratingly
> blunt, handling only headers, sub-headers and entire paragraphs.
> 
> It seems to me the CHARACTER styles is an issue of having start and
> end tags within a block of text. and part of the problem is being
> able to identify the end tag. Perhaps a couple of suggestions for the
> tag styling might help get the ball rolling?
> 
> Next identical (yuk): ...some \c1character styled text\c1 ...
> 
>     start=\c1
>     end=\c1
> 
> Explicit (yuk): ...some \c1-startcharacter styled text\c1-end ...
> 
>     start=\c1-start
>     end=\c1-end
> 
> Bracketed (yuk): ...some \c1(character styled text\c1) ...
> 
>     start=\c1(
>     end=\c1)
> 
> Bracketed enclosed (best?): ...some \c1(character styled text)\c1 ...
> 
>     start=\c1(
>     end=)\c1
> 
> XML-like: ...some <\c1>character styled text</\c1> ...
> 
>     start=<\c1>
>     end=</\c1>
> 
> Other:
> 
>     ...?
> 
> Also, it would probably be sensible to disallow nested tags, (and
> definitely disallow cross-over tags, much like HTML).
> 
> It is clear this is voluntary open-source software - and long may
> that continue.
> 
You also have the option of the story editor. Highlight a string
of text and then adjust ot italics, bold etc. on the fields and
icons above the text area.

It would probably make sense to adopt a subset of the TeX tags
(not LaTeX). Then the string of text to be modified could be
enclosed in {} brackets. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. 

In TeX fully nested tags are OK. 



-- 
John Culleton
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