I read about it in http://www-106.ibm.com/developerworks/linux/library/l-pymeta.html, under the heading “More ways to solve problems with magic”, but that’s not a very good introduction because it’s just an example buried in the middle of a detailed technical article. Google should be able to find more.

What about emacs?

It meets your number one requirement.

It may meet your number two requirement. emacs can be run in a mode where validation has to be invoked. If you are encoding according to a DTD generated from for example the TEI Guidelines, you still have access to a listing of elements and attributes available at the given insertion point [that’s part of your number three requirement]. This of course doesn’t meet your requirement to generate DTD from what has been encoded. However you could generate the DTD from another application and then use emacs functionality. (And since emacs is programmable, you might find a LISP guru to write the routine that allows you to interface with the DTD-generation application from within emacs.)

The TEI has created a distribution of emacs that comes with XSLT files that allow you to transform the XML into various outputs and, I believe, to view the output from within emacs.

There is an emacs version for use on Windows operating systems. I myself use emacs and run it on a iMac running Virtual PC. I use a DTD from the Text Encoding Initiative. And Saxon (an XSLT engine) (acquired with the emacs package via the TEI)to transform the file and then open it in a text or html browser depeding upon the output I chose. Saxon can be invoked from within emacs if a stylesheet processing instruction is embedded in the XML file.

I find it rather easy to toggle between emacs, an MS-DOS prompt window to run Saxon and a browser window. FREE!

For more info about the TEI
http://www.tei-c.org/

And software
http://www.tei-c.org/Software/index.html

P.S. The TEI also has a discussion list where you can post questions about XML editors. And gets lots of help with encoding, especially if you choose to go the TEI route.

P.P.S. I do a bit of blog-like serial publication authored in TEI-conformant XML with the above set up. Authoring in TEI-conformant XML gives me the appropriate combinations of flexibility and rigour for exploring the content modelling and encoding questions as the project evolves.

See Entry 116 “Copy, Paste, Paste” for a mini-celebration of some of the features of emacs
http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~lachance/jardin/html/blogTEI.htm#116

Try it! You might like it.

I have, of course, used emacs. :) Extensively, even, and with a TEI-Lite-based DTD to boot. This was our MO when we were encoding the Decameron, and let me tell you, never ever again.

It’s ugly. It doesn’t indent properly. It’s ugly. It has a Very Limited capability to color-code syntax, from what I’ve seen. It’s ugly. It is extremely powerful, but there’s an idiosyncratic command for everything, and I’m just not willing to learn ’em all. Have I mentioned it’s ugly?

Don’t get me wrong: I know that it’s probably more powerful as a text editor than any prettier, window-based software out there. But I don’t want software that can do Everything, I want something that is easy on the eyes.

Another huge disadvantage of emacs is that you can’t easily have (to speak nothing of ‘toggle between’) different views of the same document. These are all things I’d like to have. I’m capable of using emacs, but generally speaking it’s too much effort for relatively simple tasks, you know?

I bet in a little while someone doing a search on the string “ugly emacs” might get directed to your blog entry.

Can I pass some of your questions/comments on to the TEI list with a link to your blog entry? There may be some expertise to tap into there.

People will have recommendations about alternatives to emacs. They may also have recommendations about cheat sheets on how to customize emacs for colouring syntax. They may also have some tips on setting the indenting features.

What kind of support did you have for learning when you were encoding the Decameron?

Your remarks about different view made me look again and learn how to fold/unfold elements and hide/reveal attributes. I’m learning from your questions.

Your experience is making me think that the my toolkit should be expanded from emacs+browser to emacs + blog pals.

How would your time with the Decameron have been if you had a blog through which to mark your triumphs and sound that horn for help. Ah Roland, Roland, wherefore is thy name Vika?

*smile*

Whatever you decide. You have inspired me to contine to explore more of the emacs potential. Thanks.

As for the support I had while encoding the Decameron: Well, it was at Brown, and we were working with the Scholarly Technology Group. However, there was little training, and – more importantly – no training could’ve substituted for practice practice practice.

Which I got in spades! I wasn’t the problem. The problem was that we had many encoders, some of them staying with the project for only a short time. There was a revision-control system in place; every encoder had to check files out and back in, and had to learn emacs. The problem there was different than my problem now: we had a high turnover of staff, as it were, and the learning curve for emacs is just too high. Especially when you only use it for one project, and for none of your other work.

Anyway. I do know that emacs is a very powerful word processor; I just don’t want to bother with it, or vi, or vim, if I don’t have to.

How would your time with the Decameron have been…

Whatchou mean, “have been”? I’m still with it, we just aren’t encoding the Decameron anymore. I have also encoded two minor texts for the project, and act as webmaster. Currently, we’re trying to plan out what to do with the next couple of years. If this plan involves any encoding, I think I’d like to figure out how to avoid emacs. :)

Go for it!