HoTMetaL PRO 2.0 allows users to create hypertext linked, multi-media Web documents for Mosaic, Netscape or any other World Wide Web browser. New features include import and conversion functionality - which handles such popular formats as Word and WordPerfect - a URL editor with hotlist support, and support for HTML 2.0, HTML 3.0 and the latest Netscape Extensions. HoTMetaL PRO's word processing features include a spell checker, thesaurus and dictionary, full context search and replace, macro support, enhanced styles control, tables support, Home Page and other useful templates, the ability to create forms, in-line graphics display and extensive written and on-line documation. Markup tools such as Insert Element, Insert Character Entity and Edit Links and Attributes allow the insertion of correct HTML tags without extensive user HTML knowledge. The rules checking and validation feature ensures that HoTMetaL PRO documents will display on any Web browser. In HoTMetaL PRO, the HTML tags and URLs are clearly displayed, making them distinguishable from the rest of the document. With in-line graphic display, the tags can be hidden for a WYSIWYG view of the document.
HoTMetaL is the award-winning software from SoftQuad for marking-up documents in HTML. Documents can be handled in a Windows, Mac or Unix environment which makes HoTMetaL very user friendly. The WYSIWYG application simulates how a browser would view the document and you can preview the page using specific browsers by a click of a button. Because HTML is a simple application of SGML, it allows itself to be manipulated very easily with this type of application. Anyone who is interested in learning more about HTML, this really displays the ease of the SGML DTD (especially compared to the level of knowledge needed to work with the complex ISO 12083) and can make even a novice feel like an expert.
There are two ways to translate ISO 12083 documents into HTML documents. Our suggestion is to create a set of standard translation (i.e. <Title> to <H1>), so that once the path has been established, you can run a set of macros or use the find/replace function to semi-automate the process. This should be done on the word processor side and then imported into HoTMetaL Pro. Another way would be to create a output formatting scheme for the ISO 12083 document, import into your word-processing software and then import into HoTMetaL Pro. HoTMetaL pro will then assign the appropriate tags to the text. Hypertext links also require manual tagging and should never be automated and you should expect this to take some care if you want to include that feature on your Web pages.
HoTMetaL Pro is a fantastic HTML editor and is extremely easy and fun to use. This is not, however, the most effective way to create HTML documents from existing ISO 12083 documents but with a little time and effort it can work. This software conforms to the latest version of HTML and by the time of printing HoTMetaL will be able to handle and allow users to include Java Applets in their Web pages. This is a nifty piece of software and one of the best HTML editors available.
For more information on HoTMetaL Pro or SoftQuad, check out their home page - http://www.sq.com