Converting XSL-FO toPDF?

[Cordula's Web]

>  | how can I convert an XSL-FO file to PDF?
>  | The XSL-FO file is generated by docbook XSL stylesheets.
>  |
>  | I've tried /usr/ports/textproc/fop, but it chokes with a
>  | lengthy exception dump after the first few pages; so it's
>  | of no use.
>  | 
>  | Unfortunately, /usr/ports/print/passivetex is broken as well,
>  | and won't install at all.
> 
> Have you tried the FOP java package from Apache?
> (http://xml.apache.org/fop/index.html)
> 
> I used to run that on my freeBSD and it gave me no problems. (The java
> installation however wasn't a walk in the sun)

/usr/ports/textproc/fop _is_ the version from Apache.  I've also tried
the cvs stable and devel versions, with the same result.  This doesn't
mean that fop doesn't work at all; it just chokes on _some_ files,
including what I'm trying to feed it.  Using native jdk1.3.1 with
fop. Tried bigger VM resource limits and all. FOP simply doesn't cut
it (yet?).

I'm hacking on a work-around right now: an XSLT stylesheet that
transforms (a very limited set of) DocBook markup directly to LaTeX
code, then post-process with latex. It's not perfect, and a lot of
boring, tedious DocBook <-> LaTeX mapping work, but at least, it
works (as said, for a small DocBook subset). At the very least,
it is an XSLT learning exercise... :-)

Someone really should fix the passivetex port though...

Thank you.

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