.isbn BookMkr:CML
.Title Bookmaking without Bookmaker
.ShortTitle Bookmaking
.Author Chris Lawless
.layout standard 12
.layout TitlePage 12 NoTitle
.story centered


Bookmaking
without
Bookmaker

A guide to creating bookmaker source files without access to Bookmaker and the Newton Toolkit.

by
Chris Lawless
.subject 1 layout=Standard StartsPage Centered
Introduction
.story layout=standard KeepWith
Many Newton owners have expressed an interest in the process by which electronic books are created and how they can do this. Unfortunately, at the moment, Bookmaker is only available as a part of the Newton Toolkit (NTK). Until a standalone bookmaker package is available this guide will hopefully give you some pointers on creating your own digital books.

There have been volunteers happy to create digital books already, with this guide hopefully you can get involved in the process as well. In the following sections Ill explain the basic bookmaker commands that will allow you to mark-up a document ready for compilation by an NTK owner. So far there are two people I know of happy to do this, myself and Mark Heringer, both of whom are contactable via CIS Mail or the Newton/PIE forum.


.Story layout=standard NeverBreak
The process of creating a Newton Book has three fairly clear stages, 
1) Create and 'mark-up' the source document in a word processor.
2) Compile this source using Bookmaker
3) Create a Newton package from the Bookmaker output.

.Story layout=Standard
Using this guide you can create you source and then forward it on for compilation. I am happy to do this on a non-comercial basis as I believe is Mark. Before starting I suggest you E-Mail one of us to agree what is required.

.story layout=standard centered Keepwith

Contact:
Chris Lawless
100144,3470
 &
Mark Heringer
73411,757


.subject 1 layout=standard centered StartsPage
A Simple Book
.story layout=standard keepwith
The simplest Newton book requires very few commands other than the basic parameters that need setting as follows:

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .isbn	A unique ISBN for the book
For a commercial book it would be normal to register an ISBN, for the books we create here we will just use a unique identifier from a combination of the title and a developer identifier. For example the ISBN used for this book is BOOKMKR:CML.

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .Title	The book's title
A title is required to identify the book and to provide a name in the extras drawer. The title is, by default, also displayed at the top of each page. To save space in the Extras drawer it is also possible to define a short title, this s done by including another command .ShortTitle followed by the text.

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .Story	Some content for the book
A minimum of one content item is required in the book, this is identified by a .story command immediately before the text.

Therefore the source file for a simple book may be:
 .ISBN Sample:CML
 .Title A Sample Book
 .Story
This is the story within the sample book.

.Subject 1 layout=standard StartsPage Centered
Front Matter
.story layout=standard KeepWith
In addition to the required commands covered in the previous section there are a few others that tend to be particularly useful. These are as follows:

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .ShortTitle	A Short Title
It is usual to assign a brief title for the book to be used in the extras drawer, this is assigned using the .ShortTitle command. For example although this book is titled Bookmaking without Bookmaker, a short tilte is assigned for the extras drawer as shown below:
 .ShortTitle Bookmaking

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .Author	The authors name
The .Author command assigns the authors name to the book, an example from this book is shown:
 .Author Chris Lawless

.story layout=standard neverbreak
 .Date	The date written
A date can be assigned using the .Date command if required.

Other commands are available although they are not necessary for simple bookmaking and are not covered here.

.Subject 1 layout=standard StartsPage Centered
Subjects & Stories
.story layout=standard KeepWith
The structure of the book (chapters, sections etc) is built up using .Subject and .Story commands. The easiest way to visualise this is to think of it as an outline where the headings correspond to Subjects and the text to Stories.

.Subject 2 layout=standard
 .Subject
.Story layout=Standard KeepWith
Put simply the format of the .Subject command is as follows:

 .Subject <level> <flags>
Subject Text

The <level> parameter denotes the content level, the optional flags set formatting controls for the following text. So, for example, a top level subject of 'Introduction' would be given as follows:

 .Subject 1 Centered StartsPage
 Introduction

The flags indicate that the title should be centered and will begin it's own page. It is then usual to follow a new subject with a .story command to begin the text. The story can be thought of as a section within the current subject although it is not, by default, included in the browser (Overview). To display the browser tap the belly button now, bold text identifies a high level subject that can be expanded and collapsed by tapping.

.Subject 2 layout=standard
 .Story
.Story layout=Standard KeepWith
Put simply the format of the .Subject command is as follows:

 .Story <flags>
Story text begins here and usually carries on into a nuber of paragraphs...

As with the .Subject command flags can be added to the .Story command to affect the layout of the following text. The most commonly used flag is KeepWith which tells Bookmaker to keep the text with the previous content. Therefore a typical introduction would begin:

.story layout=standard NeverBreak
 .Subject 1 Centered StartsPage
 Introduction
 .Story KeepWith
 Welcome to this book etc etc

.Subject 1 Layout=Standard StartsPage Centered
Pictures
.Story layout=Standard KeepWith
It is relatively staightforward to include monochrome images in a Newton bokk although the capabilities of the Newton display should be considered. Images larger than the MP screen can be displayed, Bookmaker automatically provides a scrolling icon for viewing. The best way to supply graphics should be agreed with whoever is to compile  your book, in my case a monochrome .GIF image is preffered.

An image is indicated with a special subject command .Picture. Flags are also permitted in order to control the formatting such as justification.

The graphic displayed on the following page of a NewtBoot shows how the scrolling is performed. For demonstration purposes tapping the graphic will display contact details for NewtBoot, ths feature is not covered within this guide although the technique is shown in the included source text.
.Picture StartsPage 

.script
PlaySound(ROM_click);
:ShowStoryCard('card, "NBDets", {left: 20, top: 20, right: 190, bottom: 120});
.endscript
.story NoPage
.attribute card: "NBDets"
Supplier	NewtBoot
Address	Box 1613
	Jackson WY 83001
Price	$49.95
E-Mail	72377,2740
Phone	307 733 0906
Fax	307 739 1716

.Subject 1 layout=Standard StartsPage Centered
Summary
.Story layout=standard keepwith
When putting together a Newton book I find it easiest to think in outline view, consider the high level chapters and then the sections within them. This will then define a structure for your book within which you can then add the relevant text. In this way the following outline:
Introduction
Meat Recipes
	Hamburgers
	Fillet Steak
Desserts
	Apple Pie

Would be defined as follows:
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Introduction
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Meat Recipes
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Hamburgers
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Fillet Steak
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Desserts
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Apple Pie

Once the .Story commands are added to include the text the document would look as follows:
 
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Introduction
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Meat Recipes
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Hamburgers
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Fillet Steak
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.
 .Subject 1 StartsPage
 Desserts
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.
 .Subject 2 StartsPage
 Apple Pie
 .Story
 Text text text text text etc.

Now with the addition of the title and ISBN we have a completed book!

.Subject 1 StartsPage Centered
A Few Final Words
.Story Keepwith
There is of course a good deal more to Bookmaker than the simple introduction covered here. If you find this wets your appetite you may want to purchase the NTK or wait for a standalone Bookmaker application to ship.

Meanwhile if you think this guide has been useful but needs more detail let me know either by E-Mail or preferably in open discussion in the forum. As it stands it is a quick book to give you an idea of how simple basic Bookmaking is, if anyone has any suggestions for improvments or would like to create or contribute to V2 let me know!

Chris Lawless
100144,3470