The easiest way to find out what an entire book would look like when typset by me is to look at one. Download a PDF of Henry B. Wheatley's How to Make an Index on the indexing page of this website.

A typical page from JS Mill's On Liberty

Use of XML to respect document structure

Do words like 'scripting' and acronmyms like 'XML' and 'XSLT' make you quake in your boots? They make me nervous too, but I'm getting on top of them! In fact, so familiar have I become in recent months with the creation of InDesign templates for the importation of XML files, the transformation of XML using XSLT, and with the writing of JavaScript that I have become something of an expert in automated publishing. With the release of InDesign CS3, automated publishing uing XML is no longer the future – it's the present. Be there or be square.

An examination paper in mathematics I

This high-school maths paper contained some rather complicated "double" fractions. I managed these using tables in InDesign, with row strokes of various weights (including "none"). The vertical lines on the outside (indicating absolute value) are strokes on the outermost columns. Each table is an inline anchored object that flows with the rest of the text, maintaining its proper position.

An examination paper in mathematics II

These "answer" boxes are custom anchored objects (as is the word 'answer' labelling them), so they flow with the text and stay in their correct position.

An examination paper in mathematics III

The horizontal arrows indicate that the letters underneath stand for vectors. I drew the arrowheads using the pen tool, and then turned them into inline anchored objects at the desired height above the baseline. The shank of each arrow is a strikethrough stroke that has been given an appropriate weight and offset by an appropriate distance so that it aligns perfectly with the arrowheads. As always, the anchored objects flow with the text.