Formatting language to define output styles

4.10. Formatting language to define output styles - FL

The overstriked grid's items have not been taken into account for the purposes of this shorter evaluation: it does not imply at all that the package cannot perform the relevant function.
The numbering and the content are the same as the full version of the evaluation grid.

FL-Formatting language to define output styles
Biblioscape	Bookends
Biblioscape: made up of: coded field names, text strings (in front and/or after), punctuation, style (italics etc.), return, Red-id/record number ...	Bookends: made up of: coded field names -can actually use more fields than are available for input-, text strings, punctuation, style (italics etc.), special codes (tab, return, record number ...)
1 Selection 1. fields 2. subfields
Biblioscape: 1 (2 only first name and intials in personal names and the four digits year in the date field for output purposes)	Bookends: 1 (2: only first name and qualifications in personal names; the four digits year in the date field for output purposes)
2 Add text 1. in front of/after 2. regardless of field presence 3. depending on field presence 4. depending on field content
Biblioscape: yes (can also differentiate labels: singular/plural: Ed.^Eds. or p^pp.)	Bookends: yes
3 Distinguishes among occurrences of a repeatable field: 1. by punctuation -separators 2. because of position / sequence number 3. can count them
Biblioscape: 3 as far as names are concerned for output, punctuation, purposes	Bookends: 2 3 as far as names are concerned for output, punctuation, purposes
4 Produces tagged format output --apart from built-in export routines
Biblioscape: but cannot output either authors or keywords each tagged on different lines KW: water; fire and not: KW water KW fire	Bookends: yes (but cannot output keywords each tagged on a different line) KW: water; fire and not: KW water KW fire
5 Displays RT (reference type)
Biblioscape: yes	Bookends: yes
~~6 Produces permuted indexes (words in/out/and context)~~

7 Offers conditional commands (IF ... THEN ...)
Biblioscape: no (implied in many built-in options to be selected for: authors' names, anonymous works, ambiguous citations, repeated citations ...)	Bookends: no (implied in built-in options to be selected)
8 Upper/lowercase conversion
Biblioscape: yes for Titles can use Headline or Sentence case style	Bookends: can force sentence case, title case, all CAPS
9 Look-up tables to expand acronyms, abbreviations, replace text
Biblioscape: Journal name list (can use one out of three forms while outputting data)	Bookends: Journal Glossaries can replace abbreviation while entering data, short/full form when outputting
10 Contextual Record Preview
Biblioscape: yes	Bookends: yes
11 Text added in styles can be language dependent for each record 1. text lists can be modified 2. new lists can be added (new language) 3. text can be present in various fields

12 Checks format syntax
Biblioscape: no	Bookends: no
13 Level of difficulty of the formatting language
Biblioscape: easy (apart from the Report Module which has got its own rules and command language, either option-menu driven or SQL driven: easy at basic level, vaste and complex if fully exploited)	Bookends: not complicated, no programming skills required, quite rich with features

FL-Formatting language to define output styles

1 Selection 1. fields 2. subfields

2 Add text 1. in front of/after 2. regardless of field presence 3. depending on field presence 4. depending on field content

3 Distinguishes among occurrences of a repeatable field: 1. by punctuation -separators 2. because of position / sequence number 3. can count them

4 Produces tagged format output --apart from built-in export routines

5 Displays RT (reference type)

6 Produces permuted indexes (words in/out/and context)

7 Offers conditional commands (IF ... THEN ...)

8 Upper/lowercase conversion

9 Look-up tables to expand acronyms, abbreviations, replace text

10 Contextual Record Preview

11 Text added in styles can be language dependent for each record 1. text lists can be modified 2. new lists can be added (new language) 3. text can be present in various fields

12 Checks format syntax

13 Level of difficulty of the formatting language

1 Selection
1. fields 2. subfields

2 Add text
1. in front of/after
2. regardless of field presence
3. depending on field presence
4. depending on field content

3 Distinguishes among occurrences of a repeatable field:
1. by punctuation -separators
2. because of position / sequence number
3. can count them

11 Text added in styles can be language dependent for each record
1. text lists can be modified
2. new lists can be added (new language)
3. text can be present in various fields