Altova Authentic 2024 Browser Edition

The main purpose of implementing an Authentic Browser plug-in project is to view and edit an XML document in Authentic View format. This format hides the XML markup of an XML document and enables the editing of the document in a custom-designed WYSIWYG interface. The layout and data input mechanisms of an XML document in Authentic View is defined in an SPS file. The SPS file, the XML file, and the XML Schema file (XSD file) on which both the SPS and XML documents are based must therefore be stored on the network so that they are accessible to Authentic Browser clients.

SPS files

An SPS file is created in Altova's StyleVision product. It is based on the same XML Schema as that on which the XML file is based. In StyleVision, an SPS designer can use drag-and-drop and page layout mechanisms to design the SPS. The SPS file determines the layout and data input mechanisms of the XML document when it is displayed in Authentic View.

In the HTML Page for Authentic Plug-in, the locations of the XML file, SPS file, and XSD file are specified. The XML file is loaded in the Authentic View window (in the HTML page) and displayed according to the design specified in the SPS file. Both the XML file and the SPS file are based on the same XML Schema (though the XML file can be based on a part of the larger schema the SPS uses).

XML files

The Authentic View user edits the XML document on a client machine by accessing the HTML Page for Authentic Plug-in. This page contains an Authentic View window in which the XML file is loaded. The Authentic View user edits the document in the client browser and saves changes back to the XML document.

XSD files

The XSD file serves two purposes. It is used to validate the XML document, and it provides the generic document structure on which the SPS is based. Both the XML file and the SPS file reference the XSD file. So the XSD file must also be stored in at the correct location as referenced by the XML and SPS files.

Storage location of XSD, XML and SPS/PXF files

The XSD, XML, and SPS (or PXF) files must be saved at network locations that can be accessed by all client machines. The best location is the Authentic Browser server. It is best to locate these files in a single folder on the server and to specify the references within them to each other as relative paths. So, for example, the XML file should be created with the XSD reference within it specified as a relative path.

Note about DB-based SPSs

If Authentic Browser will be used to view or edit databases (DBs) using a DB-based StyleVision Power Stylesheet (SPS), then you need to make the following settings to ensure that the client connects correctly to the DB.

Connection information in the SPS: All the information required to connect to the DB is stored in a connection string in the SPS. The connection string in the SPS is created in StyleVision at the time you create the StyleVision Power Stylesheet. The mechanism used to connect to MS Access DBs is different than for other DBs. For other DBs, ADO connections are used. The settings you need to make for these two types of connection mechanism are described below.

•For MS Access DBs: In the connection string for MS Access DBs, a UNC path must be used so that clients can correctly connect to the DB. This UNC path is specified when the StyleVision Power Stylesheet is built in StyleVision. You must, however, make sure that the folder containing the DB (or some ancestor folder) is set up for sharing. (In Windows XP, the sharing settings are accessed by right-clicking the folder and selecting Sharing and Security.) You must also enable Advanced File Sharing on this machine (My Computer | Tools | Folder Options, then uncheck Simple File Sharing). No settings are required on clients.

Note: The format of the UNC path used in the connection string is: \\servername\sharename\path\file.mdb, where servername is the name of the server, sharename is the name of the shared folder (specified in the Share settings you make for the shared folder on the server), path is the path to the DB, and file.mdb is the name of an MS Access DB in the shared folder or a descendant folder of the shared folder.

•For ADO connections: The ADO connection string in the SPS is specified when the SPS is built in StyleVision. It contains all the required connection information, including security information. You must ensure that the driver used when testing the connection string in StyleVision is also installed on all client machines that will host Authentic Browser. This enables the SPS to correctly connect to the DB from clients. Note also that ADO database connections will only work with local file paths and not with http:// URLs.

Note about PXF Files

An SPS design that uses XSLT 2.0 can be saved as a Power XML Form (PXF) file. The PXF file format has been specially developed by Altova to package the SPS design with related files (such as the schema file, source XML file, image files used in the design, and XSLT files for transformation of the source XML to an output format). The benefit of the PXF file format is that all the files required for Authentic View editing and for the generation of output from Authentic View can be conveniently distributed in a single file.