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New documents can be created or existing unstructured documents imported
DEFT accepts as input documents in any format that Word® can handle. This makes DEFT ideal for converting unstructured legacy data into XML.
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TeX/Latex files can be imported into DEFT
DEFT includes an optional add-on facility for converting files in TeX or Latex format into RTF documents which
can then be imported into Word. TeX equations are initially converted into an ASCII format (MTEF data) from
which MathType® equation objects are generated when the RTF document is loaded into DEFT. TeX tables, lists,
footnotes, etc., are all converted into their Word equivalents.
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DEFT can be used to generate XML for Books
As well as being capable of generating XML for single entities, DEFT can be used to manage books and collections of documents.
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No prior knowledge of XML is required
DEFT was designed for users with little or no knowledge of the basic concepts of XML; the user, however,
will quickly become familiar with the basics of XML as familiarity with the system grows.
If DEFT is configured correctly, the user should never have to look at an XML file.
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All documents are tagged as per the respective target DTD
In a multi-DTD environment, DEFT is programmed to switch from one DTD to another. DEFT is designed in such a
way that all documents can be tagged according to the specifications of the target DTD; DEFT's DTD engine takes care of the complex transformations required to produce the desired XML output. This has a significant effect on the level of output achievable by an editor and makes the system much easier to learn.
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Once set up, a high level of output can be achieved
Once DEFT has been configured for a particular DTD, high levels of output can be achieved. Configuring the user interface for a particular DTD is quite straightforward. Implementing a DTD conversion using DEFT's DTD engine requires some programming knowledge; however, once the DTD engine has been mastered it becomes quite easy to use. Output level can be increased further by using DEFT's Batch conversion
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DEFT comes with a tutorial to get the beginner started
To get the beginner started as quickly as possible, DEFT provides a demo document and an accompanying tutorial to introduce new users, step by step, to all of DEFT's key features.
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DEFT includes a comprehensive help system
DEFT assumes no prior knowledge on the part of the user of XML or XML-editing systems. Every feature in DEFT is explained in detail. Images of all of DEFT's dialog boxes are included, accompanied by descriptions of each dialog option. All the main dialog boxes in DEFT have buttons linking to context-sensitive help information.
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DEFT has a built-in validator for pinpointing errors
DEFT validates the tagged document before an XML file is generated. It checks that the tagging structure is valid and pinpoints error locations for the user with appropriate error messages. It also runs various checks on cross-references and their targets and generates an error report in the event of errors.
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Tables/lists/footnotes/endnotes are tagged efficiently in Word
Normal Word tables, lists, footnotes and endnotes can be used in DEFT. In the case of tables and lists,
DEFT tags them according to the respective DTD.
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DEFT is a macro-based system
DEFT is a macro-based system. Macros can be used to tag single items such as an author's forename or entire sections of an article such as frontmatter. DEFT's macros are organised into dialog boxes which can be accessed via short-cut keys or toolbars; all the most common macros can also be accessed with shortcut keys.
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Complex sections are tagged automatically
As well as macros for automatically tagging cross-references, paragraphs, equations, etc., DEFT can tag entire sections. The entire frontmatter section can be tagged using a single macro. There is also a macro for tagging the entire bibliography section; this macro will examine each reference in turn and break it down into its constituent parts before applying tags.
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Includes several useful bibliography-related macros
In addition to the macro described above for tagging the entire bibliography section, DEFT provides
several useful macros for manipulating bibliographies and their cross-references. Numbered-style bibliographies can be converted into Name/date-style bibliographies and vice-versa. Bibliographic items and their cross-references can be automatically renumbered. Bibliographic items can be sorted alphabetically.
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Several editorial aids
As well as a comprehensive system of macros for tagging the document, DEFT provides several useful
macros for editing the content of documents including numerous file-cleaning macros and extended
search/replace capabilities. It also has tools to ensure consistency in the documents.
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DEFT can be customised to translate characters from any font
DEFT provides built-in recognition for several fonts. The list of fonts which it is capable of recognising and translating can be extended by the user. Translations for built-in fonts can also be overridden.
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Equations are created using MathType
Equations in DEFT are created using Design Science's powerful 'wysiwig' equation editor MathType.
As well as being very easy to use, this editor comes with a built-in conversion utility for generating
XML which can be customised by the user. MathType can also convert equations created in other formats into
its own native format.
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Equations can be translated to TeX or MathML
As well as generating XML from equations, DEFT can be set up to generate TeX or MathML. DEFT's MathType
translation file (DEFT.tdl) can be customised to directly output MathML rather than XML; alternatively,
DEFT's DTD engine can be configured to output either TeX or MathML.
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Custom tags can be created in DEFT
DEFT comes with an extensive palette of tags. Since these may not always suffice they can be supplemented by user-defined tags.
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XML conversion is implemented with a programmable DTD engine
DEFT's most important feature is its programmable DTD engine. DEFT initially produces generic
XML output from tagged Word documents. The DTD engine takes this generic XML file as input and performs
the necessary transformations to produce XML output that conforms to the specifications of the
target DTD. The DTD engine uses the XLISP language and is completely customisable by the user.
As an alternative to XLisp, the latest version of DEFT includes a Perl interface which can be used to
load XSL style sheets to implement DTD transformations.
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DEFT provides several complete working DTD conversions
DEFT provides working DTD conversions for several DTDs: JATS 1.0, various publisher DTDs and Book DTDs.
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DEFT can generate XML-compatible output
DEFT provides an option to generate XML-compatible output as well as XML output.
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DEFT uses macros to style references
DEFT has macros to style references as per the reference style defined. DEFT also allows validation of references using CrossRef.
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