4. Using the IREn Assistant to produce PDF output

With IREn is distributed a tool which enables the easy transformation of files in a graphical environment, suitable for users more familiar with a graphical interface.

Find the x4u.bat file in the distribution and click on it. This runs the Assistant. Under the file menu, select the hammer.xml file as the input file to process. Under the Formatting menu, select start, then tick the apply stylesheet box, and select hammer.xsl from the same directory. Since this is an XML file, both steps of the process are needed, the transformation to XSL-FO format, and the formatting into PDF.

The lower part of the screen may be used to select a viewer, either Adobe Acrobat reader or Ghostview. The Assistant needs to be told where you installed the application. Use the browse button to locate the application. Tick the display with box if you want to launch the viewer once the process is complete.

Either remember the value in the output file selection box, or change its value to indicate where you want the output to be located. The default output is set as PDF. Leave it as that, then select OK.

The right hand tab marked event log will show the file progress through to completion.

The output file may be read with the Adobe Acrobat reader.

Caution: The Acrobat reader will not allow a file to be overwritten whilst it is open. If you wish to modify the source XML file, and re-process it to produce PDF, you must close the file in Acrobat reader, or IREn will not be able to re-write the modified file. This applies whichever route you take to producing PDF.