MIF to XML/SGML conversion?

[Geoff Hart <ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca>]

Darren Butler wondered: <<Does anyone know of an application  that  
converts MIF to XML and/or SGML...>>

Not an expert on the conversion process, but I do know enough to  
remind you that XML and SGML are not "just another file format". The  
distinguishing characteristic of these two formats, unlike most other  
file formats, is that they are (or should be) structured and governed  
by a DTD. (So is HTML, but the structural aspects of an HTML document  
are so loose and so poorly enforced that you might as well not  
bother.) DTDs focus on the functional relationships between the parts  
of a document, not on the formatting, and if you are like most of us  
(me included), you have probably created documents that only fit this  
criterion about 90% (the number is obviously fuzzy).

So before you attempt the conversion, spend some time making sure  
that your document structure is sufficiently rigorous that XML or  
SGML is an appropriate choice of output format. If this isn't the  
case, you'll need to spend some time cleaning up the structure before  
you do the conversion. For complicated documents, DTD design is not  
for the faint of heart, and requires a degree of rigor in writing  
that few of us apply to our writing.

----------------------------------------------------
-- Geoff Hart
ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
www.geoff-hart.com
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