Abstract
The aim of this project is to facilitate writing static html documents. Its technique is much like that of wiki, but is more flexible and sophisticated.
Its basic technique is Kobold Engine. Kobold Engine assembles a set of related html documents out of corresponding Kobold Scripts and a CSV file. A Kobold Script is a plain text file where data and processing directions are included.
Cobalt Web Builder is a GUI wrapper of Kobold Engine which is an awkward command-line oriented program. Cobalt Web Builder also introduces other technical concepts such as template, skelton and location, and other useful tools such as a layout editor and a CSS editor.
Kobold Engine
Kobold Engine produces static html documents out of text files below;
- Dictionary CSV File (Comma Separated Data File)
- Cover File (Kobold Script)
- Page File (Kobold Script)
- Article File (Kobold Script)
Dictionary CSV File is for defining sidebar menu items and highlight terms. It can include terms, related urls, descriptions, categories, flags or any you can define. You can use data of a dictionary file for any purpose according to other Kobold Scripts.
Cover File, Page File and Article File are all Kobold Scripts. Kobold Script is a kind of programming script which consists of language constructs below;
- element definition
- gem definition
- abacus definition
- basket definition
- directive declaration
'Element' construct is most basic construct. It defines data of a produced html document. Its writing rule is much like that of wiki. You can write html documents easily with the help of element construct.
Cover File, Page File and Article File are the same Kobold Script but are used for different purposes. Cover File defines a header and a layout of body of a HTML document. Page File defines sub-components of each layout components, such as a sidebar. Article File defines contents of html documents. Cover File and Page File are shared in one web site, and Article File corresponds one-to-one with each html document.
Cobalt Web Builder
Cobalt Web Builder is a GUI wrapper for Kobold Engine which provides functions below;
- define a set of Kobold Scripts as a Magazine for one html document
- collect up Magazines as a Library
- Library defines shared Cover File and Page File.
- Location feature to let a web design differed according to different sites
- Template feature to facilitate to create new site
- Skelton feature to provide blank Ariticle File as a default formatting
- Layout Editor to arrange layout easily with editting Layout CSS File (CSS File for layout)
- CSS Editor to make up Design CSS File (CSS File for design) easily
You can see screen shots of Cobalt Web Builder here.