What is Buzz good for?

Creating Structured Knowledge

Outlines can be imported and exported from:

Windows

Word
Powerpoint
Excel

IPAQ

List Pro

Palm

Shadow Planner

HTML

Static and Active Documents

XML Decision Trees

Text

Arbitrary Text Files with indentation

Outlines are syntactically compatible with Userland

Buzz and Userland have overlapping functionality, but Buzz is aimed at programmers.
It goes beyond Userland in many ways but also lacks some of Userland's functions

Creating Structured XML

XML can be transformed to multiple modalities using XSL

EG Export you XML as a spreadsheet, Bibliography,

Creating,Editting, Testing and Using XSL and XSL:FO files

Buzz has a schema for XSL and supports accurate white space preservation
Buzz can export,import save and send to the browser any xml file passed thru XSL

For Instance, I typically do Pubmed searches in Buzz and Render them to Medline
To pass them to Endnote

Buzz can pass xml thru xsl:fo via FOP

Interacting with XML on the Web

I use Buzz to do all my Pubmed queries in XML

You can exchange them with Endnote via the XSL rendering facilities

You can do RSS queries and view the results in Buzz and render them with XSL to a browser

Writing Python Code

Buzz was written in Buzz

Writing XHTML

Writing XHTML with CSS or XSL is easy with Buzz

Active Version of this document

buzz.html

Download

buzz.tgz

Author

Charles Nofsinger

ScreenShots

Linux

Windows

Installation

Download and Install python 2.1

http://www.python.org

Download and install wxpython/wxwindows

http://www.wxpython.org
If on X windows:

Download and install wxGTK

http://www.freiburg.linux.de/~wxxt/

Download and install instant-saxon

http://users.iclway.co.uk/mhkay/saxon/

Download and install FOP

http://xml.apache.org/fop/
You'll need to modify the fop script to point to the installation directory of fop

Download and install tidy

http://www.w3.org/People/Raggett/tidy/

If on windows:

Download and install cygwin

http://sources.redhat.com/cygwin/download.html
Don't install the python for cygwin component

Create the shared directory and copy the contents of the buzz package there
Verify that the HOME environment variable is set and that the appropriate buzz.cfg

is in that directory. windows and unix standard cfg files are in the distribution

make sure your PATH environment variable is set to include the executables
edit the buzz script and copy it to your path

Under windows an shortcut can be created with this command

Properties of shortcut

D:\cygwin\bin\bash.exe --login -c /usr/bin/buzz

Configuration File

first line is buzzdir a "shared directory". For example:

*nix

/usr/share/buzz/

win2k

e:\\buzz\\

win98

e:\buzz\

next line is the command that will "expand"/open any file

IEXPLORE on windows

next line is a temporary directory
next line is a command to execute scripts

Under windows this should be the cygwin bash command

E.G. bashcmd="e:\\cygin\\bin\\bash --login -i "

The next line is a configuration switch to turn on free form editting of XML while
a schema is set.
The remainder of the file are file extension and schema pairs

Schemas

Schemas are currently implemented at a crude DTD level and use a modified BNF syntax
The syntax is: tag | required children | optional children

Double quoted elements are assumed to be text, underscores are translated to spaces

You must order the file in dependency tree order with the leaves first and the root last
schemas should be named foo.schema. Files created with the schema should be named
baz.foo (for the foo schema).

Quickstart

The keys to editting OPML or XML in buzz are the keys that insert, move, and edit elements
Inserting:

F5 inserts a new element at the level above
F6 inserts a new element at the current level
F7 inserts a new element at the level below
Ctrl-P Inserts data from other programs that you've copied into the tree

Moving:

Home: moves the current item up the list of elements in the tree
End moves the current item down
Ctrl-C Copies an element or tree into a list of previously copied or cut elements
Ctrl-X Removes an element or tree in the the list of previous copies
Ctrl-V Inserts the most recent element from the list of previous copies and makes

the next oldest item the most current

Editting:

Hit the return on the current element to edit it
To undo an edit of an element while editting, hit the escape key

ChangeLog

7/27/01 - First Schema Validating Version
8/21/01 - Switched to Sax2 parser from Expat

Background

Buzz is an XML/OPML editor based on Woody, Radio Userland and Xeena
Buzz was written using Buzz!

The editor imports and exports text if saxon is available

It uses the OPML Convergence project at omplconv.sourceforge.net

Tools to interconvert MS Word,OPML, SML, HTML, Text and ListPro formats are available

It's Written in Python and wxPython and uses saxon for stylesheet transformation
It Run's on Windows and Linux

Mouse

Left Click: On Text: Select; On Button: Expand
Double Click: Expand Node
Right Click: Expand URL assuming node is a link. If not a url will insert a child. Try right clicking on the node below

http://www.google.com

Menus

File Menu

Open: Opens an XML File
New OPML:
New XML
Choose Recent: 10 recent files are maintained the most recent file is opened by default
Print OPML: Prints to from HTML Version. Places images inline
Webify: Like print except centralizes external references into directory of document
Import: Import a text file as an indented Outline
Export: Export OPML as indented text
Import HTML Outline: Import MS word html outline file
Import / Export ...: Imports and exports Lpro, Shadow and MS Word documents

MS Word import and export works via HTML as an intermediary format
In other words use Save As HTML in MS Word prior to importing

Export HTML Outline: Useful for interacting with MS products like Word

If you open a file exported as an HTML Outline Word will open it as an outline
This is especially useful for interacting with Powerpoint for slides

Open URL: Open an XML file at an arbitrary URL
Save as XML

It is easy to mix XML and OPML when editting XML files
Using this converts all OPML elements to XML on the presumptions:

Outline items are tag names or attributes
Attributes come before children and anything with the = sign is an attribute
Text elements are not assumed and must be created using the appropriate keys

Save
Save As: Save a copy as
Set XML Schema: Loads a BUZZ specific schema to appropriately structured XML
Exit
Open Recent: Maintains a list of recently open files

Edit Menu

Paste Clipboard: Converts clipboard text to OPML and inserts at highlighted node
Create External Reference: Creates a URL reference

Default Keys

Left/Right/Up/Down: Navigate Tree
Ctrl-R: Open Recent File
F1: [s]ave
F2: Mark as needing Work
F3: Find Below current node if first time.

If repeat then find same text below last searched node This gives the find again behavior
If a node is editted starts search over

Useful for find and replace

Ctrl-C : Copy Node

Copies into the cut buffer ring
Allows one to select multiple items and paste them in back somewhere else

F4: Open node as URL
F5: Open a node next to my parent
F6: [o]pen a node at the same level
F7: open a [c]hild node
F8: Goto last selected node

Useful under Windows where alpha keystrokes jump to nearest node that starts with that key
Useful under wxGTK because editting text deselects item

Ctrl-J: Join Node with next sibling
F9: Toggle between most recent files
F10: Expand/Collapse everything to depth set in configuration file
F11: Expand URL below current Item
F12: Insert an OPML/XML file below the current Item
Ctrl-A: open attribute
<enter>: edit node text
<Home>: Move Node Up
<End>: Move Node Down
Ctrl-X or <Delete>: Cut branch to buffer
Ctrl-V or insert:paste into tree from buffer

Repeated use will progressively insert the cut ring

Ctrl-B: Paste sequentially back through cut buffer
<space>: expand or collapse branch
Ctrl-T: open child [t]ext node
<up>/<down>: up/down visible nodes
<left>/<right>:Parent/Child of current node
PgUp/PgDn: Move Fast

Command Line Options

First item on line is assumed to be an XML file
Second Item is optional. 0 turns off highlighting