This chapter suggests a directory structure for eAIP-related files when managing the eAIP production process manually. This does not concern automatic production systems, which might very well use a different organisation.
Based on feed-back from eAIP Pilot Countries, it was decided to recommend a default structure, which could help organising various eAIP packages, different eAIP DTD versions, eAIP amendments with their graphics.
What do we have to organise?
Operational documents
Grouped by publication date for AMDTs
Different document types should not be mixed (because AIP AMDTs don't have the same life cycle than AICs and SUPs)
Grouped by file formats: XML, HTML, PDF, graphics (to ease publication: we don't need to publish XSL-FO and AT files)
Supporting documents and software
EUROCONTROL eAIP packages, including DTDs
Software tools such as Saxon and XEP
The general objective of this proposed directory structure is to separate the operational documents (eAIP amendments, circulars and eAIP supplements) from the eAIP software and other supporting files. Also, it is indicated store separately the various versions of these documents and supporting files. There are strong links between some files, tied to the publication date. For example, eAIPs, eAICs and eSUPs all make reference to a specific "locales" file (for more information, see Multi-lingual eAIP) and a specific DTD, and both of them may change over time. It is important that references in documents published in the past are still valid.
A paramount requirement is that once a document has been published, it may not be changed. This implies that files refereed from another file must stay at their place, so that their relative location remains the same. For example, if it was necessary to move a chart's location, then an eAIP already published would need to be modified so that it references the chart at its new location. This is not acceptable.
As a secondary objective, it should be easy to publish the operational documents on the AIS organisation's Web site. For example, it would be nice to keep the same directory structure.
The directory structure illustrated by the image is suggested. There are 2 main zones: Operations and Software.
The Operations zone contains 1 directory for each publication "package". Because Circulars and AIP Supplements are always sent together with an Amendment, it was decided to name the package directory by the Amendment type, number and year. That way, one can easily find all the documents that were published together and the directories will be sorted in a way which is familiar to the AIS community.
Each publication package contains several directories. The following are those directories which should be published, on a CD-ROM or a Web site:
eAIC contains the new Circulars, published for the first time on the package's publication date, in XML format;
eAIP contains the complete AIP including the Amendment published on the package's publication date, in XML format; only one AMDT is included in a given package;
eSUP contains the new Supplements, published for the first time on the package's publication date, in XML format;
graphics contains all graphic files (charts) referenced in the eAIP; it is used by both XML and HTML files;
html contains the new Circulars, the complete AIP including the current Amendment and the new Supplements in HTML format, as well as a few related files which are specific to this package (notably the list of AICs in force and the table of contents);
pdf contains the new Circulars, the complete AIP including the current Amendment and the new AIP Supplements in PDF format, as well as the AIP Amendment (i.e. only amended pages) in a single PDF file.
Note
Only new AICs and SUPs are included in a package; previous ones are available in previous packages. A list of AICs and SUPs in force is available via the table of contents in HTML.
The other directories are not published as they are used for editing purpose only (see the Paper AIP Publication Procedure for details):
fixed complete AIP in XML with current Amendment fixed;
publish contains the AIP, AICs and SUPs in XSL-FO and AT formats;
publish-amdt contains XSL-FO and AT files used for the Paper AIP Publication Procedure;
with-amdt-info contains XSL-FO and AT files used for the Paper AIP Publication Procedure;
without-amdt-info contains XSL-FO and AT files used for the Paper AIP Publication Procedure;
The Software zone contains one directory for each version of needed software. Saxon, XEP and the EUROCONTROL eAIP package are shown as an example. It is important to keep previous versions of any software used, so that the software environment needed to manage older documents still exists.
For example, an older eAIP in XML might declare conformance to an older eAIP DTD. If it is needed to manipulate this eAIP for any reason (for a search engine or a specific presentation), then the right DTD must be used.
This suggested directory organisation implies a limited duplication of certain files between directories.
For example, when publishing an AIRAC AMDT together with a non-AIRAC one, many graphic files are likely to be the same between both AMDTs. Yet, they would be duplicated because we want each AMDT package to be independent and complete. We do not want to avoid this duplication, because it would mean that the location of the graphic files would change from one AMDT to the next, which means too much maintenance trouble and does not satisfy the principal requirement as explained above.
AICs and SUPs are scattered among several packages, depending on their publication date. Again, this is done with the objective of minimising maintenance on the files. These documents refer to the locales file, for instance, which can evolve with time. So it is important that they keep referring to the same version of that file. Similarly, the eAIP refers to the Supplements, so they should not move neither.
Consequently, when a publication on CD-ROM is prepared, several past packages must be included as well as the new ones, so that all Circulars and Supplements are available on the same media. However, the AIP (including graphics) published in past packages need not be included, if they take too much place.
Despite being scattered, these documents will not be difficult to find: the user should use the HTML interface and browse the table of contents, which contains a list of Circulars and Supplements in force. From there, the user can access HTML and PDF versions of these documents.
When publishing an amendment on their Web site, the AIS office can simply copy the package directory (e.g. directory "2003-10-16-AMDT"), except those sub-directories that are not needed (fixed, publish, publish-amdt, with-amdt-info and without-amdt-info). Everything is then in place for publication.
Only the link to the index of amendments needs to be updated.
Note
Currently, other files need to be updated as well: the list of amendments (history.html) and the list of circulars. However, these files might be generated automatically.