Experimental project

This is a sandbox project, which contains experimental code for developer use only.

Summary

The TEI Content module allows the display of textual documents encoded according to the standards of the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI). Texts are stored in the Drupal database and displayed through an XSL transformation using the content filter mechanism. The module provides specific support for many of the features that are part of the TEI Lite (P5) set of elements.

The module is part of a package of modules we call the TEICHI Framework. This name brings together the Text Encoding Initiative (TEI) and Computer-Human Interaction (CHI). The package works with Drupal 7 and consists of three modules: TEI Content (described here), TEI Download (currently at http://drupal.org/sandbox/christof.s/1120822), and TEI Search (in development, currently at http://drupal.org/sandbox/christof.s/1120932).

Possible use cases

Possible use cases for TEI Content and the TEICHI Framework generally are text edition projects in literary studies, history, or other text-based disciplines, provided they have a relatively straightforward editorial situation: only one given edition of a text is documented, a single-column presentation makes sense, and authorial and editorial annotation are important. The modules could also be of use in educational contexts, e.g. workshops on electronic textual editing.

Features

  • XML/TEI code is stored in the Drupal database (no separate database required).
  • XSL transformation to HTML is done server-side (original XML/TEI remains unmodified).
  • TEI documents can be uploaded via the Drupal GUI and modified online.
  • Relies on the Drupal core book module for longer, structured documents.
  • Stylesheet (XSL+CSS) provided out-of-the-box caters for larger part of TEI Lite (P5) set of elements.
  • Toggle mechanism for two alternative transcriptions via TEI’s “choice” mechanism.
  • Bottom toolbar for switching between transcriptions, in-page navigation, book navigation.
  • Two types of notes displayed in right sidebar: author’s and editor’s notes.
  • Four types of quotes displayed: inline or block, quotes or italics.
  • Display of scribal corrections: TEI’s “del”, “gap”, “add”, and “unclear” elements.
  • Basic settings (colors, texts) via Drupal GUI.
  • Rather detailed documentation is available.

Requirements and compatibility

TEI Content relies on XSLT, CSS and JavaScript. Text encoding needs to be done in TEI Lite (P5). MySQL 5.0.15 or higher including libxslt is required. TEI Content does not rely on any other contributed modules, but the Drupal core book module needs to be enabled.

The modules are tested with and work for Firefox (currently 3.6), Chrome (currently 8.0), and Internet Explorer (currently 8). The modules are currently known to be compatible with Drupal’s Garland and Bartik themes.

Installation

The installation follows the standard procedure for modules in Drupal 7. Please consult the relevant Drupal documentation (http://drupal.org/documentation/install/modules-themes).

Once the TEI Content module has been activated, an entry appears towards the bottom of the list of modules in the “Module” section of the Administration menu. The appropriate entry will then show a “Preferences” link.

When the module is activated, a new content type is automatically created. It is called “teichi” and its settings can be modified in the “Configuration” > “Text formats” section of the Administration page. There, click on “configure” in the “teichi” entry and activate the text format for all three roles of users (anonymous, authenticated, administrator). You should also activate the text format for those of Drupal’s menus that you may wish to use.

Documentation

More detailed documentation on the customization and use of this module and of the other modules in the TEICHI framework comes bundled with the module. Look for a PDF file called "TEICHI-Documentation" in the module folder. The documentation also helps with encoding documents in TEI Lite and with customizing the stylesheet.

Known problems and limitations

  • See Issues.

Credits

Current maintainer: Christof Schöch (christof.s) - http://drupal.org/user/1152238
Coders: Roman Kominek, with Dmitrij Funkner, Mohammed Abuhaish.
Project supervisors: Lutz Wegner and Sebastian Pape, Dept. for Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, University of Kassel, Germany.
This module is partly inspired from the XML Content module (http://drupal.org/project/xmlcontent).

Similar modules

The XML Content module (http://drupal.org/project/xmlcontent): this module is more general in scope in that it allows displaying any XML document and does not provide any specific stylesheet. At the same time, its particular strenght is the online validation of XML documents for well-formedness and/or validity against a schema. The strength of the TEI Content module is that it offers more advanced support specifically for TEI Lite.

Project information