Metanorma CLI 1.10.3: Internationalization Advancements and Image Processing Improvements

Nick Nicholas on 22 Jul 2024

Metanorma CLI 1.10.3: Internationalization advancements and image processing improvements

We are pleased to announce the release of Metanorma CLI version 1.10.3, continuing our biweekly release schedule for the Metanorma standards authoring platform. This version brings substantial improvements to our internationalization capabilities, refined mathematical notation handling, and significant enhancements to image processing and bibliographic rendering.

General improvements

Enhanced mathematical notation

Building on previous releases, this version further refines the handling of mathematical expressions with:

Improved number formatting with precise control over significant digits
More accurate rendering of exponents in scientific notation
Consistent presentation of complex mathematical formulas across different output formats
Better alignment with scientific and engineering notation conventions

These enhancements are particularly valuable for technical standards that rely heavily on mathematical expressions, ensuring that critical numerical values are presented clearly and consistently throughout documents.

Optimized image handling

This release introduces an important optimization for embedded images by setting a maximum permitted size for images encoded as Data URIs. This enhancement:

Prevents processing issues with extremely large embedded images
Improves document loading performance in browsers
Reduces memory usage during document compilation
Maintains high-quality visuals while managing file size effectively

For standards with numerous diagrams, charts, and technical illustrations, this change results in more efficient document processing and better end-user experience when viewing the published standards.

Improved cross-reference detection

We’ve enhanced the recognition of cross-references in document abstracts, ensuring that:

References within abstract sections link correctly to their targets
Navigation from abstracts to detailed sections works seamlessly
The integrity of the document’s navigation structure is maintained throughout
Abstract previews accurately reflect the connectivity of the full document

This improvement is particularly valuable for readers who use abstracts to assess document relevance before diving into detailed content, providing them with functional navigation paths from the very beginning of the document.

More robust error logging

The system now captures Relaton error messages for fetching bibliographic data directly into the document error log. This enhancement:

Provides more comprehensive troubleshooting information
Enables authors to quickly identify and fix issues with bibliographic references
Streamlines the debugging process for complex documents with numerous citations
Improves the overall quality of bibliographic data in final documents

By bringing bibliographic error reporting into the main document log, this feature makes it much easier for authors to ensure accurate and complete citation information.

Advanced passthrough processing

We’ve implemented improved processing of passthrough lines in document preprocessing, which:

Ensures that special formatting in code blocks and literal text is preserved
Prevents unintended text substitutions in technical content
Maintains the integrity of syntax examples and command samples
Supports more complex use cases for verbatim technical content

This enhancement is particularly valuable for IT and software standards that contain extensive code examples, protocol specifications, or configuration snippets.

Internationalization enhancements

A major focus of this release is expanded support for multilingual content, with particular emphasis on East Asian languages.

Japanese language support

We’ve made significant improvements to Japanese language support:

Eliminated the default use of italics or quotation marks to delimit titles in Japanese text
Added proper Japanese localization for "available from" text in ISO and inheriting flavors
Improved handling of line breaks within Japanese text to maintain proper flow and readability
Enhanced smart quote handling when quoted Latin text appears adjacent to Japanese characters

These refinements ensure that Japanese-language standards follow appropriate typographic conventions rather than inappropriately applying Western text formatting rules.

Comprehensive East Asian text processing

Beyond Japanese-specific enhancements, we’ve implemented improved text handling for Chinese, Japanese, and Korean (CJK) content:

Proper handling of line breaks within CJK paragraph text to prevent inappropriate space insertion
Smart quote management when Latin text appears adjacent to CJK characters without intervening spaces
More natural text flow in mixed-script documents that combine East Asian and Latin characters

These improvements ensure that East Asian language content is processed with the same level of typographic refinement as Western language text, resulting in more professional and readable documents.

Experimental bilingual text support

This release introduces experimental support for rendering bilingual text as multiple columns. This feature:

Provides side-by-side presentation of content in different languages
Facilitates direct comparison between original and translated text
Supports more efficient use of page space in multilingual documents
Enhances the readability of documents intended for multilingual audiences

While this feature is still experimental, it represents an important step toward comprehensive support for multilingual standards development.

Document stage internationalization

We’ve implemented internationalization of document stage terminology, enabling:

Localized presentation of document stage information (e.g., "Draft," "Final," "Under Review")
Consistent terminology in user interfaces and document metadata
Proper rendering of document status in the reader’s preferred language
More accessible document lifecycle information for international audiences

This enhancement supports our commitment to making standards information equally accessible regardless of the reader’s preferred language.

Bibliography improvements

Enhanced bibliographic rendering

Several improvements to bibliographic rendering have been implemented:

Added URI display to the rendering of "misc" document type references
Suppressed "NO ID" placeholders for references missing document identifiers
Removed ordinal identifiers in Normative References sections
Fixed presentation of bibliographic entries with nested items

These enhancements create cleaner, more professional-looking reference sections with less visual clutter and more consistent formatting.

Format-specific improvements

IEEE standards

For IEEE standards, we’ve updated the boilerplate text for 2024, ensuring that documents comply with the latest IEEE stylistic requirements and legal language.

OGC documents

Open Geospatial Consortium documents benefit from several targeted improvements:

Use of open-source fonts to ensure consistent rendering across platforms
Improved placement and numbering of References within Overview clauses
Enhanced display of table keys for better readability of complex data tables

IHO documents

International Hydrographic Organization standards now feature improved rendering of subfigure and nested requirement cross-references, ensuring clear and accurate navigation within complex technical documents.

JIS standards

For Japanese Industrial Standards, we’ve made several targeted enhancements:

Improved rendering of subfigure and nested requirement cross-references in Japanese
Table of Contents placement after the abstract following JIS conventions
Added support for paragraph and list sources
Consistent indentation of all paragraphs in Japanese text
Unnumbered document history annexes conforming to JIS practices

Plateau documents

Support for Plateau documents continues to evolve with additions of sources on paragraphs and lists, enhancing the traceability and citation capabilities of these specialized documents.

Conclusion

Metanorma CLI 1.10.3 represents a significant step forward in our internationalization capabilities, mathematical notation handling, and image processing optimizations. These enhancements make Metanorma an even more powerful and versatile platform for standards development across different languages, technical domains, and organizational contexts.

For more detailed information about the changes in this release, please refer to the individual gem release pages. As always, PDF rendering updates are not tracked separately but are incorporated into the overall improvements.

Release link: https://github.com/metanorma/metanorma-cli/releases/tag/v1.10.3

Announcement link: https://github.com/orgs/metanorma/discussions/6