XML(DocBook compliant document) => pdf converter, as FOP, ie +----+ +----------+ +----+ |XML | --------> |FOP engine|------->| PDF| |doc | +----------+ +----+ |Book| ^ +----+ | +-------+ |XSL doc| +-------- +----+ +----------+ +----+ |XML | --------> |ConTeXt |------->| PDF| |doc | +----------+ +----+ |Book| ^ +----+ | +----------------+ |DocBookInConTeXt| +----------------+ With same input, the output should be the same. Hence, the only way to specify formatting informations must be in a xml docbook document, not manipulating intermediate stylesheets that will corrupt the portability of a document. So i think that our efforts must be in direction to implement docbook semantic by DocBookInConTeXt for ConTeXt engine. For simon: I just started to study <table> env. in DBinConTeXt, so what about <colspec> and <spanspec> ? luigi