<preface>

    <title>Preface</title>

    <para>The CentOS Artwork Repository started around 2008, at 

    url="mailto:centos-devel@centos.org">CentOS Developers mailing

    list</ulink> during a discussion about how to automate the slide

    images of Anaconda. In such discussion, Ralph Angenendt rose up

    his hand to ask: Do you have something to show?</para>

    <para>To answer the question, Alain Reguera Delgado suggested a

    bash script which combined SVG and SED files in order to produce

    PNG images in different languages —together with the

    proposition of creating a Subversion repository where translations

    and image production could be distributed inside The CentOS

    Community—.</para>

    <para>Karanbirn Sighn considered the idea intresting and provided

    the infrastructure necessary to support the effort.  This way the

    <ulink url="https://projects.centos.org/trac/artwork/">CentOS

    Artwork SIG</ulink> and the 

    url="https://projects.centos.org/svn/artwork/">CentOS Artwork

    Repository</ulink> were officially created.</para>

    <para>Once the CentOS Artwork Repository was available, Alain

    Reguera Delagdo uploaded the bash script for rendering Anaconda

    slides; Ralph Angenendt documented it very well; and people

    started to download working copies of CentOS Artwork Repository to

    produce slide images in their own languages.</para>

    <para>Around 2009, The rendition script was at a very rustic state

    where only slide images could be produced, so it was redesigned to

    extend the image production to other areas, not just slide images.

    In this configuration, one SVG file was used as input to produce a

    translated instance of it which, in turn, was used to produce one

    translated PNG image as output.  The SVG translated instance was

    created through SED replacement commands. The translated PNG image

    was created from the SVG translated instance using Inkscape

    command-line interface.</para>

    <para>The rendition script was named

    <quote>render.sh</quote>.</para>

    <para>The repository directory structure was prepared to receive

    the rendition script using design templates and translation files

    in the same location.  There was one directory structure for each

    artwork that needed to be produced. In this configuration, if you

    would want to produce the same artwork with a different visual

    style or structure, it was needed to create a new directory

    structure for it because both the image structure and the image

    visual style were together in the design template.</para>

    <para>The rendition script was moved to a common place and linked

    from different directory structures. There was no need to have the

    same code in different directory structures if it could be in just

    one place and then be linked from different locations.</para>

    <para>The concepts about corporate identity began to be

    considered. As referece, it was used the book <quote>Corporate

    Identity</quote> by Wally Olins (1989) and Wikipedia (

    url="http://en.wikipedia.org/Corporate_identity" />). This way,

    the rendition script main's goal becomes to: automate production

    of a monolithic corporate visual identity structure, based on the

    mission and the release schema of The CentOS Project.</para>

    <para>The directory structures started to be documented inside the

    repository using text files without markup.  Later, documentation

    in flat text files was moved to LaTeX format and this way

    <quote>The CentOS Artwork Repository Manual</quote> started to

    take form.</para>

    <para>Around 2010, the rendition script changed its name from

    <command>render.sh</command> to <command>centos-art.sh</command>

    and became a collection of functionalities where rendition was

    just one among others (e.g., documenting and localizing).</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> was created to organize

    automation of most frequent tasks inside the repository.  There

    was no need to have links all around the repository if a

    command-line interface could be created (through symbolic links,

    in the <filename class="directory">~/bin</filename> directory) and

    be called anywhere inside the repository as it would be a regular

    command.</para>

    <para>Inside <command>centos-art.sh</command>, functionalities

    started to get identified and separated one another. For example,

    when images were rendered, there was no need to load

    functionalities related to documentation manual. This layout moved

    us onto common functionalities and specific functionalities inside

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script. Common functionalities

    are loaded when <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is

    initiated and are available to specific functionalities.</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was redesigned

    to handle command-line options trough <command>getopt</command>

    option parser.</para>

    <para>The repository directory structure was updated to improve

    the implementation of concepts related to corporate visual

    identity.  Specially in the area related to themes which were

    divided into <emphasis>design models</emphasis> and

    <emphasis>artistic motifs</emphasis> to eliminate the content

    duplication produced by having both image structure and image

    visual style in the same file. Now, themes are produced as result

    of arbitrary combinations of both design models (structures) and

    artistic motifs (visual styles).</para>

    <para>In the documentation area, the documentation files in LaTeX

    format were migrated to Texinfo format.  In this configuration,

    each directory structure in the repository has a documentation

    entry associated in a Texinfo structure which can be read, edited

    and administered (e.g., renamed, deleted, copied) interactively

    throuch <command>centos-art.sh</command>. Additionally, the

    <command>texi2html</command> program was used to produced XHTML

    output customized by CSS from The CentOS Webenv.</para>

    <para>Around 2011, the <command>centos-art.sh</command> script was

    redesigned to start translating SVG and other XML-based files

    (e.g., XHTML and Docbook files) through the

    <command>xml2po</command> program and shell scripts files (e.g.,

    Bash scripts) through GNU <command>gettext</command> tools.  This

    configuration provided a stronger interface for graphic designers,

    translators and programmers to produce localized content. The SED

    files are no longer used to handle translations.</para>

    <para>Improve option parsing through

    <command>getopt</command>.</para>

    <para>Consolidate the render, help and

    locale functionalities as the most frequent tasks

    performed inside the repository. Additionally, the

    prepare and tuneup functionalities are

    maintained as useful tasks.</para>

    <para>The <command>centos-art.sh</command> script is updated to

    organize functionalities in two groups: <quote>the administrative

    functionalities</quote> and <quote>the productive

    functionalities</quote>.  The administrative functionalities cover

    actions like: copying, deleting and renaming directory structures

    inside the repository.  Also, preparing your workstation for using

    <command>centos-art.sh</command> script, making backups of the

    distribution theme currently installed,  installing themes created

    inside repository and restoring themes from backup.  On the other

    hand, the productive functionalities cover actions like: content

    rendition, content localization, content documentation and content

    maintainance.</para>

</preface>