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Ead2Html is a program written in perl which converts finding aids encoded in EAD version 1.0 or version 2002 into a set of static HTML pages. Ead2Html is distributed in an entirely self-contained installation script. Just double click it to execute, tell it where to install the program and you're ready to go! No need to coax your systems department to install some bizarre Java environment or the latest MSXML, Saxon, or whatever, to get it to run. Just install it and it works. Because Ead2Html uses perl instead of XSLT, it outputs very high-quality and attractive HTML and can convert a wide variety of EAD-encoded finding aids automatically every time.
Ead2Html has many benefits, most of which you won't find in any other EAD conversion system:
- It's easy to install and use. If you know how to double-click your
mouse then you can install it. If you know how to drag something with your
mouse you can use it. To convert a file you don't have to open any black DOS-style
command prompt, type in an obscure program name with lots of confusing
options or tediously type in the name of the EAD file you want to convert.
Ead2Html installs an icon on your desktop. All you have to do is drag the
file you want to convert onto the icon and wait for it to open in your browser
automatically.
- It works on a wide variety of finding aids. Why live in fear of
tyrannical, tempermental stylesheets that demand your finding aids conform to
a ridiculously narrow, restrictive markup? There is a great deal to be said
for local uniform encoding guidelines, but sometimes special collections
require special descriptions. Describe your collections they way they should
be described and let Ead2Html worry about displaying them.
- It can convert files of any size. That 20Mb file take hours to
display in your publication system? Ead2Html laughs at large files. Now you
can publish even your largest finding aids on the web without worrying about
the user's browser timing out, freezing for minutes on end, or simply giving
up in exhaustion.
- It intelligently "chunks" large finding aids into manageable pieces.
Ead2Html will break up a finding aid only when it needs to. Small container
lists will display in their entirety within the browser window while large ones
will display one series or one subseries at a time. Ead2Html goes even farther
in this regard than any other system. Even large container lists with no series
or very large series with no subseries will chunk intelligently into manageable
pieces. No other publication or conversion system can do this.
- It generates high-quality HTML for container lists in a number of
common columnar layouts. EAD examines your container list markup and
chooses the most appropriate tabular layout. Whether your container list
uses only a
column for box and a column for content, or needs 6 columns
for box-folder-reel-content-extent-date, Ead2Html
will render your container list in as many columns as it needs to. Automatically!
- It displays unicode characters correctly. No more explaining to your
users why diacritics and special characters display as gibberish. Why should they
have to adjust some obscure setting in their browser just to view your finding
aids? Ead2Html converts your unicode into a browser compatible form. This same
mechanism allows you to specify a reasonable default for more obscure unicode
characters which do not yet render correctly even in modern browsers.
- It works with both SGML and XML. If your finding aids are still
encoded in SGML—either because you're an EAD old-timer and haven't yet
moved to XML, or you're just plain stubborn—Ead2Html will convert your
finding aids whether they are encoded in XML or SGML. Easily and transparently.
You don't have to do a thing. It all just works.
- It's easy to customize the display for individual finding aids. Ead2Html's core design principle is customizability. It was built from the ground up to be able to easily modify and tweak the display of individual finding aids. If you have very specialized or highly-detailed inventories that demand an equally specialized display, Ead2Html's cascading template architecture makes this a snap. In most traditional stylesheet systems, to customize the display of a finding aid or group of finding aids, you have to create a complete copy of the entire stylesheet and change just the bits whose display you want to alter. This results in many complete but slightly different copies of the stylesheet floating around within a system. If the stylesheet needs to be maintained, you have to remember to change all of the various copies. With Ead2Html's cascading templates you can maintain a master template and only create customization templates containing the bits you want to override. For example I made all of the <unittitle>'s bold in this finding aid by creating a small template like this one.
Although Ead2Html finds its greatest use as a proofing tool, it's possible to set up a robust, online web publishing site with it as well. Simply use your favorite XML search program to index your EAD finding aids but display them using Ead2Html. With a bit more work, you can have it all: full-featured, XML-aware searching, PLUS search hit highlighting and navigation, hit counts in the table of contents, even display keywords in context—and on top of that, finding aids that actually look good.
Take the online finding
aid tour and see for yourself.
Standard version: Right-click and select "Save As": ead2html_setup.exe
Alternative "no refresh" version: The above version connects to the internet with each use and downloads any updated files and bug fixes. If you do not want your version of Ead2Html to connect to the internet or if it conflicts with your firewall, or other internet security systems, please download this alternative version: ead2html_setup_norefresh.exe