Techniques
Publication — page size, fit and minimum text
The same semantic model published two ways: an A4 page with explicit minimum text size, and a content-sized screen render.
ddn@1New DDN source
Why use it?
The publication block is the contract with the reader's medium — the engine warns instead of shipping unreadable text.
When it helps
Anything leaving the screen: print packs, PDF reports, ISO-style documentation sets.
How to read it
- The paper variant fits the model to A4 and declares the smallest text allowed; the screen variant sizes to content.
- Overflow is a diagnostic, not a silent crop — read the warnings before exporting.
- Headers, footers, borders and backgrounds live in the same publication block (see the Publication chrome chapter), and --content-size forces the content-sized form for one render without editing the source.
What you need
- The model
- The publication declaration (size, fit, orientation, minimum text)
Things to check
- Do not raise the scale by shrinking text below the declared minimum — split the view instead.
- A fit: none choice means you own the extents; check the page in the export, not the preview.
Scope of this diagram
Declared publication rules with overflow/minimum-text diagnostics; print-driver behaviour is outside the model.
Work with the converted example
- Open the viewer and select
paper. Inspect the rendered view and its source. - Open the designer. Keep the selected profile and inspect its legal palette and property controls.
- Change one displayed title or an appropriate data value. Apply the edit and check the resulting diagram.
- Run the verifier and review its diagnostics before moving complete content into review.
- Download your edited DDN source to retain the change.
The example uses the indentation-based ddn-next-1 dialect. The language guide explains reusable definitions, dotted data rows and explicit property blocks.