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Is XML the solution?
Joined: 27 May 2005
Posts: 2
Is XML the solution?
Hello,
I have very minimal knowledge of XML and I`m not sure if this is the
solution for our problem or not, but here`s our situation:
Currently, my team authors training content. The same content is produced in
three formats: presentation (PPT), training manual (Word), and online help
(RoboHelp). Our current workflow is cumbersome and results in several
resources working on the same content. Would XML be a solution for us? Our
goal is to have one set of content and publish it to three mediums (PPT,
Word, and RoboHelp). Is this possible or should I explore another option? If
XML is the solution, where do we begin. Please advise, preferably
low-costing solutions.
Thanks for your input.
Ashaki
Joined: 31 May 2005
Posts: 6
Is XML the solution?
if this is your regular business rather than a one off activity i
think XML based publishing set up would make sense for you. If your
organization isnt initiated in XML i would recommend engaging an XML
consultant to draw up a roadmap for you towards such a publishing
environment.
On 5/27/05, Ashaki K. Hamlett <ashaki@...> wrote:
> Hello,
> I have very minimal knowledge of XML and I`m not sure if this is the
> solution for our problem or not, but here`s our situation:
>
> Currently, my team authors training content. The same content is produced in
> three formats: presentation (PPT), training manual (Word), and online help
> (RoboHelp). Our current workflow is cumbersome and results in several
> resources working on the same content. Would XML be a solution for us? Our
> goal is to have one set of content and publish it to three mediums (PPT,
> Word, and RoboHelp). Is this possible or should I explore another option? If
> XML is the solution, where do we begin. Please advise, preferably
> low-costing solutions.
>
> Thanks for your input.
> Ashaki
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
--
Warm Regards
Shrikant Pathak
Joined: 13 Jun 2003
Posts: 39
Is XML the solution?
> Currently, my team authors training content. The same content is
produced in
> three formats: presentation (PPT), training manual (Word), and online
help
> (RoboHelp). Our current workflow is cumbersome and results in several
> resources working on the same content. Would XML be a solution for us?
Our
> goal is to have one set of content and publish it to three mediums (PPT,
> Word, and RoboHelp). Is this possible or should I explore another
option? If
> XML is the solution, where do we begin. Please advise, preferably
> low-costing solutions.
Hi Ashaki,
XML can be part of *a* solution for what you want to do, which is often
called "single-sourcing" (because you use a single set of source documents
to produce several different published documents). More important than
the file formats (for that`s all XML is), though, is that your *entire*
team needs to be willing to change the way they write and produce content.
One writer who can`t or won`t go along can ruin everything.
With the tools you use now, you could at least reduce the amount of
duplicated effort -- the problem with this approach is that it depends on
self-discipline on the part of your writers (consistent and constant use
of styles), and Office software is notoriously unreliable. Using a tool
chain based on XML file formats instead of MS Office formats offers some
advantages:
- wider selection of tools, free to hideously expensive
- more flexibility (say, adding HTML output to the mix)
- can be more reliable
- freedom from vendor lock-in
Some drawbacks: you would have to throw out RoboHelp... although some
people may not consider that a drawback. :-) You would also have to
invest in training and perhaps hire a consultant to set up the initial
infrastructure. I recommend that at least one person in your department,
preferably others, be trained deeply enough to understand the tools
well enough to make modifications when needed.
I could go on (and on... and on... and on...) but I`d be repeating
myself. Take some time to go through the xml-doc archives; there`s a
lot of good ideas, pointers to case studies, and discussions about
software.
--
Larry Kollar, Senior Technical Writer, ARRIS
"Content creators are the engine that drives
value in the information life cycle."
-- Barry Schaeffer, on XML-Doc
Joined: 05 May 2005
Posts: 9
Is XML the solution?
Ashaki and the rest of you:
The DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) system of XML open-source
schemas and open-source tools could be what you want. Rather than working
on books, chapters, and appendices, you work on topics, each stored in a
separate XML file, as you would for a help system. You use a map file
which acts like a manifest to specify the order of topics and the nesting
of topics to create "chapters", "books", etc. Then you run the map
through a series of processes to produce output for PDF and HTML Help and
other deliverable types. (Sorry, no output for PowerPoint at the moment,
but wouldn`t a PDF do just as well with different formatting?)
The toolchain resolves cross-references (including page numbers for print
deliverables), compiles the TOC and Index, and generates the required
output.
To repurpose the content for different deliverables, you simply construct
different maps (manifests) including the topics in different sequences and
nestings. Similar to object-oriented programming, you can specialise
(subclass) the topic document type to customise it for your requirements
and your files can still be processed through the DITA toolchain without
having to create new XSLT files, etc. Some specialisations (subclasses) of
the topic document type are already provided: concept, task, and reference.
If you are documenting software, this is pretty much all you need anyway,
but you might like to further specialise to remove elements you don`t need
(not many of us need the elements for documenting program functions).
Find out more at
@ <http://xml.coverpages.org/dita.html> // More than all the
explanation you will ever want
@ <http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/download.php/12091/cd2.zip> //
Contains the "Architectural Specification" and the "Language Specification"
documents
@ <http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=dita> //
DITA Technical Committee that guides development
@ <http://sourceforge.net/projects/dita-ot/> // Open-source DITA
toolkit for generating deliverables, including source code to tweak
yourself
@ <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dita-users/messages> // Mailing list
@ <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/framemaker-dita/messages> // Mailing
list
@
<http://www.arbortext.com/Scripts/dtSearch/dtisapi6.dll?cmd=getdoc&DocId=3714&In
dex=D%3a%5cProgram%20Files%5cdtSearch%20Developer%5cUserData%5cArbortext&HitCoun
t=28&hits=37+89+94+c5+d7+ea+126+2f9+322+32a+335+347+351+379+39f+3d4+402+447+49f+
4a7+4b2+4f4+511+557+581+5b8+5e5+602+&SearchForm=c%3a%5cinetpub%5cwwwroot%5csearc
h%2ehtm>
// The Arbortext Epic editor for XML documents has an alpha implementation
of DITA
@
<http://www.ixiasoft.com/default.asp?xml=press-release-blastradius-ixia-dita.xml
&result=0>
// Ixiasoft has a DITA-aware content management system and Blast Radius
support DITA with their XMetaL editor
Good reading!
Hedley
--
Hedley Finger
Technical Communications Support Specialist
MYOB Australia <http://www.myob.com/>
P.O. box 371 Blackburn VIC 3130 Australia
12 Wesley Court Tally Ho Business Park East Burwood VIC 3151
Australia
<mailto:hedleyDOTfingerATmyobDOTcom>
Tel. +61 3 9222 9992 x 7421, Mob. (cell) +61 412 461 558
(c) MYOB Technology Pty Ltd 2005
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