atw: Re: XML software for Word-like formatting
- From: "Anthony Self" <ASelf@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 25 Jun 2009 13:22:12 +1000
Hi Dave
You didn't mention what your motivation was for moving to an XML publishing
solution. A typical reason is to reduce cost, by improving writing efficiency,
allowing re-use of content, and automating some of the production tasks.
XML is an enormously broad area, covering every field of human endeavour. XML
is used in the research of ancient Sumerian poetry, in spacecraft design, in
managing census data, in calibrating scientific instruments, in publishing
newspapers, in financial transactions, in software configuration, in user
interface design, and for thousands or millions of other applications,
including technical communication.
In the technical communications space, apart from XHTML (an XML used for Web
content) and word processing XMLs (Word's OOXML and OpenOffice's ODF), the two
most important XML applications are DocBook and DITA. Both of these XMLs are
mature enough that you don't have to work in a code view. Like most XMLs, DITA
and DocBook separate content from its presentation. This means you can't really
have a WYSIWYG editor, because as an author of content, you are not responsible
for the presentation; you are responsible for the words. To make a rich,
productive, non-code working environment possible, DITA and DocBook editors
employ WYSIOO - What You See Is One Option. Tools such as XMetaL, Serna and
XMLmind let you write, edit, delete and otherwise craft the content in a
Word-like interface. However, they don't give you good mechanisms for producing
that content in a reading format, because that's the job of a publishing tool,
not an authoring tool. (There are a few all-in-one tools that try to do both
editing and publishing, but these tend to be very expensive and often
ineffective.)
Pagination belongs in the publishing tool. You can formulate tables in the
WYISOO editing tool (that is, put content into rows and cells), but how that
table is eventually presented will be up to the rules in the publishing tool.
Graphics are part of the content, so they are added in the editing tool.
I suggest that your first task is to work out which XML application is most
suited to your documents. That will require you to become familiar with the
underlying structured, semantic authoring principles of DocBook, DITA, or
whatever XML application you choose. Only then should you consider what tools
will suit your requirements. If you end up using DITA, you'll find there are
dozens of tools, including DITA-centric CMS solutions, Web-based DITA editors,
multiple-author tools, and DITA-based review software.
Hope this helps.
Tony Self
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