one more question -Fame vs. ArborText

[Bernard Aschwanden]

XML sort of gets around it. The content is still the same, but the way that you work with it may be different.

HUGE GENERALIZATION FOLLOWS:

Think of it like working with HTML files. If we both reference a local stylesheet of c:\formats.css and we customize that one file we have two different looks. Now I open the web pages in Dreamweaver and do stuff. Then I send it to you. You open it in FrontPage and do stuff. We both use the tool of our choice and we both format it as we want.

The drawback: If either tool adds its own code then there may be issues. If they don't recognize some code that they should there can be issues. If the tools display content one way for me and I layout a specific page perfectly and then you have different formats my look and feel (and layout) is gone. Then you lay it out perfectly and I mess it up.

The problems can go back and forth.

However, if we share the style sheets, agree on what code to use and work as carefully as possible with each other then we can share the HTML. Even if our workflow is different. Even if the tools are different.



I've been doing this a lot lately with both Frame and XMetaL and have had a lot of luck sharing DITA compliant XML between them. So the answer that I have is:

You can edit XML in both AT and FM. Even if the tools are different, the code they share (in the XML file) should be very, very similar, or even the same. You may need to configure/set stuff up, but technically you can do a lot of this.

Hope that helps,

Bernard



Bernard Aschwanden
Director of Technology and Publishing Architecture
Bright Path Solutions

bernard at brightpathsolutions.com 

www.brightpathsolutions.com 



-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces+bernard=publishingsmarter.com at lists.frameusers.com [mailto:framers-bounces+bernard=publishingsmarter.com at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Diane Gaskill
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2007 2:09 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: one more question -Fame vs. ArborText

Hi all,

First, thanks to everyone who responded to my email on this topic. The
information is very helpful and I really do appreciate that you took the
time to respond.

One of the responses I received mentioned that the company had set up a
process to author in AT but was using FM to print because the AT print
engine is so slow.  So, apparently FM can import the XML that is generated
by AT, display it, and print to PDF.  Great.

Regarding that, I have a couple of XML-newbie questions.

What if you wanted to edit an AT-generated XML file in FM, or vice-versa?
The authoring tools are very different and do not have the same features.
Does XML somhow get around that?  (I know, that was two questions. :-)

Thanks lots.

Diane

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