delivering XML on the web

Sat Mar 22 10:55:22 PDT 2008

You're welcome Mollye.

I did not say that each xhtml file stands alone. I said we wrote 
standalone (xml) topics, meaning that the topics themselves are 
discrete: they are short enough to be specific to a single subject or 
answer a single
question and long enough to make sense on their own and to be authored 
as a unit. They do not contain cross-references to other topics, because 
that would restrict their reuse capabilities (we also use some of the 
topics "as is" in our marketing collateral). Instead, we create 
relationships between topics in a relationship table in a ditamap. Thus, 
the links will only be inserted in the topics when we generate output 
from the ditamap. And we create a ditamap per "document type" (or 
"infocenter" or "context"): one for the website, one for the company 
brochures, and one per data sheet. This allows us to say goodbye to 
"unresolved cross-references".

Maybe the above explanation is a bit too technical for those who are not 
familiar with DITA yet. If so, drop me an e-mail and I'll be happy to 
send you a Flash movie that shows you how relationship tables in a 
ditamap work.

Kind regards

Yves Barbion 
Documentation Architect
Adobe-Certified FrameMaker Instructor
____________________________________

Scripto bvba
Asselsstraat 65
9031 Gent
Belgium
T: +32 494 12 01 89
F: +32 9 366 50 23
BTW (VAT) BE 0886.192.394
skype: yves.barbion
____________________________________

Mollye Barrett wrote:
> Hi Yves,
>  
> Thanks! sounds cool and you've provided great details. The creation 
> process sounds relatively easy. For sure, if I used DITA everything 
> from this very large doc set would need rewriting... It's likely time 
> to do a serious content cleaning so I'll do some projections on time 
> and cost.
>  
> Does each xhtml file truly stand-alone? When topics with prescribed 
> relationships (rel table) change, do you have to recompile to maintain 
> those relationships?  
>  
> Thanks again. You've provided perspective and that's what I need!
>  
> Best!
> Mollye
>  
> -----Original Message-----
> *From:* Yves Barbion [mailto:yves.barbion at gmail.com]
> *Sent:* Friday, March 21, 2008 4:18 AM
> *To:* mollye at clearpath.cc
> *Cc:* framers at lists.frameusers.com
> *Subject:* Re: delivering XML on the web
>
>     Hi Mollye,
>
>     I'm currently also working on a fun project: authoring structured
>     content for a corporate website.
>
>     I'm using the DITA information model and I'm writing DITA topics
>     in FrameMaker with the DITA-FMx plug-in. This is how I do it:
>
>        1. We do a brainstorm and make a list of the topics which we
>           want to have on the site.
>        2. We open this list in FrameMaker and save it as a regular,
>           unstructured FrameMaker file. This list is resembles the
>           traditional outline: the indents define the level of the
>           topics and headings.
>        3. We  use DITA-FMx to create a ditamap and "stubs" from this
>           list. The "stubs" are topics which already have the correct
>           title and some metadata.
>        4. Write standalone, information-typed topics, which means
>           filling in the stubs.
>        5. We (re)arrange the topics in the ditamap, which will later
>           become the sitemap.
>        6. In the ditamap, use a "relationship table" to add links to
>           my topics (navigation). 
>
>     I use the DITA Open Toolkit to generate the following output:
>
>         * xhtml. These are the files which I deliver to my web developer.
>         * HTMLHelp, which I then convert to WebHelp. This gives me a
>           pretty good idea of how my "pages" look in a web browser and
>           how the navigation and linking works.
>
>     Lessons learned?
>
>         * Authoring, and (re)structuring web content has never been
>           easier. Just take the ditamap and drag the topics around in
>           the structure to the position where you want to have them.
>         * The DITA-FMx plug-in is really the must-have tool if you
>           want to author DITA content in FrameMaker.
>
>
>     More information about DITA and DITA-FMx?
>
>         * http://leximation.com/dita-fmx/
>         * http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=dita
>         * http://dita.xml.org/
>         * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DITA
>
>
>     Kind regards
>      
>
>     Yves Barbion 
>     Documentation Architect
>     Adobe-Certified FrameMaker Instructor
>     ____________________________________
>
>     Scripto bvba
>     Asselsstraat 65
>     9031 Gent
>     Belgium
>     T: +32 494 12 01 89
>     F: +32 9 366 50 23
>     BTW (VAT) BE 0886.192.394
>     skype: yves.barbion
>     ____________________________________
>
>
>
>     Mollye Barrett wrote:
>>     Dear Framers,
>>
>>     I'm working on a fun project (for an equipment manufacturer) using Frame
>>     to author structured files that may (for a time) be published to PDF as
>>     well as to XML. The XML files will be checked into a CMS and delivered to
>>     the web for dynamic publication based on metadata and/or search.
>>
>>     Is anyone doing the same or something similar? I'm interested your
>>     production path details, information model, lessons learned and, very
>>     soon, navigation in the delivery environment.
>>
>>     I look forward to and appreciate any replies.
>>
>>     Mollye Barrett
>>     ClearPath, LLC
>>     414-331-1378
>>     _______________________________________________
>>
>>
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>>       
>