<html><body><div style="color:#000; background-color:#fff; font-family:HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif;font-size:16px"><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231573" dir="ltr">Gillian asked:</div><div dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232022" dir="ltr">"How does Flare compare to DITA? It seems like you get all of the advantages of topic-baesd authoring, without having to have someone write scripts for you. Has anyone tried modifying their templates? How easy or difficult is that. How is their help file making product?"
</div><br><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232028" dir="ltr">IMHO, topic-based authoring is writing content in small chunks or modules. To quote Wikipedia:</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231826" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231822" dir="ltr">"<span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231823" class="" style="color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">A topic is a discrete piece of content that is about a specific subject, has an identifiable purpose, and can stand alone (does not need to be presented in context for the end-user to make sense of the content). Topics are also<span style="" class=""> </span></span><a id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232057" class="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reuse" title="Reuse" style="text-decoration: none; color: rgb(11, 0, 128); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none rgb(255, 255, 255);">reusable</a><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231827" class="" style="color: rgb(37, 37, 37); font-family: sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: 22.3999996185303px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 1; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; display: inline !important; float: none; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">. They can, when constructed properly (without reliance on other content for its meaning), be reused in any context anywhere needed." (<a id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232009" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic-based_authoring">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic-based_authoring</a>)<br></span></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231821" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231820" dir="ltr">It does not imply that the content is typed (specialized).<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232010" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231881" dir="ltr">DITA is content that is marked up semantically. Although you can create content in DITA that is topic-based, you don't have to.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232011" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232012" dir="ltr">So the difference at the content level between Flare and DITA is that content written in Flare is unstructured and not marked up semantically, and DITA is structured and marked up semantically.</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232483" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232484" dir="ltr">Which approach is more advantageous is going to depend on what you need overall now and in the future.<br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232419" dir="ltr"><br></div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232392" dir="ltr">Nadine</div><div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231598" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue-Light, Helvetica Neue Light, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231597" style="font-family: HelveticaNeue, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, Lucida Grande, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231596" dir="ltr"> <hr id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231636" size="1"> <font id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231635" face="Arial" size="2"> <b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231679"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231678" style="font-weight:bold;">From:</span></b> Shmuel <shmuelw1@gmail.com><br> <b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232394"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232393" style="font-weight: bold;">To:</span></b> Gillian Flato <gill6034@comcast.net>; framers@lists.frameusers.com <br> <b><span style="font-weight: bold;">Sent:</span></b> Monday, April 13, 2015 5:35 AM<br> <b id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232272"><span id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_232271" style="font-weight: bold;">Subject:</span></b> Re: Flare vs DITA<br> </font> </div> <div id="yui_3_16_0_1_1428499837008_231599" class="y_msg_container"><br>If you are interest in switching to topic-based authoring, and you are <br>using Frame already, it might be easier to stick with Frame and switch <br>to Structured Frame, which I believe is also topic-based authoring. <br>(Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.)<br><br>--<br>Shmuel Wolfson<br>Technical Writer<br>052-763-7133<br><br><br>On 12-Apr-15 10:52 PM, Gillian Flato wrote:<br>> How does Flare compare to DITA? It seems like you get all of the advantages of topic-baesd authoring, without having to have someone write scripts for you. Has anyone tried modifying their templates? How easy or difficult is that. How is their help file making product?<br>><br>> Thanks<br>> Gillian<br>> _______________________________________________<br>><br>><br>> You are currently subscribed to framers as <a ymailto="mailto:shmuelw1@gmail.com." href="mailto:shmuelw1@gmail.com.">shmuelw1@gmail.com.</a><br>><br>> Send list messages to <a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com." href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com.">framers@lists.frameusers.com.</a><br>><br>> To unsubscribe send a blank email to<br>> <a ymailto="mailto:framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com">framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com</a><br>> or visit <a href="http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/shmuelw1%40gmail.com" target="_blank">http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/shmuelw1%40gmail.com</a><br>><br>> Send administrative questions to <a ymailto="mailto:listadmin@frameusers.com." href="mailto:listadmin@frameusers.com.">listadmin@frameusers.com.</a> Visit<br>> <a href="http://www.frameusers.com/" target="_blank">http://www.frameusers.com/ </a>for more resources and info.<br>> .<br>><br><br>_______________________________________________<br><br><br>You are currently subscribed to framers as <a ymailto="mailto:generic668@yahoo.ca." href="mailto:generic668@yahoo.ca.">generic668@yahoo.ca.</a><br><br>Send list messages to <a ymailto="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com." href="mailto:framers@lists.frameusers.com.">framers@lists.frameusers.com.</a><br><br>To unsubscribe send a blank email to<br><a ymailto="mailto:framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com" href="mailto:framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com">framers-unsubscribe@lists.frameusers.com</a><br>or visit <a href="http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/generic668%40yahoo.ca" target="_blank">http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/generic668%40yahoo.ca</a><br><br>Send administrative questions to <a ymailto="mailto:listadmin@frameusers.com." href="mailto:listadmin@frameusers.com.">listadmin@frameusers.com.</a> Visit<br><a href="http://www.frameusers.com/" target="_blank">http://www.frameusers.com/ </a>for more resources and info.<br><br><br></div> </div> </div> </div></body></html>