Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
The whole point of working in XML is that the content and presentation
layers are seperate.
Well, that could be one point, I suppose, but for most of the organization I've worked with, the real point is getting work done and achieving specific business objectives in a cost-effective way.
Frame is a DTP tool,
Frame was born as a DTP tool but has grown to be a content authoring tool.
from my perspective it is therefore concerned with presentation. Authors have also become partial to using Frame was word processor. In my books using Frame for the later purpose, in an XML Publishing Tool Chain, defeats the purpose of working in XML.
You say this as if it were self-evident, but I do not think it is.
XML is True Single-source and Frame is WYSIWYG.
Frame can do WYSIWYG. It can also do XML.
Both are on opposite ends of the same stick. If you try to bring them
together by bending the stick, it is bound to break at some point.
Perhaps, but it seems to be working rather well in an awful lot of environments.
The tension limit, before the stick breaks, is WYSIOO (What You See Is One
Option).
Frame is just as WYSIOO as any other XML authoring tool, despite the fact that it can also be WYSIWYG. WYSIOO, IMO, describes the state of mind of the content author more than it does the capabilities of a given editing tool. If you are using Frame to produce XML that will be transformed for presentation in other, non-printed media, you know perfectly well that what you are seeing in Frame is not what the content users will see.
As WYSIWYG, Frame goes beyond the tension limit and breaks the stick. Epic is WYSIOO, in my school, this does not break the stick and therefore is an infinatley better option. Leading Document Orientated XML Editors such as Epic, XXE, XMetal, Morphon, and Syntext have all shown that WYSIWOO is the "best practice".
Oh? Where and when did they show this?
The pradgim of authoring in a WYSIWYG environment and then exporting to XML
is broken
Broken in what way? If an author produces valid, conformant XML that integrates well with other tools used in a given tool chain, what in the world difference does it make if the XML itself happens to have been generated by FrameMaker or, for that matter, "written" in Notepad?
and in my option should not be employed in any information development cycle where XML is employed as the storage format. XML, as many have already said, is for exchange.
Exchange is a purpose of XML, not the purpose of XML.
The point of using XML in the information development cycle is to avoid lock-in at the presentation layer through the use of an open and standards based format. This format should be transformable to any presentation (formatted) target.
XML produced with FrameMaker uses an open and standards-based format and is transformable to any presentation (formatted) target.
I don't know much about Frame, so please correct me if I am wrong. But I
understand that a Frame template cannot be saved as an XSL that could be
used, by any XML Publishing Tool Chain, to transform an XML to a formatted
target such as HTML or XSL-FO.
You are not wrong; FrameMaker does not produce XSL. But why would you need it to? If FrameMaker is used as an XML producer as part a larger "XML Publishing Tool Chain," XSL and transformations are handled outside of FrameMaker, and FrameMaker is invisible to the rest of the tool chain.
If Frame could do this then it would be of tremendous value in a publishing
cycle that uses XML during the information development cycle. As I
understand the current Frame technology, it is unable to do so. The
technology is limited to defining or controlling the design of content,
stored in a proprietry format, and then outputting it to a formatted target
capable of being displayed by a viewer technology.
FrameMaker's native file format is proprietary, but FrameMaker is by no means limited to "defining or controlling the design of content." In Structured FrameMaker, authors have no control over design, formatting, and layout, but work only with document structure, as defined in a DTD (and EDD) used in their publishing environment. Content authored in Structured FrameMaker can be saved as valid, conformant XML at any time.
Once a MIF is created and the layout, style etc are defined, any change to
the content source will require that the MIF be modified in order to
compensate for those changes. Whereas with XSL the transformation to the
presentation format dynamically compenates for modifications of the source.
MIF is just a plain text representation of FrameMaker's binary file format and is really beside the point here. FrameMaker transparently exports to XML and imports from XML. You can transform and otherwise manipulate the XML outside of FrameMaker using the whatever tools and workflow you choose.
In closing, I'll clarify that I am not suggesting that FrameMaker represents *the* future of XML or that it is the right tool for any particular project or organization. I am saying only that FrameMaker is a viable solution for producing XML and is used to great advantage in many organizations. There is no "religious" reason to write off FrameMaker as one tool in an XML publishing workflow.
Regards,
--
David Knopf ~ Knopf Online ~ San Francisco
mailto:david -at- knopf -dot- com ~ http://www.knopf.com
Consulting & Training for Technical Communicators
FrameMaker ~ WebWorks ~ Structured Authoring ~ XML
WebWorks Publisher Certified ~ Adobe Certified Expert: FrameMaker
Member, JavaHelp 2.0 Expert Group
Moderator, HATT & wwp-users
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
ROBOHELP FOR FRAMEMAKER TRIAL NOW AVAILABLE!
RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to online Help, intranet, and Web. The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as:
archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
References:
Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help: From: Sean Wheller
Previous by Author:
Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
Next by Author:
RE: Finding Local Tech Writing Job...
Previous by Thread:
Re: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
Next by Thread:
RE: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
Search our Technical Writing Archives & Magazine
Visit TechWhirl's Other Sites
Sponsored Ads