RE: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help

Subject: RE: XML-based Help Authoring tools for customized help
From: "France Baril" <France -dot- Baril -at- ixiasoft -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 15 Dec 2003 11:37:24 -0500


I have been following this discussion from a distance and it seems to me like everyone is forgetting one important purpose of xml: indexing. I'm bringing it up at this point because I think it can help to explain how standards are not there to meet everyone's needs.

Because XML tags are based on semantics, they are very useful to create search engines. For example, you could tag all interface elements in a text and identify their type. Then the user who wants to know what the OK button in the Create Something interface does could search exactly for that. You could also choose to index names, so that when a user is looking for "Bush" he gets information about people named Bush, like one well known American, instead of information about Moses and the burning bush.

I read a lot of discussions about tools and standard DTDs or schemas. As Mark Baker, who repeats it over and over again, I do believe you should choose a structure and an editing tool based on your needs. Seperating content from form can be one, single-sourcing can be another, indexing for better search capabilities is a third one.

Now, based on that, we can easily identify that if your need is to publish a book, docbook could be a good choice. If you need to organize your information into smaller pieces, DITA can be very useful. However, if you want to index field related information like chemicals, system components, interface elements, body parts, politicians, or any other, you will need a more specific structure. You will need to create your own elements unless you want to do the indexing manually. Maybe you will want to personalize an existing standard by adding elements to it, or start from scratch. It all depends on what you want to achieve.

As for the editing tool, well I chose different ones for different projects. I used FrameMaker for an existing project so that we can add tags to unstructured documents while updating the information without the user noticing format differences between guides. It also allows us to publish a new version on the spot, if a new release is needed while we are in transition. However, I am also working on a whole new project where everything needs to be defined from the look to the way information is presented. Because the look is the last thing that will be defined in this Web project, working with FrameMaker to see the output format is quite useless. I am using a simple XML editor that shows tags and some kind of black and white standard WYSIWYG.

At the end, it all comes down to you: your company, your authors, your users, your needs.

France Baril
Technical writer/Rédactrice technique
I X I A S O F T

+1 514 279-4942
france -dot- baril -at- ixiasoft -dot- com
[ www.ixiasoft.com

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