dita webinar 20th march

Copyright© MetaPercept

Webinaron

Darwin Information Typing Architecture

by

Amit Siddhartha


About the presenter

Owner & Consultant at Metapercept Information Solutions & Consulting

Solution & implementation expert in DITA, XSLT, Structured Authoring, Single Sourcing, Usability, & Information Mapping

Provides consulting & training in DITA-XML, STE, DITA based Authoring Tools, & DITA based Content Management Systems.


Agenda

What is DITA? Why DITA-XML? Do we need DITA? What all do we need to implement DITA? Phased approach to DITA migration Questions & Answers


ObjectiveAfter this Webinar, you will be able to:

Understand DITA ecosystem Analyze if DITA is required for your documentation system Understand dependencies for DITA implementation Understand importance of planning in DITA


Future of unstructured documentation


Unstructured Document


What is DITA?


Common definitions

Definition 1: DITA is an open standard for creating, managing, and publishing topic based content. DITA supports topic types within a comprehensive content management system that can facilitate single sourcing and reuse of the topic types.

Definition 2: DITA is a topic based structured documentation system. DITA topics can be easily assembled from multiple source to create deliverables in various output formats.


DITA is like this!


DITA Ecosystem


DITA Authoring key principles

Topic-based information Information types and domains Structural integrity Semantic markup Separation of content from presentation Separation of content (topics) from context (maps) Reuse Extensibility and customizability


Using DITA-XML, we can..

Create, manage, and publish XML-based, structured information in a wide variety of environment, platforms, and deliverable

Facilitate information sharing and reuse, and collaborative writing projects

Reduce writing, publishing, and translation costs Integrate more tightly with related technologies


DITA information types

Concept Task Reference


Information types in DITA content model..little more in detail Task Graphical task Description concept Graphical concept Requirements Specification Worksheets General reference API Scenario Resolution Structure Glossary


Task The Task type provides the information a user needs to perform a

procedure that requires more than one step. At a minimum, the Task type must include all steps the user must

perform and the correct order of those steps. A Task can also provide:

– Notes and other useful details – Expected results of the procedure– Any prerequisites or postrequisites


Graphical Task


Concept (Description Concept) Provides background information that users must know prior to

working with a product or interface. Description concept is usually a process, which will be presented in

an ordered list. Example: A series of functions that the system performs would be considered a process but a high-level set of steps that a user performs would be a task.


Graphical Concept


Graphical Concept – 2


Requirements


Specification Provides values for hardware-related elements of a system such as:

height, weight, temperature, density, capacities, memory, bandwidth, etc.

Command Reference Provides a list of system commands that includes command names,

descriptions, variables, and examples. Sections of this information can be used in other topics.


Worksheet Includes information a user must gather and record, or lists of task

that the user must complete in sequence.

General Reference Includes lists and tables of reference information that does not fit

into one of the other defined reference types. Example: Legal Documents, Copyright Information

API Provides API information and can include description, syntax,

example, usage.


API sample


Scenario A Scenario type is a topic-length example that helps a user to

understand a concept or a task. Scenario can be a concept or a task, depending on the type of information being included in the scenario.

Resolution The Resolution type provides information about detecting and

resolving product issues, events, alarms, and errors.


Structure The Structure type describes the components of a container such as

product interface or a hardware component. This topic type can include application fields, icons, report fields, etc. For hardware components, this can include a list of components of a server, or an image followed by a description of the image contents.

Glossary The Glossary topic type provides a term and its definition.


Why DITA-XML?


What stake holders askHow are we going to meet our financial projections if we use DITA?If we want to add new products with our existing ones, will DITA help us lower the cost?We had a merger recently with another company and we are adding their product line. What would be the cost involved?

What managers askHow much is the effort by a Technical Writer, if we migrate to DITA?How can we compare the deliverable effort and content creation effort for current year, last year or just for a month by each author?How can we calculate the cost of a deliverable if segregated into effort applied by author, reviewer(s), and editor?


Why DITA-XML?

Structural integrity Platform Independency Portability Reusability & Single Sourcing Transformation

In DITA ecosystem, topic based content structure is maintained by the extended markup language (XML), and presentation (formatting and styling) for each deliverable type is maintained by cascading style sheets (CSS).


What is topic based information?

A topic is the smallest independently maintainable unit of content.

Topics must be able to stand alone so that they can be understood when they are encountered out of context. For example when a user finds the topic through search, an index, or by following a link.


Information type and domain in DITA:

Each information type Represents one type of content that we create at a topic level Has a specific intent Comprised of a series of content elements in a prescribed order.

Domains are kind of content within topics. Example: There’s a group of DITA elements concerned with user interfaces (uicontrol, wintitle), and another concerned with programming (such as codeph).


Structural Integrity

Guaranteed content structure stipulated by the Document Type Definition (DTD).

Easy content porting from one writer to another without disturbing document structure.

Transformation to other document types or data formats is much easier.


Extensibility & Customizability

DITA is extensible by defining new information types or domains. Example: Glossary, Index, Mathematical Formula

DITA Specialization of new information types or domain extends existing types or domains by adding the hierarchy


Reuse

Create a chunk of content and reuse in multiple topics, DITA maps, or patterns, even across several projects.

Benefits of reuse: Simplified and reduced time for content maintenance. Less ambiguity and consistency of information. Enhanced usability and standardized wording. Reduced localization costs.


Do we need DITA?


We need DITA to:

Develop structured documents Use common look & feel for complete documentation system Streamlined documentation, content management, publishing, and

build integration system Reuse contents for multiple deliverable Decrease content legacy issues Multiple deliverable output with same content Reduce time to create content Reduce return on investment Standardize the content structure and maintenance process Make life easy for Technical Writers


What all do we need to implement DITA?


Analysis, Planning & Scheduling Analyze existing information Plan and schedule project Assemble the right team Get appropriate Authoring, CMS and Publishing tools

Basic Authoring Document Type Definitions & DITA maps Schemas Editor (notepad, wordpad, or any authoring software)


Content Management DITA enabled Content Management System Version Control and Review System Content Mapping System

Publishing Style Layout and Condition Mechanism Desirable Output Generation System


DITA Maps Schemas

Content: Methods to handle content Deliverables: Publishing formats Customization: Extensibility of topic types (markups) specific to your

requirement Scalability: Ability to manage user (Technical Writers working on same

content)

Relationship tables


Phased approach to DITA migration


DITA migration must have a phased approach. This phased approach would include:

l Evaluation of new information, redundancies, interdependencies, and complexity of contents

l Prioritization of information unitsl Evaluation of documentation infrastructure & delivery methodsl Assessment of training requirements such as: Scheduling

management, authoring tools, CMS, and information mappingl Constant Reviews & Supportl Workload balancing


Resources involved in DITA migration

DITA-XML Architects DITA-XML Editors Infrastructure Developers Technical Writers - Experienced in DITA-XML Development & Product Management Experts


Authoring Tools Notepad/ Wordpad oXygen xMetal Adobe FrameMaker ArborText Editor

Content Management Systems DITAToo IXIASOFT Astoria DITA CMIS Explorer EasyDITA

Some of the authoring & CMS tools


Questions


References to learn DITA

Books:DITA 101 Fundamentals of DITA for Authors and Managers by Ann Rockley, Steve Manning and Charles Cooper with Mark LewisDarwin Information Typing Architecture by Jesse Russell, Ronald Cohn

Online Sources:DITAXML.org: http://dita.xml.org/IBM: http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/


Contact for Training & Consulting:Email: [email protected]

Gmail: [email protected]

Twitter: metapercept

Linkedin: in.linkedin.com/pub/amit-siddhartha/8/7b3/28a/

Website: www.metapercept.com


Upcoming Events:

DITA Authoring using oXygen XML Author DITA Content Management using DITAToo Working with context & conditions in SmartDocs with MSWord Many more………


Thank You!

dita webinar 20th march

Documents

dita implementation

dita topics

dita content model

ditacopyright metapercept

dita basedauthoring

information mapping

background information

concept description