a publisher’s guide to choosing the right xml editor

©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.rsuitecms.com

A Publisher’s Guide

to Choosing the

Right XML Editor August 4, 2010

Wednesday Webinar Series

©2010 Really Strategies, Inc. | www.reallysi.com

Welcome, Overview, Introductions

Online Poll

Editing Solutions for XML Publishing Environments

Q&A

Webinar Agenda


Who is Really Strategies? Founded: 2000

Consulting Services to Publishers

Specialists in XML-based Content Management Solutions

Project/Program Management

Workflow Analysis and Reengineering

Content and Metadata Modeling

Technology Assessment and Roadmaps

Much more…

2004 - 2009

2006, 2007, 2008

2004, 2005, 2007

2007, 2009

2007, 2009

A publishing service from authoring

through production, where you pay only for

the final pages produced.

The first SaaS XML content management

system

A content management system for

publishers.

http://www.kmworld.com/Articles/ReadArticle.aspx?ArticleID=37332


Serving over 100 companies

4

STM Educational Media Tech Pubs

http://www.ieee.org/

http://www.ti.com/hdr_home

http://www.fwmedia.com/

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/nsbe/Announcements/CIT/images/jnj.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.andrew.cmu.edu/user/nsbe/Announcements/CIT/johnson.html&h=140&w=148&sz=31&tbnid=Fclsgr4ygRFHaM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=95&prev=/images?q=Johnson+&+Johnson+Logo&usg=__3C_1dIzkCv0hlQjj36UeGXaPdWI=&ei=ta9ISoqUC8qMtgelruCTCg&sa=X&oi=image_result&resnum=4&ct=image

http://www.arbita.net/

http://www.agfa.com/


Lisa Bos

CTO and Co-founder

Really Strategies, Inc.

Webinar Presenter

5


ONLINE POLL

6


Editing Options

3 Primary Factors in Choosing

Ideal Choices for Your Factors

Other Factors to Consider

Best Practices

Topics

7


XML doesn’t always show up at the start of your

business process

Lots of choices before and after XML

Choices

8


Why Are We Talking About This? User resistance to native XML editing

Users not technical enough for XML editing

Users not under my control

Real Issue:

Creative process vs.

Structuring and classifying

But First

9


Common Choices

Microsoft Word with custom conversion or a tool like eXtyles

InCopy/InDesign with conversion

XHTML editor like WYMeditor

Wiki software

Custom XML control/forms software like EktroneWebEditPro+XML

10

Quark XML Author inside Microsoft Word

InCopy/InDesign as an XML editor

oXygen Author

Arbortext

XMetaL

Serna

FrameMaker

Xopus

XML Mind

Developer IDEs like XML Spy

Creative

authoring +

conversion

Easy to use

browser controls

Native XML

browser controls

Native XML Editing


Two Approaches for Conversion from Word

11

Our favorite for

simple content

Copy edit codes, like <head1> or head1:

and/orStyles and formatting

Conversion

scripting (XSLT

from Word’s XML,

Perl from RTF, …)

Interactive conversion tools like:

icPlugInBest for complex

contentMore than a

conversion

tool


Interactive Conversion from Word with Ictect icPlugIn

12

Prepare

Clean-up and pre-

process input document

Intelligent Content

Mark-up entire document

or selected parts

Check

Customizable checks for

quality control

Format

Transform document to a

desired output format

Integrate

Incorporate changes or

supplements into the

base document


Browser Controls

13

There are lots of

good plug in

XHTML editors.

This one is

open source.

There are

fewer XML

editor

plug ins.

Both are great options for

small documents that are

highly fielded or very simple

(XHTML)


Has an

open

source

option

Native (Standalone) XML Editors

14

Creative

authoring/production

merged with

structural editing

Standalone

XML editing

Browser-based

XML editing

All the standalone XML editors are

great options for small to large

documents of any content type and can

be highly customized


Users

Content

Business Process

The 3 Biggest Factors

15


Imply the level of customization required

as well as which product to choose

Targeting Editing Solutions to Users

Intuitive, controlled solutions

Non-technical

Yes, but more importantly:

You can’t dictate to (including software installation)

You can’t communicate directly with (or just too many to be practical)

Less tightly controlled solutions

Technical

You can dictate to (and train)

You can communicate with directly

16


Targeting an Editor to Content (or a Content Model to an Editor)

Standards-based (XHTML, DITA, DocBook, NLM) If you want to use DITA, don’t choose a browser plug-in

If you want to use a browser plug-in, don’t choose DITA

Special content types (math, complex tables,

media assets, …) Editor integrations/features matter

Document length


Targeting an Editor to Workflow

Create Edit Produce/

Publish

XML

Early




Publish

XML

Late




Publish

XML in

the

Middle

Other Tasks

And so on…


Process Complexities – A Closer Look

Content and Workflow

Complexities Tech

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ImplicationsSpecial content types/complex content

models

X X o X X Conversion to XML especially

difficult

Irregular content X X X

Lots of hierarchy X X X X

Many cross-references X X X X

Content re-use X o X X Need solutions to convert multiple

times per workflow or ways to

avoid conversion such as

PDF/HTML commenting tools

External contributors to whom you can't

dictate

* X X o X

Content returns to authors after edit X X X X X o X

A lot of online-only content * X o X X X X

Different print and online update and delivery

cycles

X X * X o X

Content updated during production X X X X X X X

High (print) design; complex production steps o o X X X XML after print, update of XML

after composition, or different

print and online XMLParticularly intense deadlines/workload X X X

Real-time collaboration on content production o X X X X

o Sometimes * Becoming a more important factor


Best Choices Today (Clean Slate)

Candidates Tech

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New

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Best choice for …

Word + Conversion to

XMLA + C A + C A + C

• Content authored by external authors who work

offline or outside the publishing environment,

especially when that content is irregular and/or long

InCopy/InDesign +

Conversion to XMLA + C A + C

• Content authored by users under your influence who

collaborate on complex, varying layouts

Browser Editor Plugin +

Conversion to XML or

Native XML

ACEA + C or

100%

ACE +

100%

ACE +

100%ACE +

100%

• Simple, short fulltext content authored online (or

pasted from Word)

Custom Forms +

Conversion to XML or

native XML

ACE +

100%

ACE +

100%

• Extremely regular content, even if complex, where

the documents are short or there is potential to work

with small units (topics)

Desktop or Browser-

based Native XML

Editor (with appropriate

customization)

ACE CE ACE ACE ACE ACE CE

• Simple, short fulltext content authored online (or

pasted from Word)

• Extremely regular content, even if complex, where

the documents are short or there is potential to work

with small units (topics)

• Longer documents inside the publishing

environment

• Content being cleaned up after conversion to XML

A = authors C = copy editors/production editors E = editors, specialty editors, production editors


Even the expensive costs are justified if: There’s an ongoing reduction of manual labor

There’s an ongoing time savings that increases revenue

There’s a resulting cultural change that moves you where you

need to be

Understand the model for ongoing costs, and do the math

Thoughts on All These Conversions

23

Conversion Type Cost Range (relative) Manual Intervention Needed

Document formats (like Word) to

XML

Inexpensive to very expensive Likely, ranges widely with content

XML back to document formats Inexpensive to very expensive Can often be avoided

XML to Web Inexpensive Almost never

XML to print composition (like

InDesign) or PDF preview

Inexpensive to expensive Almost never to always, ranges widely with

content/layout

Print composition to XML Very expensive Almost always, but with simple content and

disciplined users can be highly automated


The larger publishing environment Content management technologies

Print composition strategy/technology

Willingness/opportunity to change products to

achieve efficiency

Existing licensing

Existing skillsets

Other Factors

24

CMS


KISS Add features incrementally based on experience

Make content model only as complex as it absolutely must be

Multiple editing solutions for different users

Lots of user feedback and preparation Piloting

Early engagement with key users

Beta testing versus traditional acceptance

Training

Appropriate ongoing support and enhancements (staff

and budget) Internal or at least readily accessible expertise is essential

Best Practices

25


It is a real challenge to support creative

processes in a structured authoring tool

The efficiency and opportunity gains of an XML-

early editing environment are greater than you

might imagine and worth some compromise in

other areas

Closing Thoughts

26


QUESTIONS

27

A Publisher’s Guide to Choosing

the Right XML Editor


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