structuring topics without structured authoring
TRANSCRIPT
Structuring Topics withoutStructured Authoring
Michael McCallister
WritersUA Central
October 21, 2015
Ask questions any time!
Who am I?
• Senior Document Architect, PKWARE
• Books about openSUSE Linux and WordPress
• Blog: Notes from the Metaverse (metaverse.wordpress com)
• President, Society for Technical Communication, Wisconsin Chapter
• National Writers Union, UAW Local 1981, At Large chapter
What We’re Covering
● DITA and PKWARE
● Organizing Help Topics in RoboHelp 10
● Preparing Master Pages in RoboHelp
Ultimate Goal of Tech Comm
● Right content (and only right content)
● Right context
● Right format
Quick Survey:What is DITA?
What's a Topic?Neil Perlin
Focused on one subject:
● Answers one question
● How do I...?
● What is...?
As self-contained as possible
● All info needed to answer question
● Related info is separate
● Topics link to related topics
Project Settings in RoboHelp 10
Topic Properties in RoboHelp 10
Topic Properties Report
Topic Properties Report Options
Topic types leading to structure
● Concept: Big Picture
● Task: What the user does
● Reference: All the other stuff user needs to know
Another PKWARE Interlude
Master pages in RoboHelp
● Imported from FrameMaker
● Page Templates
● Added CSS
Master Pages in RoboHelp 2015
● Whirl the Whirls Sample
● Master pages
● CSS Editor
Goals for Creating Topic Types
● Help users be more effective
● Better statistics for management
● Ease the transition to structured authoring
Connect with Me
• PKWARE Help: help.pkware.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Web: michaelmccallister.com
• Twitter: @workingwriter
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/workingwriter
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015
Questions?
Michael McCallister, Independent Writers of Chicago March 2015