1. Implementing Single Sourcing with XML
- Nilanjana Biswas
Novell, Bangalore

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What We’ll Cover
What is single sourcing?
How does single sourcing help?
What is XML?
Why XML?
Single sourcing with XML
Some examples
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

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The Problem
Company X is launching a new software product that will be deployed on UNIX and Windows.
Your job is to create a documentation suite consisting of:
online help
user manual
readme
quick start card
release notes
error messages
FAQs
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

4. Traditional Documentation Scenario
Readme
ERS
Quick Start
Each doc product is an island of information, and needs to be maintained individually.
Online Help
Error Messages
FAQs
User Manual
Release Notes
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

5. Problems in the Traditional Documentation Scenario
Redundancy and repetition of information
Maintenance overheads
rework
scope for errors
inconsistencies of style and format
No time to improve content and usability
Tight integration of format and content leads to a high dependence on tools
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

6. Single Sourcing Scenario
Readme
ERS
Quick Start
Single Source
Online Help
Error Messages
FAQs
User Manual
Release Notes
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STC Conference, Bangalore

7. What Is Single Sourcing?
means writing content once and using it many times
separates how information “is” from how it “looks”
allows you to create and manage information as reusable objects
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8. Information as Objects
User manual
Single source
Quick Start
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9. How Single Sourcing Helps
Eliminates repetitive and redundant information
Reduces maintenance errors
Increases collaboration through object orientation
Increases cost effectiveness by reducing effort on documentation
Increases consistency across documents
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

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Where does XML fit in?
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What is XML?
eXtensible Markup Language or XML is a
data standard that allows you to break up a
document into elements and identify the
different elements.
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Why XML?
Open source technology
Non-proprietary
Cheap
Versatile
Universal data exchange format
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Some related terms...
Styling: a means of displaying XML documents Examples: CSS, XSL, DSSSL
Document Type Definition: a collection of elements and the rules governing their relationship (The DocBook DTD is of particular relevance to technical communicators.)
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Demo
Using Jade and DocBook
Using XML and XSL
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15. Case 1: Using the DocBook with Jade
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What You Need:
Jade: a freely downloadable conversion engine
The DocBook DTD: a freely downloadable DTD for technical writing and publishing
Style sheets: freely downloadable modular style sheets that work with Jade
An editor: Preferably, an XML editor like Xemacs; otherwise, Notepad will do
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How to Make It Work:
Identify the logical requirements (What are my deliverables?)
Identify the physical information requirements (Which parts of the information can I reuse?)
Create DocBook-conformant XML files.
Use Jade to parse your document to create HTML, RTF or TeX output.
Use Jadetex to create PS and PDF files.
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Case 2: Use XML with XSL
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What You Need:
A text editor (like Notepad)
An XML processor (like Xalan or Cocoon)
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How to Make It Work:
Identify the logical information requirements (What are my deliverables?)
Identify the physical information requirements (Which parts of the information can I reuse?)
Create your XML files.
Create style sheets corresponding to each deliverable type.
Generate output using an XML processor.
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore

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Resources
Useful Links on XML/XSL
Books on XML/XSL
Goldfarb, CF and Prescod P (1999): “The XML Handbook”. Prentice Hall, NJ.
Elliotte RH (1999):”XML Bible”. IDG Books. India
Doug, T (2001): “XSLT”. O’Reilly & Associates.
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STC Conference, Bangalore

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Resources
DocBook
Jade
DSSSL
Other XML Editors/Processors
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Thank you!
08 Dec 2001
STC Conference, Bangalore