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Subject:Re: State of the Single Source these days? From:"Mark Baker" <listsub -at- analecta -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Sat, 20 Dec 2003 11:40:56 -0500
Solveig Haugland wrote
> So I'm just wondering what the single source situation is these days;
> I'm on my own so not gettin' as much info from other techwriters. Is
> there an *intelligent* single-source *program* emerging? Not roll your
> own XML but something off the shelf. One that should let you put in
> stuff in a good gui, attach enormous amounts of logic, then output
> useful content to both multiple formats (HTML vs PDF) and multiple
> approaches (help, training, manuals).
Solveig,
It really isn't an either/or question, but more of a sliding scale. The
words "single sourcing" have many different meanings, but whatever you mean
by them, there is, at some level, the implication that you are maintaining
one of something on the back end and producing multiple copies of that thing
on the front end.
As you rightly state, getting from oneness on the back end to manyness on
the front end requires "enormous amounts of logic". Just how much logic is
required depends on how much single sourcing you want to do.
Implementing that logic requires two things. First, the ability to add
custom semantics to your data (so that the logic has something to work on).
Second, the ability to script the selection, processing, and linking of the
single sourced components to build the new output.
Applications that implement some form of single sourcing capability all
support these two features to one extent of another. For instance, Frame has
the ability to specify conditional text (data semantics) and the ability to
specify which conditions to build. To the extent that you use these
facilities you are rolling your own solution within the framework provided
by the application.
How sophisticated you need your data semantics and your scripting facility
to be depends on the kinds of single sourcing you want to do. The further
you go towards the more sophisticated end of the spectrum, the more "roll
your own" you need to do and the less support can be provided by a packaged
application. Also, as you approach this end of the spectrum, you will find
that the packages available tend to be individual components rather than
integrated applications. This is dictated by the kinds of logic they are
designed to support.
Even at the "roll your own XML" end of the spectrum, you are still working
with the facilities exposed by packaged applications. You are now more often
dealing with several interchangeable components rather than one big
application, but the principle is the same. Thus you will find a variety of
structured editors, a variety of XML parsers, a variety of
scripting/programming languages for processing XML, and a variety of
publishing engines for creating final output.
To accomplish any meaningful amount of single sourcing, therefore, you will
have to roll something of your own. There are software packages available at
just about every point of the spectrum. Some even try to straddle multiple
points on the spectrum. Where you fit on that spectrum should ultimately be
decided based on your business needs rather than on any predilection for
using a particular kind of tool.
There are people on this list with experience at just about every point of
the spectrum. If you post a detailed description of what you are trying to
achieve in terms of single sourcing, I'm sure that you will get pointed to
the applications that best support those functions. Be warned, though, that
unless you are specific about what you mean by single sourcing you are
likely to get a lot of contradictory advice if different people assume your
needs are the same as theirs.
RoboHelp for FrameMaker is a NEW online publishing tool for FrameMaker that
lets you easily single-source content to online Help, intranet, and Web.
The interface is designed for FrameMaker users, so there is little or no
learning curve and no macro language required! Call 800-718-4407 for
competitive pricing or download a trial at: http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l4
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