Site FeedPalimpsest has moved. Please visit our blog in its new location for the most recent posts from Scriptorium.
Palimpsest
The long and winding roads from DITA XML to PDF output
Thursday, August 20, 2009 — posted by Sheila Loring
DITA XML is of little use to readers unless it's converted to some kind of output. The DITA Open Toolkit (DITA OT) provides transforms and scripts that convert DITA to PDF output and a long list of other formats.Producing PDF output from DITA content can be challenging. DITA XML is converted to an XSL-FO file, a combination of content and formatting instructions. You must know XSL-FO to customize the PDF, even just to add simple content such as headers and footers, logos, and so on.
To forgo the programming, you can choose a page layout or help authoring tool, but these tools also have pitfalls. Page layout programs have varying degrees of DITA support. Help authoring tools let you style the PDF through CSS, but you can't fine-tune page layout as you can in page layout programs.
These are just a few examples we discuss in our white paper "Creating PDF files from DITA content." Read the white paper online (in HTML or PDF).
Labels: Arbortext, DITA Open Toolkit, ePublisher, flare, FOP, FrameMaker, PDF, quark, robohelp, white papers, XEP, xmetal, XPP, XSL Formatter, xsl-fo
10:00 AM Permalink | |
Structured authoring in technical communication
Monday, April 27, 2009 — posted by Sarah O'Keefe
I am pleased to announce the publication of our newest white paper, The State of Structured Authoring in Technical Communication. In early 2009, we conducted a survey on structured authoring; this document presents the results of the survey along with our analysis.Those who participated in the survey are entitled to a free copy of the report. If you requested a copy via email, you will receive a message within the next 2 business days with download instructions. If you requested a printed copy, those will go in the mail tomorrow.
The report is also available for purchase and immediate download. The cost is $200 for the 38-page report (plus 18 pages that reproduce the survey questions, so the file is 56 pages long).
I'm also delivering a presentation at next week's STC Summit in Atlanta, which discusses the results of the survey. If you're attending the conference, I hope you'll join me on Monday, May 5, from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in Regency V for "The State of Structure."
Labels: analysis, change management, dita, structured authoring, survey, white papers
5:00 PM Permalink | |
Fixing FOP memory errors
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 — posted by Sarah O'Keefe
Our newest white paper describes how to process large documents with XSL-FO and avoid memory errors. Here's the introduction:Formatting Object (FO) processors (FOP, in particular) often fail with memory errors when processing very large documents for PDF output. Typically in XSL:FO, the body of a document is contained in a single fo:page-sequence element. When FO documents are converted to PDF output, the FO processor holds an entire fo:page-sequence in memory to perform pagination adjustments over the span of the sequence. Very large page counts can result in memory overflows or Java heap space errors. Reducing page count in a document is not usually an option.The full white paper is Handling XSL-FO's memory issue with large page counts. Many thanks to David Kelly (writing), Simon Bate (reviewing), Alan Pringle (editing), and Ethan Duty (productioning, er, production).
As always, we welcome your comments here or directly in the white paper pages. If you have ideas for topics you'd like us to cover, we're all ears.
Labels: dita, DITA Open Toolkit, white papers, xsl-fo
10:12 PM Permalink | |
Adding color commentary to white papers
Friday, August 22, 2008 — posted by Ethan Duty
When Scriptorium wrote on Web 2.0 back in April, we mentioned creating HTML versions of our white papers. Those papers are now live, ready for your ratings and comments.You can link to them below or from our white papers page.
Friend or Foe: Web 2.0 in Technical Communication
Structured Authoring and XML
Managing Implementation of Structured Authoring
Is DITA Right for You?
Integrating XML and FrameMaker
Labels: comments, ratings, web 2.0, white papers
1:06 PM Permalink | |
White Paper 2.0
Monday, April 14, 2008 — posted by Sarah
We have just posted a new white paper, Friend or Foe? Web 2.0 in Technical Communication (PDF, 1.7 MB). The abstract:The rise of Web 2.0 technology provides a platform for user-generatedWe hope to have an HTML version available soon so that we can actually practice what we preach. Meanwhile, please leave your comments in this post.
content. Publishing is no longer restricted to a few technical writers—any
user can now contribute information. But the information coming from
users tends to be highly specific, whereas technical documentation is
comprehensive but less specific. The two types of information can coexist
and improve the overall user experience. User-generated content also
offers an opportunity for technical writers to participate as “curators”—
by evaluating and organizing the information provided by end users.
PS I'm also interested in comments on our new white paper format and our use of Flash animation.
Labels: web 2.0, white papers
2:42 PM Permalink | |
White papers: Now with even fewer strings attached
Thursday, April 10, 2008 — posted by Ethan Duty
Many of you have probably read our assorted white papers. We appreciate your taking the time to log into the shopping cart to get them.That said, we've decided to make the white papers available without registration. Enjoy downloading in simple, blissful, anonymity. If you like the added interaction of logging into the online store, you can still download the white papers from there as well.
Coming soon...HTML versions of the white papers.
Labels: white papers
2:01 PM Permalink | |