Integrating XML and FrameMaker
| NOTE: | This white paper is based on FrameMaker 7. |
FrameMaker provides solid support for XML-based authoring workflows. Its PDF and print output capabilities are stellar. Because FrameMaker combines authoring and publishing in a single application, configuring XML support can be quite challenging.
It sounds too good to be true: store information in an application-independent, platform-independent format and then render that information through the software of your choice. XML does, in theory, deliver on this promise, but implementation is rarely as straightforward as you might hope. As soon as you choose a publishing tool, your workflow is constrained by that tool’s specific limitations, restrictions, and requirements. For example, XML theoretically supports output in any language, including languages that read from right to left (such as Hebrew and Arabic). Most publishing software, however, is more limited; if your publishing tool doesn’t support the target language, XML’s extensive language support is irrelevant.
This white paper describes how to integrate XML-based content with Adobe FrameMaker. FrameMaker is an excellent choice for working with XML, but customizations are required to fully support the importing and exporting of XML content.
This white paper assumes basic familiarity with XML and structured authoring; for background information on those topics, refer to the Structured authoring and XML white paper.
| NOTE: | Because FrameMaker provides custom functionality for the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), many of the issues described here do not apply to DITA implementation. For more information, see Scriptorium Publishing’s Assessing DITA as a foundation for XML implementation white paper. |
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