A common requirement for many digital transformation projects is converting Word-based content into DITA XML.
Consider these factors to ensure a successful conversion effort:
We’ve worked on a few DITA-to-PowerPoint projects. In some cases, the project sounded like a natural fit. In other cases, the fit was less than compelling. Even in projects that seemed to have a natural fit, we encountered bumps in the road with the DITA content, the design of the slide masters, or both.
There are many good reasons to create a DITA-to-PowerPoint conversion. It’s an attractive idea to use the same material for slides and student materials (such as handouts). A DITA-to-PowerPoint conversion also allows you to create slides by reusing content from your existing topics.
In episode 91 of The Content Strategy Experts podcast, Gretyl Kinsey and Simon Bate continue their discussion about using text strings and microcontent. This is part two of a two-part podcast.
“Make sure that their voice is heard. All groups that are using your strings need to have some input or have a way of communicating their needs to the organizations controlling those strings.”
– Simon Bate
In episode 90 of The Content Strategy Experts podcast, Gretyl Kinsey and Simon Bate talk about using text strings and microcontent. This is part one of a two-part podcast.
“They’re starting to get the idea of taxonomy and how important it is for all parts of their business to communicate using the exact same language. If this can be captured and put in one place, then those strings can be available to everybody.”
– Simon Bate
Out of the box, the DITA Open Toolkit (OT) looks as though it’s localization-ready. The HTML and PDF plugins contain strings for over 50 languages. So it would seem that all you have to do is specify the language in your DITA files and maps and you’re good to go…or are you?
This article shows how Scriptorium helped one company use XML to integrate information in a database with desktop publishing content.
In most enterprises, useful content exists in a number of different tools or databases. To include that content in your publications, you might use traditional ways of moving the information, such as copy and paste. However, it can be far more reliable, repeatable, and efficient to automate conversion from those tools and integrate the result directly into your publishing solutions.
March 2025 update: Read this article to learn about what’s new with LearningDITA. The Introduction to DITA course is still free, and you can sign up for courses at store.scriptorium.com.
Thank you all for your great response to our DITA courses at LearningDITA.com (over 500 registrants and counting)! Now that you’ve got your feet wet with the Introduction, concept topic type, and task topic type courses, are you ready for the next challenge?
Dave Young – originally posted to Flickr as surfer chicks
The first step in DITA localization is to translate the actual content of your DITA files. The second step is to address DITA localization requirements for your output. This article provides an in-depth explanation of the localization support in the DITA Open Toolkit.
Every image format has its promises, foibles, and shortcomings. We make up for those foibles and shortcomings by understanding how best to work with each format.
In this webcast recording, Simon Bate discusses the pros and cons of using the DITA Open Toolkit. Topics include localization, automation, open standards, and plugin architecture on the pro side; plugin architecture, PDF configuration, open standards, and documentation on the con side.
