WinANT—Simplifying and Automating DITA Publishing

Recorded Date: June 16, 2010

Length: 1.5 hours; 45 min presentation time and 45 min Q&A time.

Fee: $75.00
(Free for CIDM members and CMS 2010 conference attendees. See details below.)

Abstract:

With the DITA Open Toolkit, transforming a collection of DITA topics into a deliverable format such as PDF is not a simple, one-step technical process. The transformation process, or the build, involves multiple passes of the source files to generate links, resolve conrefs, create intermediate files, and compile or assemble the publication. Although there are a few approaches, the author will generally need to write a "build file" and then process that build file using Apache Ant. This process involves hand-crafting the XML build file and typing and executing an esoteric command line.

WinANT Echidna is a Windows interface to the DITA Open Toolkit build functionality. It allows the author to select the many build options in a familiar Windows interface, browse for the ditamap to be processed, set conditional processing rules, and initiate the Ant build. The build configuration can be saved for later retrieval, and the build files generated can be used to set up an automatic publishing schedule. Diagnostic utilities also help users rectify problems with their DITA OT installation. In this session, WinANT's developer demonstrates this open source tool, and describes the ways it can be "fine-tuned" to streamline DITA publishing.

Presenter:

Tony Self Tony Self has worked as a technical communicator for 30 years, with the last 20 of those years specifically in the areas of online help systems, computer-based training, and electronic documents. In 1993, Tony founded HyperWrite, a hypertext and technical documentation company based in Melbourne, Australia. The majority of his work involves providing online and Internet strategy advice, innovative solutions, and specialized training for customers in Australia and other parts of the world. Tony is an Adjunct Teaching Fellow in the Technical Communication program at Swinburne University in Melbourne and holds a Graduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning and a Graduate Diploma in Technical Communication. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Scientific and Technical Communicators (UK), chair of the OASIS DITA Help Subcommittee, and an enthusiastic promoter of structured authoring approaches!

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(This webinar is FREE for CIDM Members and attendees of the CMS/DITA North America 2010. Please send an email to info@infomanagementcenter.com for registration details.)