The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering technical information. DITA divides content into small, self-contained topics that can be reused in different deliverables. The extensibility of DITA permits organizations to define specific information structures and still use standard tools to work with them. DITA is often compared against DocBook, a similar XML schema.
#34361
This tutorial uses the DITA Open Toolkit 1.4.2.1 and the corresponding PDF plugin release, and Wrycan's demo text. This assumes you have a working DITA environment and can run the default formatting with PDF plugin.
Blogspot (2009). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34362
The DITA-OT plugin transforms a map into a single file, suitable for publication, and automatically call the xmlrpc API of the blog to publish it. The DITA Wordpress plugin adds a css (a slightly modified version of the DITA-OT commonltr.css) to your Wordpress theme to properly render the standard domains.
#34363
Interview with Claude Vedovini (Part 1) - DITA
Claude Vedovini is the developer behind the DITA Open Platform. In Part 1, we talk about the DITA OP and other aspects of DITA in general.
Vedovini, Claude. DITA-XML Community of the Rockies (2009). Articles>Interviews>DITA>Podcasts
#34364
DITA and XML Community of the Rockies
Our goal is to bring people together — think social network organized around XML, DITA, content management and related topics. This blog serves as a hub for white papers and URL resources, contains a calendar of XML-related events and conferences, tracks industry trends, and keeps members up-to-date as to “what’s new” on the site.
DITA-XML Community of the Rockies. Resources>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34365
Interview with Claude Vedovini (Part 2) - DITA
Claude Vedovini, the developer behind the DITA Open Platform, offers some thoughts about trends on the Web such as cloud computing, the usefulness of social networks when starting a small business, and Amazon S3.
Vedovini, Claude. DITA-XML Community of the Rockies (2009). Articles>Information Design>DITA>Podcasts
#34402
In this podcast, Mike Hamilton of Madcap Software talks about their phased approach to handling DITA with Flare. In Phase I, you’ll have the ability to import DITA topics and export to webhelp and other targets. In this sense, Flare functions as a transform engine. In Phase 2, you can use Flare for native DITA authoring. Phase 1 is on the cusp of release, but Phase II won’t be available until quarter one of next year.
Johnson, Tom H. and Mike Hamilton. Tech Writer Voices (2009). Articles>Interviews>DITA>Madcap Flare
#34421
Moving Forward with DITA 1.2 and the DITA-OT
DITA enters a new phase this year with version 1.2. We'll learn about the big new features, such as keyref, and see them used in the latest DITA Open Toolkit. Attendees will know how to make use of new DITA 1.2 features using the DITA Open Toolkit. Attendees will understand key aspects of the new DITA 1.2 standard.
Anderson, Robert. STC Proceedings (2009). Presentations>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34422
How to Run a Successful DITA Pilot Project
How do you mitigate the risk of a major technology change such as DITA? This presentation shares lessons learned in the first DITA pilot project at IBM Internet Security Systems. How to pick the right opportunity for a user assistance pilot project. How to specify appropriate proof-of-concept requirements. How to use a wiki and collaborative walkthroughs to transfer knowledge and set standards.
Wallis, Mark. STC Proceedings (2009). Presentations>Project Management>XML>DITA
#34468
Architecting User Assistance Topics for Reuse: Case Examples in DITA
In this column, I’ll review what user assistance architects mean by reuse and what its benefits can be. I’ll then describe some different scenarios for reuse and offer guidelines that user assistance architects and information developers can follow. My examples show how DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture) can be an effective reuse framework. But the principles I discuss go beyond DITA, and you can apply them to any structured information framework or toolset.
Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2009). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>DITA
#34486
Modular Docs Part 2: DITA vs. DocBook
When IBM decided to focus on topic-oriented documentation, it created the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), even though there was already a huge investment in DocBook. Moving to a new architecture was a decidedly non-trivial undertaking--both technically and politically--so it is worth an inquiry as to the reasons for making that move.
Armstrong, Eric. Sun Microsystems (2008). Articles>Documentation>DocBook>DITA
#34491
DITA Open Toolkit Customization
This paper outlines a course given by Adena Frazier of Suite Solutions--a course which is highly recommended for anyone who wants to get the most of the OT. This paper outlines the most important processes, but it leaves out many of the details, tips, and debugging notes that were included in the course. Note, too, that errors easily could have crept in, and some details are bound to change for later versions of the toolkit. (We used version 1.4.1) So it makes a lot of sense to take the course, even if you find the outline useful.
Sun Microsystems (2008). Articles>Documentation>XML>DITA
#34541
This website is a sandbox to show how the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and the Open Toolkit can be used to create multilingual websites. DITA is an OASIS standard.
Multilingual Sandbox. Resources>Web Design>Localization>DITA
#34718
Linking and Relationship Tables 
Inline links and citations can be disruptive to the flow of information. Try to delete them because a topic is a discrete unit of information that is meaningful when it is displayed alone.
Henry, Carolyn. Silicon Valley DITA User's Group (2005). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34719
DITA Linking and Relationship Tables
Overview of best practices for using ditamaps and relationship tables to manage linking.
Stark, Scott. DITA Users (2007). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34720
Improving Relationships in Relationship Tables
While topic relationships can be stored in the topics themselves, as products evolve and user interfaces change, a topic that was required for release 1.0 of a product may no longer be needed in release 2.3. If related topics are maintained at the topic level, removing a topic that is no longer part of the system may involve modifying the related topics of a dozen different DITA files.
Binder, Zachary. XML.org (2008). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34721
DITA Keyref Example: Links from Glossary Entries
Because keyref is so important and because it also has inherent, unavoidable complexity, I will be posting short examples of how keyref can be used to solve specific business problems. This is the first in an occasional series of such examples. This example shows one particular application of the keyref feature to a real-world problem faced by one of Really Strategies' clients.
Really Strategies Blog (2009). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34722
DITA maps provide a mechanism for ordering topics and creating a topic hierarchy. Because DITA maps consist of lists of references to topics, you can reorganize the content in a deliverable simply by changing the order of the topic references. You can create different maps referencing the same source topics to create two deliverables to meet different users' needs.
Linton, Jen. ComTech Services (2006). Presentations>Information Design>XML>DITA
#34723
Evaluating DITA-Enabled Content Management Systems 
This presentation describes how authoring DITA topics and managing those topics in a content management system (CMS) will contain translation costs while improving overall information quality. This is not a recommendation for any particular product. It is a guide to how one group built their candidate list and computes return on investment.
Adams, Ann H. XML.org (2007). Presentations>Content Management>DITA>Assessment
#34753
The Two-Click Mandate: A Case Study
One technical communication team delivered answers to user questions in two clicks with a help file created in DITA XML, using structured writing, different tools and a new information architecture. Content was linked one-to-one with application elements. Hyperlinks in one area of each screen make user access easy. The communicators established a linking strategy, used natural language for guided navigation and developed a reuse strategy involving references instead of duplication of content. The result was delivery of an InfoCenter that's easy to maintain and to expand, which a portion of the team will be doing for the next 20+ years.
Lowe, Karen. Writers UA (2009). Articles>Documentation>DITA>Case Studies
#34757
It is critical to address localization as part of the DITA adoption early as it may significantly impact your localization process with potential schedule and cost implications that could negate many benefits of XML.
Lionbridge (2009). Articles>Language>Localization>DITA
#35012
Introduction to the DITA Maturity Model
One of DITA’s most attractive features is its support for incremental adoption: you can adopt DITA quickly and easily using a subset of its capabilities, and then add investment over time as your content strategy evolves and expands. However, this incremental continuum has also resulted in confusion, as communities at different stages of adoption claim radically different numbers for cost of migration and return on investment. The DITA Maturity Model addresses this confusion by dividing DITA adoption into six levels, each with its own required investment and associated return on investment. You can assess your own capabilities and goals relative to the model and choose the appropriate initial adoption level for your needs and schedule.
Doyle, Bob. XML.org (2009). Articles>Information Design>Planning>DITA
#35013
DITA Conversion: How it Saved us 100 Grand, for Starters--A Case Study in DITA for Globalization
How a multi-national, regulated medical device company planned its migration to a DITA CMS by identifying stakeholders and defining personas, establishing a high-level process and system requirements, developing a content model, and figuring out what to do with legacy documents.
Linton, Jennifer. DCL (2007). Articles>Information Design>DITA>Case Studies
#35014
Now That We've Got Dita Up and Running, What's Next?
Focuses on an overall process identification methodology and its eight phases, and documents both the technical and business processes undertaken to successfully launch the new CMS/TMS system, called GEM (Globalization and English Management System). Includes what CaridianBCT learned from previous efforts and describes the various approaches and pilot phase that were adopted to support the new GEM system in future efforts.
Linton, Jennifer. DCL (2008). Articles>Information Design>DITA>Case Studies
#35016
Design Patterns for Information Architecture with DITA Map Domains
The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) provides maps for assembling topics into deliverables. By specializing the map elements, you can define a formal information architecture for your deliverables. This architecture provides guidance to authors on how to organize topics and lets processes recognize your organizing principles, resulting in a consistent, clear experience for your users.
Hennum, Erik, Don Day, John Hunt and Dave Schell. IBM (2005). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA
#35039
A small documentation team working on a tight budget can now use the tool ecosystem enabled by the DITA standard to create the sophisticated content that previously required long and expensive projects. The author spent just nine person-weeks over three years to replace a custom XML system with a DITA system based on a combination of off-the-shelf software, authoring conventions, and custom scripts.
Baptista, Joaquim. ACM SIGDOC (2008). Articles>Documentation>DITA>Case Studies
