Tools for Developing One Document for Both World Wide Web and Paper  

Printing from the Web is an unsolved, and often unrecognized, problem. Readers need hard copy for many documents they use online, but the Print command from a browser often does not meet their need. Other solutions are for the author to deliver printed documents, to deliver PostScriptJiles, and to deliver PDFJiles. In the nearfuture, Cascading Style Sheets may make the Print commandfrom the browser produce a more usable printed copy. For all of these solutions, the author needs a single source for the online and printed documents and converters for the output forms.

Jackson, Ken and Sonya E. Keene. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Transform a Single Source Into Many Designs  

When one layout just isn’t enough, you can easily tag your Adobe® InDesign® document and export the content to an XML file. Different InDesign templates and Adobe GoLive® dynamic Web pages can then import the XML file and repurpose the content. Say goodbye to copy-and-paste and hello to the future of publishing!

Adobe. Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Adobe InDesign

Understanding the CMS Marketplace

An important first step is to gain an understanding of the CMS marketplace. This briefing outlines a few of the practical ways of doing so.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Using 6 Sigma Methodology and Tools to Design and Implement a Single Source Documentation Process  

6 Sigma is a proven strategy to improve quality, economic value, and practical utility to the company and its customers.

Eichholz, Jeannette. STC Proceedings (2001). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Using a Database and SGML to Build Single-Source Documents  

SGML and a database can make the document building process more efficient by focusing on data instead of formatting. A database with well-designed tables, forms for data input, and queries can help put a writer’s time to better use by allowing them to focus on content. Data can be reused from project to project by simply querying for topics to change and updating the contents. SGML is used for consistency, flexibility, reliability, and reusability. One of many possible processes of creating online and print documentation using a database and SGML is: (1) Choose a Document Type Definition. (2) Design the database. (3) Export data (queries) from the database as text file. (4) Up-translate a text file to an SGML instance. (5) Down-translate the SGML instance to the desired output.

Nguyen, Tins L. and Teresa A. Sharkey. STC Proceedings (1995). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Using the Clustar Method for Single-Source Documentation  

Most technical communicators create materials that help users perform tasks. Such task-based manuals, help files, web pages, or training materials are often expensive and difficult to write and maintain. Frequently, this is the fault of poor structure and process. Simply Written’s Clustar Method makes it cheaper and easier to create and maintain task-based documentation by emphasizing structure and process.

Altom, Jerilynne and Tim Altom. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Using the Single-Source Wizards in RoboHELP 2000 for WinHelp

HTML Help is the Windows Help standard for 32-bit operating systems (for example, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000). Your users must have Internet Explorer installed on their systems (or at least the necessary core components).

James-Tanny, Char. HelpStuff (2000). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>RoboHelp

Using Word Macros as a Single Source Solution  

This paper, and my presentation, focus on the how I developed the idea of using Microsoft Word macros as a single source solution. They also discuss the benefits of these macros and their effectiveness.

McHugh, Brian C. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Word Processing>Single Sourcing>Microsoft Word

Virtual Documents: The Challenges of Chunking

Beware the virtual document! It may look harmless. It certainly looks helpful. It will lure you with a siren's song of reusable content components that enhance flexibility and improve efficiency. And then, if you're not careful, it will smash you into pieces upon the rocky shores of complexity.

Morville, Peter. Semantic Studios (1999). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Web Books: Publishing Large Scientific and Technical Documents Simultaneously on the World Wide Web and on Paper  

That we need to write separate documents for on-line display and the printed page is a technical writers’ axiom, but using a single source has practical advantages. Tools that enable you to write and print with a desktop-publishing program and automatically convert to an on-line format make writing and maintenance easier and keep information consistent. FrameMaker serves as a useful and widely-used desktop-publishing package and WebMaker converts FrameMaker sources to HTML for the World Wide Web.

Jackson, Ken and Sonya E. Keene. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

What's the Best Content Management System? It Depends...

There are a dizzying number of systems on the market that are or can be referred to as Content Management Systems. Determining which content management system is right for you starts with an understanding of the different types of systems and the range of functionality available. Analyzing your needs is critical to selecting the right system.

Manning, Steve. Rockley Bulletin (2004). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Why Every Small Website Needs a Content Management System

While the web design house did a great job, you don't want to have to go back to them for every change.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Why Single-Source when you can Multi-Source?

Single-sourcing allows authors to re-use content in different deliverables. This article explores using XML and a CMS (content management system) to take a different approach--multi-sourcing.

KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Why Start with Analysis and Design?

One of the most common mistakes that we see is a company picking the tool first, then trying to make their content management requirements fit the functionality of the tool. However, analysis of why projects fail identifies that one of the main reasons for failure is lack of analysis and design. This article draws on recent literature to identify the main reasons for why content management projects fail and provides some possible solutions.

Rockley, Ann. Rockley Bulletin (2004). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

XML and Content Management Systems

This article explores the role of XML in the context of content management systems, focusing specifically on the business issues.

Robertson, James. Step Two (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>XML

XML and Single Sourcing  

Single sourcing your information enables you to create materials for multiple media (paper, online), multiple types of documentation (user documentation, Help, training), multiple users and multiple products. XML is a new information format that supports the creation of single source materials. This session looks at how XML enables you to create single source materials, it is not an XML 'how to.'

Rockley, Ann and Steve Manning. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Information Design>Single Sourcing

XML and Single-Sourcing with FrameMaker, Word, InDesign, XMLSpy, and More!  

Getting software to cooperate reduces the amount of editing you need to do, and creates better documents.

Aschwanden, Bernard. STC Region 7 Proceedings (2003). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing

Single-Source from the Reader's Point of View

Documentation written for single-sourcing (topic based, like that found in DITA) has great potential for efficiency. Writing once and publishing in many publications (Developer Guides, User Guides, etc.) and many formats (pdf, html, HTMLHelp, etc.) turns into cost and time savings. However, these efficiencies can cause inefficiencies for the users. Many online help users complain they cannot find the information they need while using the search function. Readers are more likely to comprehend texts with a classical book architecture, an architecture which is often sacrificed in single sourced documents and online Help files. When texts are cohesive, readers are more likely to consider information to be clear, well organized and easy to follow. For comprehensibility, it is essential to have a manual review, even when composing is partially automated.

Mulvihill, Teresa. LiveTechDocs (2008). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>Audience Analysis

Single-Source Documentation: Docbook versus DITA

When it comes to documentation projects, primarily technical, medical, and scientific, using XML is a no-brainer. The heavy thinking comes when deciding which flavor of XML to use: DocBook or DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture). I have been a steadfast supporter of DocBook for over six years. I'd tried my hand at DITA and gave it up as a fad; lots of bells and whistles, but too complicated to integrate. And couldn't DocBook do everything DITA promised anyway?

Mulvihill, Teresa. LiveTechDocs (2008). Articles>Documentation>Single Sourcing>XML