Delivering Content with RSS for Web Developers

The delivery of web content is being revolutionized by a new technique known as syndication. The most common format for syndication is RSS, or Really Simple Syndication, an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) format for coordinating the delivery of time-based content streams, or 'feeds.' This means that RSS can be used to deliver content that changes over time. RSS provides for the inclusion of additional data, similar to email attachments, using the ENCLOSURE tag.

Apple Inc. (2006). Design>Web Design>XML>RSS

Delivering Dynamic Content  

Cisco Systems IOS ITD Documentation group had a requirement to move to the dynamic delivery of documentation to their customers. This meant that the documentation had to be redesigned using a component architecture, moved to XML, and delivered through a personalization engine. This session discusses this process and the results.

Badre, Albert and Sharon Laskowski. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Information Design>XML

A Delta Format for XML: Identifying Changes in XML Files and Representing the Changes in XML

This paper describes how changes to XML documents and data files can be represented in XML and proposes a delta format for XML. Although Canonical XML provides a mechanism for verifying that two XML files or documents are equal, it is more often necessary to determine the differences between two XML documents. Such differences should ideally be represented in XML and this paper describes how such changes can be represented in XML with minimal additional attributes and elements. The paper describes how any changes can be simply represented using this delta format, and how the delta file has the same look and feel as the original files being compared. The paper describes how the delta file can be transformed into HTML for viewing by using a simple XSL style sheet, and by modifying this style sheet changes to particular XML file types can be presented to users in a way that suits their view. In addition, the delta file can be processed by any XML application for other purposes.

La Fontaine, Robin. XML Europe (2001). Articles>Information Design>XML

Demonstration of an XML-Based Content Management System Implementation  

The impact of XML and content management on the field of technical communications is no longer just a speck on the horizon. This paper presents techniques and observations from the trenches of a real-world XML-based content management system implementation that is being used to develop and publish print and online documentation at a prominent software company.

Bookless, Jody, Annette Marx and Scott Davis. STC Proceedings (2005). Articles>Content Management>XML

Describing Document Structure  

Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.

Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata

Describing Document Structure, Part 2  

Discusses some different ways of describing your document structure so that both computers and humans know what you mean.

Tyson, Paul H. Intercom (2003). Design>Information Design>XML>Metadata

Designing a New Schema with XML Design Patterns

Proposes the design of an XML-based type library format. If you've had exposure to Microsoft COM or Mozilla's XPCOM, you're probably familiar with their binary TLB (MS) and XDT (Mozilla) formats that define the available operations and interfaces for a package of portable components. An interpreted language such as JavaScript can use these definitions as cheat sheets to find out what operations and parameters are available to call on-the-fly.

Downey, Kyle. XML.com (2003). Articles>Information Design>XML>Metadata

Designing Your Own XML Schema: Learn the Essentials

This is the first article in a series which guides you in designing XML Schemas right from the basics without any hurdles.

Chaterjee, Jagadish. Dev Articles (2006). Articles>Information Design>Databases>XML

Displaying ADO Retrieved Data with XML Islands

An XML data island is a piece of well-formed XML embedded into an HTML file. This article will show you how to retrieve data in an XML format from a database using ADO; you will also learn how to bind this data into an HTML document.

Krishnaswamy, Jayaram. Dev Articles (2006). Articles>Information Design>XML>XHTML

DITA for Help

Can DITA be used as a Help authoring technology? Superficially, of course it can! The DITA Open Toolkit includes an HTML Help transformer, an Eclipse Help transformer, and an HTML transformer (which can also generate some sort of Table of Contents). So isn't it obvious then? DITA is perfect for Help authoring. Or is it? Looking a bit deeper, it's not so obvious. Can I include context-hooks in my content? Can I specify a popup link? Can I build a modular Help system? If I can't, then DITA is probably not suitable for Help.

Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2007). Articles>Documentation>XML>DITA

DITA - Getting Started

This presentation addresses a low-effort-required solution for users looking to take a step into XML for their technical documentation. The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) and its associated public toolkit provide you with the DTDs, stylesheets and other tools you require to make your steps into XML.

Kravogel, Christian and Boris Horner. IDEAlliance (2005). Articles>Document Design>XML>DITA

DITA Knowledge Base

The DITA Knowledge Base pages provide a reliable basis of technical and educational information on the standard.

XML.org (2006). Resources>Information Design>XML>DITA

DITA Maps

DITA maps are documents that collect and organize references to DITA topics to indicate the relationships among the topics. They can also serve as outlines or tables of contents for DITA deliverables and as build manifests for DITA projects.

OASIS. Resources>Information Design>XML>DITA

DITA Open Toolkit

The DITA Open Toolkit is an implementation of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee's specification for Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) DTDs and Schemas. The Toolkit transforms DITA content (maps and topics) into deliverable formats.

Sourceforge (2007). Resources>Software>XML>DITA

DITA Resources Online (Darwin Information Typing Architecture)

If you need to learn more about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), look no further. Links to a few of the most useful DITA resources available on the web today.

Rockley Group, The (2005). Resources>Content Management>Metadata>XML

DITA: What You Need To know about the Darwin Information Typing Architecture  

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is a hot topic among those who author, edit, deliver and manage content. But adopting a standard architecture is an important decision that requires up front research and knowledge of the pitfalls. Find out if DITA is right for your organization. Read this whitepaper to learn more (PDF).

Manning, Steve. Rockley Group, The (2005). Articles>Information Design>Metadata>XML

A DITA Wizard

Two of the oft-quoted benefits of DITA, the Darwin Information Typing Architecture, are 'single-sourcing' and 'content re-use'. These benefits do not only apply to the commonly-accepted definition of technical documents, but to many other forms of documents from outside the technical communicator's realm.

Self, Tony. HyperWrite (2007). Articles>Documentation>XML>DITA

DITA--A Standard for TD?  

The abbreviation DITA stands for 'Darwin Information Typing Architecture', an information architecture based on XML. DITA is not a mere reinvention of the wheel: rather, it sets the standards for known structuring requirements. The most striking feature of this architecture is the clear orientation towards a technology for structuring, which has already proved its worth in online documentation.

Closs, Sissi. tekom (2006). Articles>Information Design>XML>DITA

DITA-Users

The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering technical information. This architecture consists of a set of design principles for creating 'information-typed' modules at a topic level and for using that content in delivery modes such as online help, books, and Web sites.

Yahoo. Resources>Mailing Lists>XML>DITA

ditamap.com

A gathering place for information about DITA.

ditamap.com. Organizations>Information Design>XML>DITA

Dither Scatterplots with XSLT and SVG

Use XSLT and SVG to offset points in X-Y scatterplots so they do not plot on top of each other.

O'Reilly and Associates (2005). Articles>Graphic Design>XML>SVG

DocBook Basics and References

DocBook provides a system for writing structured documents using SGML or XML. It is particularly well-suited to books and papers about computer hardware and software, though it is by no means limited to them.

dpawson.co.uk. Books>Documentation>XML>DocBook

A DocBook Basics and References

DocBook is an easy-to-understand and widely used DTD. Dozens of organizations use DocBook for millions of pages of documentation, in various print and online formats, worldwide.

Walsh, Norman. dpawson.co.uk (2004). Books>Information Design>XML>DocBook

DocBook Demystification Howto

This howto attempts to clear the fog and mystery surrounding the DocBook markup system and the tools that go with it. It is aimed at authors of technical documentation for open-source projects hosted on Linux, but should be useful for people composing other kinds on other Unixes as well.

Raymond, Eric S. tldp.org. Articles>Documentation>XML>DocBook

DocBook (SGML/XML)

The DocBook document type definition (DTD) was developed during the 1990s to provide an application independent method for creating computer documentation. Versions of the DocBook DTD have been created for both SGML and XML. You can create an embedded index in DocBook using index elements.

Brown, Fred. Allegro Time! (2001). Articles>Indexing>XML>DocBook