Xpress DITA Studio:
The Natural Way to Implement DITA
Moving to DITA should be a natural progression for technical writers, however this is often not the case. Making the transition smoothly requires tools that work the way that technical writers work and think. In.vision approached this problem by designing the DITA Studio from the ground up with technical publications in mind.
The In.vision DITA Studio creates an environment that is familiar and comfortable for technical writers. Xpress Author for Microsoft Word runs as a Window of this environment, surrounded by a user interface that promotes best practices and methodologies.
The In.vision DITA Studio recognizes that some users are on the road to DITA expertise while others have arrived. Those not familiar with DITA are shielded from complex XML syntax and “power users” can dive into the nuts and bolts, accessing the lowest level of all document components and functions to take full advantage of DITA. A user interface designed with a technical writer’s responsibilities in mind provides intuitive learning of the features that help writers get their job done.
With the In.vision DITA Studio, organizations are able to reap the benefits of topic based authoring and content reuse, make better use of resources, and ease the transition of their technical publications department. The DITA Studio and Xpress Author for Microsoft Word form the foundation of a DITA Enterprise Suite™ that engenders a “content pipe-line” for the production of technical publications.
Providing a Project Perspective
The DITA vision of a single content source being published to multiple formats, languages, audiences, products, or platforms calls for an integrated environment that can help writers to put all of the pieces together. The In.vision DITA Studio provides a true project environment with a user interface and features that technical writers have come to expect.
Whether the task is large or small, a project perspective on functions such as Map Management, Metadata Management, Index Management, and Build Management ensures that writers are more productive and in control.
The DITA Studio integrates the functionality of DITA Maps in a manner that is highly intuitive for writers and helps them transition from more familiar Table of Contents to the highly functional DITA Map. The DITA Studio provides support for map reuse, Topic Groups, and other advanced map features.
Index Management
The index is a key navigational tool for readers. Proper index maintenance is critical, and proper maintenance requires a high level of usability. The In.vision DITA Studio supports editing of indexes for one topic at a time, for all topics in the map, and even all indexes for more than one map at a time.
Taking full advantage of DITA may result in projects with multiple maps, multiple targets, and multiple conditional processing filters. The DITA Studio provides build management that incorporates all aspects of DITA, combining maps, conditional processing, and presentation for staging to specified targets.