1. Optimal use of XML based content with focus on reuse
By Keld Jellesen
November 14, 2017

2. Important historical milestones for XML
Keld
What is XML - what does it stand for?
Extensible Markup Language
the lead of XMLs creation was Jon Bosak from Sun. Late 90’ies.
What was the predecessor to XML ?
SGML (Standard Generalized Markup Language). In 1986 it became an ISO standard. Invented by Charles F. Goldfarb who started the work in mid 70’ies
When did SGML take-off and in big scale and under what name
HTML by Tim Berners-Lee HTML is a SGML protocol
Two important differences between SGML and XML
Omitted end-tags. XML always require-end tags </>
XML has a build in presentation framework through XSLT and XSL-FO
When did Mr. Jellesen start to work with markup languages professionally as a software programmer
1994 within Aerospace/Aviation through CRI. SGML was adopted by the Aerospace community early 90’ies
Works today with XML and JSON as well and primarily two XML standards DITA-XML and S1000D-xml particularly in relation to optimize maintenance
worked in R&D with 3D imaging in relation to nuclaer reactor inspection.
Who is big SGML/XML parser developer in the world.
Open source programmer idealist James Clark. A rich british child and extremely intelligent. He build his first parser in 1991.

3. XML (its looks like a database)

4. XML and Presentation Single XML- Source
Single source to multi-publishing output
A transformation language
XSLT (electronic) and XSL-FO (paper)

5. Has XML a competitor or a collaborator ?
JSON (JavaScript Object Notation).
About 10 years old (invented by Dr. Douglas Crockford in 2001)
Some consider JSON as a competitor to XML
Some consider it as complementary, because it is filling out a space within WEB2.0 as the dynamic piece, which is not that well covered in XML
JSON is used as format within what is referred to as document databases
advice2u is using JSON in the DIB-mobile solution “we love it”, but we also love XML, and we think they compliments each other perfectly.

6. Let us focus on reuse and how to author technical data
Two standards for doing structured technical authoring
S1000D (mechanical structures primarily within aviation)
DITA (Software, books, magasins, electronics, etc)
Let us focus on DITA for now and not S1000D

7. What is DITA in brief
Is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering information
Using Topic based authoring as the paradigm
Modular instead of being book-oriented.
Moves organizations into minimalistic writing (reduces amount of documentation – examples are 20 % or more)
The basic topics in use for the mechanical industry are generic topic, task and concept.
Assembly of contents are done through maps
”D” in DITA stands for Darwin – evolution is done through specialization technique found in DITA – easy to make new DOMAINS.
DITA contents can easily be distributed to formats like HTML, PDF, Windows Help, Eclipse Help, RTF, and ePUB through the OT (Open toolkit) developed and maintained within the open source community managed through IBM.
OT - Nearly used in all working DITA environments.
OT makes it easy to start working with DITA because contents can easily be rendered.

8. Fundamentals for building technical publications
Topics
(xml)
Maps
(xml)
Publication
(xml)
Final
output
User Guide
Repair Guide
Tech. Spec.
Marketing $$
A MAP could also be based upon a query e.g based upon a reference system.
Check instructions on a specific functional domain

9. Unstructured content TASK TASK TASK STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP
Just content authored in an unstructured editor
Layout and flow managed by author
Questions to ask if to move to structured content
Does the content have life cycle and will it undertake changes during the complete life cycle ?
Is it authored and maintained by one person
TASK
TASK
TASK
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
CAUTION
CAUTION
WARNING
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION

10. Structured content in XML
We see that a lot of content between tasks are common
What do we do ?
TASK
TASK
TASK
PREREQS
PREREQS
PREREQS
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
CAUTION
CAUTION
WARNING
STEPS
STEPS
STEPS
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
CLOSEREQS
CLOSEREQS
CLOSEREQS
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION

11. Explicit linking of content inclusion
It is called CONREFS in daily XML terms
Yes XML handles this nicely
TASK
TASK
TASK
PREREQS
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
CAUTION
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
CONREF
STEPS
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
STEP
STEP
NOTICE
STEP
STEP
CONDITION
STEP
CLOSEREQS
CONDITION
STEP
CONDITION
CONDITION
STEP
CONDITION
CONDITION
STEP
CONDITION

12. Implicit linking of content inclusions
TASK
TASK
TASK
PREREQS
WARNING
WARNING
CAUTION
WARNING
KEY MAP
STEPS
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
Fragment file
STEP
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
CLOSEREQS
STEP
CONDITION
STEP
KEY
KEYREF
CONDITION
STEP
STEP

13. Variations through implicit linking
TASK
TASK
Fragment file
TASK
PREREQS
STEP
WARNING
WARNING
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
WARNING
STEP
KEY MAP
KEYREF
STEPS
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
Fragment file
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
CLOSEREQS
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
CONDITION
KEYREF
CONDITION
STEP
KEYREF
STEP

14. Variations through implicit linking How to avoid manual labour work
TASK
TASK
Fragment file
Filter
TASK
PREREQS
STEP
WARNING
WARNING
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
WARNING
STEP
KEY MAP
STEPS
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
Fragment file
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
CLOSEREQS
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
CONDITION
KEYREF
CONDITION
STEP
KEYREF
STEP

15. When thing breaks and it does !
“Make it an excitement”
TASK
TASK
Fragment file
Filter
TASK
PREREQS
STEP
WARNING
WARNING
STEP
CAUTION
STEP
WARNING
STEP
KEY MAP
STEPS
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
Fragment file
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
STEP
KEYREF
CLOSEREQS
STEP
KEYREF
STEP
KEY
CONDITION
KEYREF
CONDITION
STEP
KEYREF
STEP

16. The biggest challenge how to find stuff to reuse
OUTDATED
WHERE TO LOOK
SLIGHTLY BETTER
SOMETHING LIKE THIS
”the lazy”
Reference System
”the nerds”

17. Filtering as a reuse mechnism. ”Only works on final output”
TASK
TASK
TASK
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
WARNING
CAUTION
CAUTION
Conditional processing
WARNING
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
STEP
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION
CONDITION

18. Challenges in filtering
Accuracy in META-data
DENMARK
Denmark
denmark
Danmark
All 4 danish component are from XMLs point of view not the same
I have never seen any organisation been able to handle this problem unless it done by 1 person and the same person.
DITA-1.2 has a solution to this problem.
Also XML editors may have had their own support for this possibility

19. DITA solution to handle and control meta-data values
DITA solution to handle and control meta-data values. It is called SubjectScheme
SUBJECTSCHEME
SUBJECTDEF
DENMARK
Denmark
Danmark
SUBJECTBIND
audience

20. Other mechanisms for doing reuse in DITA
Chunking (on output)
Scoped keys (DITA-1.3). More advanced filtering

21. Other important matters when dealing with XML
Two type of people are needed in a successfull XML implementation.
Authors who is structured and understand why structure is needed to support the value chain.
Engineers/Programmers/XML architects who can automate the value chain.
Software needed (The basics)
Bacially a good XML editor
Oxygen (probably the leader but also expensive)
XML-mind a powerfull DITA XML aware editor (a free version is available)
Xmetal, Arbortext, etc
Notepad++, sublime, etc. Editors of the programmer
A lot of open source software is available
DITA-OT which is widely used in the DITA world. I think all DITA CMS includes DITA-OT in their package.
A CMS is importing to do link management efficiently. But don’t buy it before you understand the basic technology
One major lack in XML
Graphics is still poorly implemented in XML, but maybe HTML5 adaptation of SVG will change this problem.

22. Summaries and others Understand the history of XML
It is an old technology as an IT technology
It is backward compatible and independent of media technology
Therefore XML is ideal for content with a long life cycle
A powerfull storing mechanism for documentation data
XML is a Powerfull Technology
It is textual based (means readable on files). Compared to e.g. data in relational databases.
So it is easy for non-programmers to evaluate results
DITA-XML/DITA-OT is a add-on framework and tool to move quicker on implementations of XML based documentation.
DITA-XML is also powerfull in relation to interchange of data
Not covered in this presentation.
DITA lightweight – HTML5 based.
DITA 2.0 will not be backward compatible (>2019/2020)

23. Presenter contacts Keld Jellesen CEO and Founder. MSc, Bcom
advice2u Aps (
Diplomvej 381, 2800 Kongens Lyngby
Skype: keld.jellesen
Mobile: (30-css-xml)