Re: [Framers] XML Requirements
The point of XML is that it's a data format that you can process. But the specific STRUCTURE of the XML for a given use is not preordained. It's up to your team to work out the best XML structure to use. XML includes tooling that you can use to transform XML from one structure to another, and even from one format to another. Look at XSLT... XML Style Language Transform FrameMaker XML can read that data in whatever structure you choose, and map it to the FrameMaker constructs for a document. BUT... You have to do some work to implement that mapping (the so-called FrameMaker Structured Application). Given these two points: 1) Your developers should be able to devise whatever XML suits them best, and you should be able to transform it into something that works for you. So long as they comply with their XML rules, and you have implemented a transform that covers each of their rules, they can send you anything, and you can make it work. 2) Given the above, you can transform their XML into DITA, and you can pull that DITA into your docs. You would need to already have a DITA structured application, and you would need to include an XSLT transform in the chain that can read their XML and turn it into DITA. Once you implement that, anybody can use it without thinking. 3) XSLT can transform XML from one XML structure to another (from the developers' format into DITA), or it can transform from one format to another... From XML to HTML, XML to JSON, XML to PDF, or even XML to MIF. That last option might be interesting to you... You can produce an XSLT script that reads their XML, and produces a valid MIF segment, and then import that MIF into a document or book. In that case, you don't need to produce a structured application, and all your current templates will just work. 4) Continuing on 3 above, you should look into MML... Maker Markup Language. This is an abbreviated form of MIF. Adobe stopped updating it some time around version 5... That means you can't produce any document objects that Frame Technology or Adobe introduced after they stopped updating MML. But maybe you don't need those. You should ask the more current FrameMaker gurus whether MML is still in the code, and whether they know how to make a valid MML file. Transforming XML to MML would be easier than XML to MIF. 5) If you were previously using HTML with no problems, you could implement an XSLT script that transforms their XML into the HTML that you know and love. 6) BTW, doesn't FrameMaker have a Paste Special that can paste HTML into a structured document? If so, then you should be able to use FrameMaker scripting to open the HTML file as text, copy the contents, open a structured file, and paste special. Rick Quatro probably knows about this. Or... If they produce valid XHTML, then you could use XSLT to achieve the same. On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 2:36 PM, cuc tu wrote: > Our software team has said they are going to switch their input from plainly > formatted HTML to XML. I'm hoping to get some advice on what should be > required from them. I am only familiar with unstructured Frame and so far we > have manually processed the entire content dump for each update (and could > probably continue that way). Also, I do not know what the software team > thinks XML structure is like. I suspect it will be just like the HTML, a > series of nested open/close tags, just as is the HTML. I suspect they will > not get on with any kind of semantic mark-up. > > > The content is very similar to a dictionary where you have a term and a > number attributes. My first thought is to consider Lightweight DITA, but that > might be too much to get set up, and it does not fit with everything else so > I'm wondering if there is a particular structure we should suggest, and one > that can be leveraged somehow by FrameMaker? (the dev team is already down on > FM when they learned it cannot simply open HTML files and display readable > content, or I don't know how). ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com
Re: [Framers] XML Requirements
What does this doc look like to end users? Is that going to change, or will it stay the same and the developers just want you to reduce the amount of work they have to do? Is their ideal that they could just plug what you give them into their project? Are we talking about a web application here? If your software team wants you to provide different output, there's no reason they should care what source format or tools you use. On Wed, Jun 13, 2018 at 2:36 PM, cuc tu wrote: > Our software team has said they are going to switch their input from plainly > formatted HTML to XML. I'm hoping to get some advice on what should be > required from them. I am only familiar with unstructured Frame and so far we > have manually processed the entire content dump for each update (and could > probably continue that way). Also, I do not know what the software team > thinks XML structure is like. I suspect it will be just like the HTML, a > series of nested open/close tags, just as is the HTML. I suspect they will > not get on with any kind of semantic mark-up. > > > The content is very similar to a dictionary where you have a term and a > number attributes. My first thought is to consider Lightweight DITA, but that > might be too much to get set up, and it does not fit with everything else so > I'm wondering if there is a particular structure we should suggest, and one > that can be leveraged somehow by FrameMaker? (the dev team is already down on > FM when they learned it cannot simply open HTML files and display readable > content, or I don't know how). ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com
Re: [Framers] XML Requirements
Hey, Cuc: For some unknown reason, I can't reply to the forum, so I'm replying to you directly. If you're not familiar with XML, I recommend this book: https://www.amazon.com/XML-Bible-Elliotte-Rusty-Harold/dp/0764549863/ref=sr_1_1?s=books=UTF8=1528931328=1-1=xml+1.1+bible It's a lot to read, but really helped me to understand XML. HTH, Nadine On Wednesday, June 13, 2018, 5:36:44 p.m. EDT, cuc tu wrote: Hello Frame Users. Our software team has said they are going to switch their input from plainly formatted HTML to XML. I'm hoping to get some advice on what should be required from them. I am only familiar with unstructured Frame and so far we have manually processed the entire content dump for each update (and could probably continue that way). Also, I do not know what the software team thinks XML structure is like. I suspect it will be just like the HTML, a series of nested open/close tags, just as is the HTML. I suspect they will not get on with any kind of semantic mark-up. The content is very similar to a dictionary where you have a term and a number attributes. My first thought is to consider Lightweight DITA, but that might be too much to get set up, and it does not fit with everything else so I'm wondering if there is a particular structure we should suggest, and one that can be leveraged somehow by FrameMaker? (the dev team is already down on FM when they learned it cannot simply open HTML files and display readable content, or I don't know how). Thanks for any advice. C2 ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com
Re: [Framers] XML Requirements
Hi C2... If your model is very simple, you could create your own, but then you'd have to develop and maintain your structure application and publishing workflow (not for the faint-hearted). If you use DITA or Lightweight DITA, you get the structure applications for free as well as publishing tools for every output you can think of. You also get lots of support from other people using that model. Even if DITA isn't exactly what you need, I think the benefit of the tools and support will typically outweigh the effort of building your own model. BTW .. if you want to use Lightweight DITA, my application, DITA-FMx, supports that model and includes a (BETA) LwDITA structure application. And you can install DITA-FMx on all FM versions back to 8.0 (really 7.2, but that's a stretch). Contact me off-list of you have questions about this. Oh .. regarding HTML and FM .. *if* your HTML is XHTML, and *if* you're willing to define just how the elements are used, you can create a structure application that will work. It's not perfect, but it is possible. Cheers, Scott Prentice Leximation, Inc. www.leximation.com +1.415.485.1892 On 6/13/18 2:36 PM, cuc tu wrote: Hello Frame Users. Our software team has said they are going to switch their input from plainly formatted HTML to XML. I'm hoping to get some advice on what should be required from them. I am only familiar with unstructured Frame and so far we have manually processed the entire content dump for each update (and could probably continue that way). Also, I do not know what the software team thinks XML structure is like. I suspect it will be just like the HTML, a series of nested open/close tags, just as is the HTML. I suspect they will not get on with any kind of semantic mark-up. The content is very similar to a dictionary where you have a term and a number attributes. My first thought is to consider Lightweight DITA, but that might be too much to get set up, and it does not fit with everything else so I'm wondering if there is a particular structure we should suggest, and one that can be leveraged somehow by FrameMaker? (the dev team is already down on FM when they learned it cannot simply open HTML files and display readable content, or I don't know how). Thanks for any advice. C2 ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com
[Framers] XML Requirements
Hello Frame Users. Our software team has said they are going to switch their input from plainly formatted HTML to XML. I'm hoping to get some advice on what should be required from them. I am only familiar with unstructured Frame and so far we have manually processed the entire content dump for each update (and could probably continue that way). Also, I do not know what the software team thinks XML structure is like. I suspect it will be just like the HTML, a series of nested open/close tags, just as is the HTML. I suspect they will not get on with any kind of semantic mark-up. The content is very similar to a dictionary where you have a term and a number attributes. My first thought is to consider Lightweight DITA, but that might be too much to get set up, and it does not fit with everything else so I'm wondering if there is a particular structure we should suggest, and one that can be leveraged somehow by FrameMaker? (the dev team is already down on FM when they learned it cannot simply open HTML files and display readable content, or I don't know how). Thanks for any advice. C2 ___ This message is from the Framers mailing list Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com Visit the list's homepage at http://www.frameusers.com Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/framers%40lists.frameusers.com/ Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com Send administrative questions to listad...@frameusers.com
