Newsletter of the East Bay Chapter of STC
May/June 2003

Single-Sourcing, XML,
Alphabet Soup –Help!

by Kristine Hahn
San Francisco Chapter, Active Voice, Editor

This article is reprinted from the Active Voice, San Francisco Chapter.

Today, we’re asked to pump large volumes of technical content into the information pipeline. It’s difficult to manage all this content without standards such as eXtensible Markup Language (XML), the eXtensible Stylesheet Language (XSL), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), the Document Type Definition (DTD), and others. “So many acronyms remind me of alphabet soup,” says Ron Frankland, who spoke at our April meeting.

Ron demystified the acronyms as he described how XML solves the difficulties of publishing in multiple formats, such as print, Web, email, and CD-ROM. Using XML you can create multiple documents, differing in content and format, from a single, definitive source of information. You can reuse the content without modifying the source. If you’re writing a report, for example, you reuse the information—long versions, short versions, for the Web, for print. Using XML, you can provide users selective access to information.

Tools for Single- Sourcing

Some of us have tried combinations of Word and RoboHelp, or FrameMaker and WebWorks, for single-sourcing. The bugs in Word and the steep learning curve associated with FrameMaker and WebWorks have limited their popularity. AuthorIt, specifically designed for single-sourcing, hasn’t received wide acceptance, perhaps because it is based on Word, and manifests many of the problems of Word.

XML-based tools have advantages over these systems and others, such as ArborText and content management systems (CMS), for single-sourcing. For example, XML separates the data from the presentation (formatting), making it possible to apply different formatting to the same data easily. XML also lends itself to program control. For example, a program can limit access to information, by user role or by other variables, when there is just too much information for everybody to sort through. XML enforces a consistent document structure, so writing groups can adhere to a schema. You write the content just once, and maintain a single copy.

The XML Process

The first step in the XML process is creating a namespace. An XML namespace is actually a collection of names, identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier (URI). Constructs of XML documents need universal names, which have a scope extending beyond the containing document. This XML namespace is such a mechanism. The next step in the process is to create a schema or use an existing DTD. Next, you create the XSL to apply a style to the XML content. You write content, and then apply the XSL to it.

Rascal Software

Ron Frankland founded Rascal Software in the summer of 2002 to create Veredus, an XML-based tool for authoring Help. You write content, including API documentation, just once, and then you reuse it for multiple output targets including HTML, compiled help systems, and print. You produce document variants using rule-based conditional text. Ron’s company intends to be a leader in Help authoring by staying responsive to its customers and following up on their needs. We appreciate Ron explaining XML and single-sourcing.

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