XML - specific questions

Subject: XML - specific questions
From: "Jonathan Stoppi" <stops -at- qualum -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 10:07:10 +0200

Hello all

Spurred by yet another bout of exchanges on the subject here, increasing
rumours of the benefits of its implementation at various large companies,
and faced at my new place of work* with the challenge of creating a
documentation setup that will allow rapid updating and modular "chunks", I
decided to have a closer look at XML.

I found a very good overview of the subject in a PDF tutorial for XMLSpy, an
XML development environment (http://www.xmlspy.com/ - can't vouch for the
tool itself as yet) where I learned the meaning of "well-formed", "valid",
"schema" etc. I recommend it to all newcomers to the subject.

A search through the TechWhirl archives brought up a few more hints as to
the way XML can be used, but I still have a few specific questions that I
can't see the answers to and which I'll need to know before I can convince
myself and management:

1. If I have to produce a variety of documents - data sheets, user manuals,
protocols, release notes, etc. - does using XML mean that I can create these
on demand by simply selecting the relevant content chunks in each case and
specifying a suitable DTD?

2. Am I right in thinking that XML can provide the means for a database of
modular chunks, retaining text formatting, para & char styles and bullets?
How practical is it to contain whole
chunks of documentation as database fields?

3. My preferred source tool is FrameMaker, but with a great deal of
checking, rechecking and signing off needed from SMEs who only have Word,
the problem of mutual incompatability is more acute than ever. I was
thinking of going down the route of saving as PDF then using Acrobat 5 to
convert this into RTF (the software's on order so can't say yet how well
that works), but given XML's rumoured databasing advantages, will XML be a
truly compelling alternative?

4. FrameMaker can save as XML (which looks authentic enough once you open
it), but how is this useful given that you can't define reusable schema
components and other tricks of a true XML editor? Is a dedicated XML editor
essential - or can FM+SGML do the trick (though SGML isn't really XML, and
only adds another step in the process)?

5. I've seen recommendations for "SGML - the Billion Dollar Secret" (which
applies to XML, too) and "Inside XML" - but are there any good books on the
subject of XML specifically for tech documentation? Most seem to be
oriented to programmers and web designers.

Thanks for any help offlist or on.

Best

- Jonathan Stoppi
Still The Tall Guy

* Previous company, sudden downsizing (no TW left!), new employer, bigger,
better-managed, hardware based.
Nuff said.


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