General remarks

Figure 652. Why XML based publishing? Slide presentation
Why XML based publishing?

Figure 653. XML features Slide presentation
  • Extensibility

    • Define your grammar

    • XML core extensions (linking,...)

  • Interoperability

    • Cross-platform software support

  • Open standard, no vendor lock-in

  • Tons of (processing) frameworks / APIs


Figure 654. Editors, compositors, designers ... Slide presentation

Quote from How and Why Are Companies Using XML?.

It's Not about You! It is about publishers.

  • they think it's their content

  • they want

    • to use it, re-use it, slice it, and dice it

    • to own it and control it

    • to have access to it and be able to move it


Figure 655. Promises in publishing Slide presentation

XML for publishing ...

  • saves time and money

  • is platform independent

  • avoids vendor lock-in

  • can be validated for QA

  • allows for creating different target formats


Figure 656. Publishing reality Slide presentation
  • Refrain from fancy catalogs

  • Stick to simple layouts

    • Technical documentation

    • Law publications


Single source publishing aims at creating different output formats from a given document source:

Figure 657. Single source publishing Slide presentation
Single source publishing

Conceptionally each format implements a view to our source in question. Separating a document's structure from its derived (visual) presentation greatly facilitates this task. From an abstract perspective we may conceive a document having:

Figure 658. Separating Structure, content and format Slide presentation
Separating Structure, content and format

Figure 659. Separating concerns Slide presentation
Content

Words, images, audio / video

Structure

Chapters / sections, tables, lists

Presentation

Physical formatting (boldface, text size/color, ...)


Figure 660. Content Slide presentation
Content

Figure 661. Hierarchical structure Slide presentation
Hierarchical structure

Figure 662. Hierarchical structure, XML source Slide presentation
Hierarchical structure, XML source

Figure 663. Presentation Slide presentation
Presentation
Presentation

We shed some light on a document's structure and presentation:

Figure 664. Example 1: HTML 5, pure structure Slide presentation
Structure Presentation
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
    <head>
        <title>Test</title>
    </head>
    <body>
      <section>
        <h1>Intro</h1>
        <p>Some content</p>
      </section>
    </body>
</html>
Example 1: HTML 5, pure structure

Figure 665. Example 2: TeX / LaTeX Slide presentation
Structure / content Presentation (PDF)
\documentclass[12pt]{article}

\begin{document}
  A nice LaTeX formula:

  \begin{displaymath}
    e^x = \sum_{i=0}^{\infty}{x^i \over i!}
  \end{displaymath}

\end{document}
Example 2: TeX / LaTeX

Separating a document's structure from its presentation(s) provides a number of benefits:

Figure 666. Separating structure and presentation(s) Slide presentation
Pros Cons
  • Separation of editing / formatting concerns

  • Focus on content rather than formatting

  • Oblivious to format evolution (e.g. Epub)

  • Well suited for SCM, diff-ing

  • No true WYSIWYG

  • Fixed formatting rules, no flexibility

  • Less layout control, especially in print


Figure 667. Sample technical document Slide presentation
Sample technical document

Figure 668. Observations Slide presentation
  • Well structured documents

  • Focus on content rather than style

  • Clearly defined semantics

  • Automated generation supporting multiple output channels


Figure 669. Pros and cons of TeX / LaTeX Slide presentation
Pros Cons
  • Excellent typography

  • Large community

  • Mature engine

  • Excellent platform support

  • Multiple problem domain support

  • Extensible vocabulary

  • Focus on print

  • Bad office authoring tool support

    • Steep learning curve

    • Inverse editing

    • Cryptic error messages

  • Bloated vocabulary


Figure 670. Tools of the trade Slide presentation
XMLMind Editor
  • Strictly validating, near WYSIWYG, DocBook / DITA / MathML / XHTML editor.

  • Plugin architecture

  • Cross-platform Java based.

OxygenXML Editor
  • Full-fledged XML IDE.

  • Strictly validating, near WYSIWYG, DocBook / DITA / MathML / XHTML ... editor.

  • Eclipse based