structured authoring tool software companies

#Structured authoring tool software companies how to#
#Structured authoring tool software companies code#
#Structured authoring tool software companies windows#

This family of tools goes beyond preparing HTML or graphical content into a different dimension: these tools provide ways to link your Web site to an external database, and/or they generate programs for you using a graphical development environment. Pixel-oriented.Īn object-oriented alternative to ImageReady.Ī sophisticated tool for drawing and creating original graphicsĪ competitor to PhotoShop bundled with image drawing tool.

#Structured authoring tool software companies windows#

Sophisticated, can take time to learn.Īn image editing tool from Adobe with many of the capabilities of Photoshop in an easy-to-use package.Ī tool to edit and optimize images and create animated GIFs available for Windows or Macintosh. The industry-leading image editing program used for both Web and non-Web publishing applications. Object-oriented (editable unit is an object) Most image editing tools are “pixel-oriented.” Some of the newer tools are “object-oriented.” We discuss the distinction in Chapter 6.Ī tool to edit and optimize images and create animated GIFs.Ī popular image editor and optimizer for the Macintosh and for Windows.Ī tool to edit and optimize images and create animated GIFs. See Chapter 3 for an explanation of image maps. Many of these tools can assist you in creating “image maps” – images with clickable objects that map to specific pages. Here we list some advanced tools that carry the task of creating Web graphics to a high level. Chapter 6 discusses graphics in general and some specific graphics editors. One of the first HTML editors simple and easy to useĪ number of tools exist to simplify the job of creating and manipulating high-quality graphics for your Web site. HoTMetaL is very careful to generate “correct” HTML.Ī popular WYSIWYG editor for Windows or Macintosh.Ī visual page layout tool with ability to generate HTML that uses Cascading Style Sheets for precise layout control Here are a few examples of categories and some tools within each:Ī simple text editor alternative to Windows Notepad, with a link to an HTML validator.Īn HTML editor from a company with a long history in markup tools. Microsoft ships FrontPage Express, a stripped-down version of FrontPage, with Windows 98 and with many other products.Īuthoring tools fall into a variety of categories. Netscape Communicator includes Netscape Composer, a fairly powerful WYSIWYG editor. You may already have a satisfactory beginning tool on your computer. Unfortunately, some tools sometimes generate “incorrect” HTML – HTML with syntax errors, or HTML that’s tuned to only one browser. Make a copy of your hand-crafted pages before letting an authoring tool edit them. It can be especially frustrating to open a hand-crafted page, edit it in an authoring tool, and find that dozens of new tags have been introduced into your document – tags you don’t want or need. Tools tend to insert excessive tags as they perform automated layout control. They may be very powerful, though eventually they multiply productivity, justifying the up-front learning effort.

#Structured authoring tool software companies code#

For instance, some tools will generate the HTML and JavaScript code needed to implement a set of “rollover” menu buttons.Īuthoring tools may have shortcomings as well: Specialized tools can even generate code for you. Some authoring tools include HTML verifiers to test your existing code others check your HTML as you edit it.

Because HTML is a structured language of sorts, it’s possible to have errors, such as an tag that’s opened but never closed. They can help you generate “correct” HTML. They can save keystrokes and improve productivity. In fact, it’s difficult to keep up with the huge array of commercial products now available.Īuthoring tools offer basic advantages to the content provider: Over time, Web authoring tools have become more sophisticated, and new, highly specialized tools have evolved.

Whether you're a DITA beginner, a structured authoring guru forced to use unstructured tools, or a strategist contemplating a legacy conversion project, you can immediately apply the techniques in this session to your daily work.1 2 3 4 5 6 Advanced Authoring and Site-Management Tools

#Structured authoring tool software companies how to#

You'll also see how to use FrameMaker (unstructured), Word, and Flare features to style content semantically, standardize textual navigation aids, add metadata, and perform multi-channel publishing. This session demonstrates tool-agnostic techniques such as writing a good short description, designing task-focused documents, and increasing content reuse. But what if there's no budget for new tools, no time for training to 'become a DITA writer,' and no time to migrate legacy unstructured content? Don't despair! You can easily leverage many structured authoring best practices even when using unstructured tools. You've heard the buzz about structured authoring and DITA-how great it is for efficient content reuse, how it enforces consistency, how it guides our writing for topic-based presentations.