XML and Structured Frame Optimization using FrameMaker 11
In true Adobe fashion they have managed to incorporate more useful tools to help streamline xml authoring. FrameMaker 11 has several new key features to help its users optimize their structured content. Many users have found these features to be essential in the adaptation of FrameMaker11.
- Features such as XML code view, allows the user to modify the XML code directly. This new view in conjunction with XML tree view pod makes correcting any structuring errors a breeze.
- The latest version of FrameMaker allows generation of DITA 1.2 elements automatically and provides support for a variety of DITA Map outputs.
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- The banner text feature suggests/creates structure (elements, templates and attributes) from the moment you create a blank document. These guidelines tell you where to type and automatically create the various content elements. This new feature significantly reduces inconsistencies in content in which multiple creators are involved and supports various structured authoring knowledge levels and learning curves.
- FrameMaker 11 allows its users to automatically create book or chapter level structured table of contents. As I have mentioned before FrameMaker 11 has taken the leap from being used to enforce structure, now it also provides the structure.
- The XSLT feature allows the user to create numerous conversion scenarios.
- Using “smart paste” the user can copy unstructured content (including Microsoft Word format, Microsoft Excel and HTML) then “smart paste” it into the correct location in FrameMaker’s structure view. This transforms the unstructured data into valid XML. This serves as a proficient automatic structuring tool.
The proficiency of authors will vary as they learn more about advanced XML and structured content. The team at Adobe recognizes that each user is different and in order to support the growth of the user, FrameMaker has several additional features and views that can be implemented. FrameMaker 11’s new and updated structured authoring features give the users the ability to rapidly create, edit, and publish structured content for many different outputs, and have provided us with what I believe to be an exceptional set of tools for the structured authoring and XML community.
