manual management tooling

[Peter]

Hi all,

I looking for a tool, where XML can be a part of.

Our company has to write manuals for a whole product line. Every product has
his own printed manual (we use A5 booklets, folded A4). All manuals have
lots in common, but of course are different at some points.

We're writing in native language (Dutch), let do the translation in
different languages from there.

At this moment we use MSWord for this. But that gives us big problems
managing the whole. So I'm looking for a tool, or tools set, what can do the
following:

- Managing text from one source to different manuals.

- Version management to feed the translators from a new native text
revision.

- Separating the actual text from the layout:

- We need text, maybe some bolded words in a paragraph

- Tables for overviews

- Inserting pictures

- Auto numbering on pages and chapters

- Auto index generation.

- Output on paper, and pdf, (page sequence for A5 booklet on A4!)

- Nice to have: output for WEB documentation.

I know this is a lot to ask. But it looks to me I'm not the only one facing
this problem. I hope some can point me in the good direction.

Thanks,

Peter

[Peter Flynn]

Peter wrote:

Hi all,

I looking for a tool, where XML can be a part of.

Our company has to write manuals for a whole product line. Every product
has his own printed manual (we use A5 booklets, folded A4). All manuals
have lots in common, but of course are different at some points.

We're writing in native language (Dutch), let do the translation in
different languages from there.

At this moment we use MSWord for this. But that gives us big problems
managing the whole. So I'm looking for a tool, or tools set, what can do
the following:

- Managing text from one source to different manuals.
Workflow management is one of the hardest parts because of the interface
with humans :-)
- Version management to feed the translators from a new native text
revision.
CVS.
- Separating the actual text from the layout:

- We need text, maybe some bolded words in a paragraph

- Tables for overviews

- Inserting pictures
There are several DTDs and Schemas which will handle this, of greater and
lesser complexity, but IMHE most companies end up defining their own. To
make it successful you need a good Document Analysis first.

Editing is always the problem: see the note on Editors in the XML FAQ at
http://xml.silmaril.ie/developers/software/
- Auto numbering on pages and chapters

- Auto index generation.

- Output on paper, and pdf, (page sequence for A5 booklet on A4!)
LaTeX or ConTeXt (http://www.ntg.nl/watiscontext.html)
- Nice to have: output for WEB documentation.

XSLT.

///Peter
--
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