This document discusses options for extracting deliverables from DITA content, including HTML and PDF output. For HTML, the DITA Open Toolkit is recommended due to its support for automation and customization with CSS or XSL. PDF output is more challenging to automate due to the complexity of page layouts. The DITA Open Toolkit can generate PDF but requires significant customization of XSL formatting objects. Alternatives like FrameMaker or InDesign offer more control over pagination but involve less automation. The best approach depends on an organization's priorities around typography, automation, and existing tools or templates.

1. Extracting deliverables
from DITA
Sarah O'Keefe
Scriptorium Publishing

2. Preliminary notes
You should be hearing the presenter's audio at
this point.
All participants are muted.
Use the Questions tab in the GoToWebinar
control panel to ask questions anytime during
the session.
The webcast is being recorded. No participant
information appears in the recording.
The Q&A period at the end of the event will not
be recorded.

3. Poll: What is your DITA status?

4. DITA deliverable categories
HTML
PDF
Custom output
Flickr: freewine

5. HTML output options
DITA Open Toolkit
Various help authoring/conversion tools
Flare
RoboHelp
ePublisher Pro
DITA2GO

6. DITA Open Toolkit process
Install the DITA Open Toolkit (!)
Java
Ant
XSL processor
XSL-FO processor (for PDF)
Possibly other bits and pieces
Modify component files to get the output you
want
Generate output from the command line

7. Help authoring tools
Set up template/configuration
Import DITA content
(optionally) Make changes in the help
authoring tool
Publish to HTML

8. About those last-minute changes…
The traditional authoring/publishing model
allows them.
The automated publishing model eliminates
them.
The transition to the “no tweaking” mindset can
be painful.
What are the costs and benefits?

9. The DITA Open
Toolkit is the best
choice for HTML.
Light customization with
CSS
In-depth customization
with XSL
No arbitrary formatting
Complete automation
Flickr: bobistraveling

10. The special case: WebHelp
WebHelp = HTML-based help system with
tripane interface (content, index, search)
No support in DITA Open Toolkit (custom build
of tripane interface required)
Commercial support via XMetaL, Flare, Trisoft,
ePublisher Pro, DITA2GO, and perhaps others
Balance DITA Open Toolkit customization effort
against license costs

11. PDF options
DITA Open Toolkit
Page layout
applications
Others
Flickr: freewine

12. PDF publishing is hard because:
Printed page layouts have more options than
HTML layouts.
Extensible Stylesheet Language Formatting
Objects (XSL-FO) needs to support
sophisticated page layout options.
Pushing XML into page layout tools is
challenging.
Automation means giving up page-by-page
formatting.

13. Poll: The five stages of DITA-based
PDF publishing
What's your stage?

14. Please choose one of the following
terrifying options:
DITA Open Toolkit
Page-based layout tool
FrameMaker
InDesign
Quark
Help authoring/conversion tool
RoboHelp
ePublisher Pro
Flare

15. PDF through the DITA Open Toolkit
Very difficult to configure
No “tweaking” to fix copyfitting problems
Almost certainly the long-term winner

16. DITA Open Toolkit process
Customize default PDF output to your
requirements (once)
Make fonts available to FO processor (once)
Run Ant command to generate PDF

17. DITA Open Toolkit challenges
Fonts
Formatting
Foggy FO
FOP foibles

18. PDF via FrameMaker
Configuration, at a minimum, requires
modifying a formatting template
Nice PDF
Can tweak to adjust pagination

19. FrameMaker process
Modify the template to meet your requirements
(once)
Manage white space (tabs, newlines) (once)
Open the map file
(v8 and earlier) Generate intermediate book
Save as PDF

20. FrameMaker pitfalls
Sensitive to whitespace
DITA specializations
Round-tripping
Authoring

21. FrameMaker recommendations
Use DITA-FMx plug-in

22. PDF via InDesign
Beautiful typography
Can tweak to adjust pagination
No default support for DITA
Extensive configuration required
Whitespace in XML results in anaphylactic
shock for InDesign

23. InDesign process
Transform DITA content into “InDesign-friendly”
XML via XSLT (once)
Flatten map files
Resolve and flatten content references (conrefs)
Modify structure of images and tables
Control whitespace
Do something about xrefs with InDesign scripts
Set up template in InDesign (once)
Import modified XML into InDesign

24. DITA to InDesign challenges
Extensive preprocessing
Round-tripping
Authoring
White space

25. What about the help authoring
tools?
Yes, if you need cross-browser,
cross-platform help.
Not the best choice for PDF only.

26. What are your PDF priorities?
For typography, choose InDesign or similar.
For automation, choose the DITA Open Toolkit.
For a middle ground, choose FrameMaker.

27. Lower your standards.
Does your audience care about fine typography?
Less copyfitting = greater automation

28. Factors to consider for PDF output
Platform requirements
Technical resources
Typography requirements
Velocity
Volume
Versioning

29. Poll: How are you creating (or
planning to create) PDF output?

31. DITA Open Toolkit PDF is not
necessarily ugly.
It just starts out that way.
Making it pretty is a lot of work.

32. Custom output
examples
Your own
implementation of
web-based help
Man pages and other
custom markup
Building to an
existing formatting
specification
Custom markup, such
as IDML, XPS, or MIF
Flickr: markdevries

33. XSL programming skill is an issue
In-house resources
Contractors or
consultants?
Technical skills
required are beyond
“typical” FrameMaker
templates, HTML
coding, and CSS
Flickr: jinxmcc

34. Automation has advantages
Incremental builds (nightly updates)
Zero manual formatting
Excellent localization support in DITA Open
Toolkit

35. Automation has disadvantages
Initial configuration effort
No intermediate file for last-ditch copyfitting or
content changes
No book-by-book customization

36. Overall recommendation for HTML
Use the DITA Open Toolkit
Automation is more valuable than ability to
finagle

37. Overall recommendation for PDF
Weigh the benefits of automation against the
difficulty of implementing XSL-FO
Remember that localization support in DITA OT
is excellent (and extensive)
Consider the value of existing assets
(FrameMaker or InDesign templates)
How strict are your output requirements? How
strict do they need to be?

38. Questions? Comments?

39. Contact information
Sarah O'Keefe
okeefe@scriptorium.com
www.scriptorium.com
Phone: +919 459 5362
Twitter: @sarahokeefe