Designed as an “XML-based, end-to-end architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering readable information as discrete, typed topics,” DITA is the first topic based XML standard for technical publications.

DITA allows technical publications departments to enjoy the benefits of content reuse due to the requirement to author content in ‘topics’ defined as ‘discrete units of information’. As opposed to traditional sequential authoring as in the case of DocBook, content can be reused in different contexts for differing audiences. As XML is format neutral, multi-channel publishing of content to differing media such as Help, HTML or print is possible.

In response to a growing interest from technical publications departments in adopting XML publishing processes, Mekon are developing a FrameMaker publishing adaptor for DITA. This adaptor utilises FrameMaker’s powerful pagination engine to format output documents when using DITA.

This adaptor ensures that regardless of which authoring tool chosen for an XML publishing implementation, organisations can continue to leverage their investment in Adobe FrameMaker. Mekon are making the adaptor available via the DITA Open Toolkit.

Keep in Touch with info@mekon

To keep up to date about other Mekon technologies, free downloads, whitepapers, and events, email info@mekon.com with "updates" in the subject line.

Additional Resources

Introduction to DITA

http://www-128.ibm.com/developerworks/xml/library/x-dita1/

OASIS Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) Technical Committee

http://www.oasis-open.org/committees/tc_home.php?wg_abbrev=dita

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