Managing Unstructured to Structured Conversions

Managing and Optimizing
Unstructured-to-Structured
Conversions
Edna Elle (edna.elle@oracle.com)
Program Manager 5
Oracle Documentation

Copyright © 2013, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.2
Prerequisites

Prerequisites
 Need to convert from unstructured FrameMaker or Word
 Have a well-designed structured authoring environment
 Have a large amount of content to convert, or…
 Need to continuously converting unstructured content
 Determined that ROI for moving to structured authoring is positive
This presentation is for you if you…

Prerequisites
 Have tools to create required outputs: PDF, HTML, Help, etc.
 Have output tools that work with translated files, if required
 Have content that uses templates
This presentation is for you if you…

The Conversion Process

Plan &
Prepare
Develop Convert Clean up

Stages

Stages
Prepare

Stages
Prepare Develop

Stages
Prepare Develop Convert

Stages
Prepare Develop Convert Clean Up

Prepare

Prepare
 Estimate Conversion Time – Issues to Consider
 Assess Your Resources
 Prepare for a Different Authoring Model
 Develop a Preconversion Plan
 Identify Preconversion Tasks

Prepare
 Volume
 Complexity
 Variety
 Format adherence
 Similarity/Differences compared to proposed DTD/Schema
Estimate Conversion Time – Issues to Consider

Prepare
 Internal/external cross-references
 Embedded graphics
 Conditional text
 File naming
 File sharing
Estimate Conversion Time – Issues to Consider

Prepare
 You will likely need a developer
 You may require on-going support and adjustments to your
conversions over time
 Consider support you may need if you acquire new and different
content to convert
 An in-house developer may be able to create various utilities and plug-
ins that turn hours-long repetitive work into quick fixes
 Identify those performing the actual conversions
Assess Your Resources

Prepare
 "Pre-structure" content
– Adjust heading levels
– Flatten or increase hierarchy
– Add missing content to heading levels
 Add or delete formats
– Add and apply formats to achieve good element mappings
– Delete format instances that will not be mapped (ex. Chapter-only number)
Prepare for a Different Authoring Model

Prepare
 Review and adjust list formats
– Nest lists correctly
– Ensure that list subsequent paragraphs have assigned formats
– Limit list nesting in table cells
– Edit numbered lists that span headings
– Remove visual indents, apply proper formats
– Edit lists that nest too deeply
Prepare for a Different Authoring Model

Prepare
 One month minimum
 Analyze your current content
 Plan your migration so you do not miss important release dates
 Create format map or maps
 Develop tools/templates which may include third-party tools
 Develop conversion utilities
Develop the Conversion Plan and Tools

Prepare
 Start with small or non-critical projects
 Test your process before entering a full-scale conversion
 Document your process from preconversion to post-conversion tasks
 Identify those performing the conversion processes
 Average time per 200 pages: 1-5 days
Develop the Conversion Plan and Tools

Prepare
 Correct irregular template usage
– Remove format overrides or ad hoc formatting
– Use well-defined format styles in Word
– Correct one-off formats
– Ensure heading hierarchy is correct
– Fix broken cross-references
– Edit landscape or non-flow pages
Identify Pre-Conversion Tasks

Prepare
 Address one-to-many format mappings
– Single formats in multiple situations may not convert well because typical
conversion mappings allow only a small amount of context
 Ensure you are not cross-referencing files outside of your book or that
will not be converted
 Convert file insets or develop an inset plan

Prepare
 Supply or remove boilerplate text
 Use required naming conventions for files, directories, variables
– Follow XML file-naming conventions for content and graphic files
– Ensure graphic files use browser-recognizable file extensions, if required
– Change directory names and structures prior to conversion, if required
– Change variable names (text entities) to follow XML conventions
– Change variable definitions that have inline formatting

Prepare
 Use generated list files to optimize results
– Cross-Ref
– Hypertext
– Index
– TargetMarkerNames
– Other user-defined markers

Prepare

Develop
 Conversion Methods
 Tools

Develop Conversion Methods
 FrameMaker Conversions
– Two-Step Process
– One-Step Process
– Unstructured FrameMaker to HTML to XML
 Word Conversions
– Word-to-FrameMaker-to-Structured FrameMaker
– Word-to-HTML-to-XML

FrameMaker Two-Step Process
Use Your Structured Mapping Table
Import Structured Template Formats
Import EDD, Generate
Validate
Round-Trip Your Files
Create Unstructured Form of New Templates
Perform Preconversion Steps
Remove All Generated Files
Use TemplateMapper Tool
Perform Unstructured
Inspection/Adjustment
Unstructured to Unstructured Unstructured to Structured

FrameMaker One-Step Process
Unstructured Directly to Structured
Validate

FrameMaker Unstructured to HTML to XML
Create XSL Transformation, HTML to XML
Open XML Files in FrameMaker
Validate
Use FrameMaker's HTML Setup Utility
Save File as Template for More Conversions
Save as HTML
Unstructured to HTML HTML to XML

Word-to-FrameMaker-to-Structured FrameMaker
Validate
Open Word Document in FrameMaker
Adjust or Add Formats
Use Word Styles to Write a FrameMaker
Structured Mapping Table
Word to Unstructured FrameMaker Unstructured to Structured

Word-to-HTML-to-XML
Remove Overall Table Wrapper, if needed
Save Word as HTML
View/Check HTML Code for Good
Formatting
Word to HTML HTML to Structured
Create XSL Transformation, HTML to XML
Open XML resulting Files in FrameMaker
Validate

Develop Tools
 Preconversion utilities
– Strip unused variables
– Remove unused color definitions
 Format-to-Format mappings
– Use third-party tools: TemplateMapper, Silicon Prairie
– Use mapping tools to conflate many-to-one mappings

Develop Tools
 Structured mapping table
– Ensure that you have enough formats to achieve contextual mappings
– Use qualifiers to help assign container element
– Assign element mappings to untagged formats
– Choose to flag character format overrides
– Indicate attributes and values in mappings

Develop Tools
 HTML Mapping Table
– Use FrameMaker's HTML Setup to map Paragraph, Character, Cross-Reference
formats, save as template
– Use HTML Options to create referenceable graphic files
 HTML-to-XML Transformation
– Use XSL to create a transformation to your DTD/Schema

Develop Tools
 Post-conversion clean-up utilities
– "Assist" FrameMaker in structuring cross-references
– Strip Cross-Ref markers
– Add Table Continuation elements
– Resized graphic frames
 Post-conversion XML-to-XML transformations
– Transform content from tables to lists or reverse

Convert

Convert
 Choose a method or methods
 Handle embedded graphics
 Run your processes
 Replace title page with structured boilerplate file
 Import the EDD
 Import template formats
 Generate
 Add Contents, Index, Other Generated Files

Convert
Choosing a Method or Methods
Method Best for. . .
FM Two-Step Very large, complex conversions, unstructured content
is dissimilar to DTD/Schema, many nested lists
FM One-Step Unstructured content is similar in structure to the
DTD/Schema
FM-to-HTML-XML Multiple templates, poor template adherence, smaller
conversions
Word-to-Unstructured FM-
to-Structured FM
Smaller conversions whose content is similar in
structure to the DTD/Schema
Word-to-HTML-to-XML On-going conversions, perhaps content from
developers

Clean Up

Clean Up
 Run post-conversion utilities
 Validate, fix, assign elements to untagged content
 Edit content as necessary
 Clear overrides
 Round-trip files to clear previous formatting
 Run any post-conversion XML-to-XML transformations

Contact/Request
 Contact: edna.elle@oracle.com
 Request: Sample complete conversion instructions (50+ pages)

Managing Unstructured to Structured Conversions

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