Automating DITA Publishing: How Gulfstream Publishes Style-rich, Interactive PDFs from DITA
If you have watched a TV show or movie in which characters travel the world in a Gulfstream, you have seen a company that elevates aviation to an art form. Sleek lines, luxurious cabins, and an ongoing pursuit of excellence are what we see onscreen. Behind the scenes, there is DITA. Flight manuals, operators manuals, handbooks, and other content is sourced from one set of DITA materials. Gulfstream then publishes it in a system to PDF that is as functional, professional, and sharp looking as the airplanes they support. How Gulfstream is doing this, though, is another story. It includes highs and lows of discovery, challenge, and success from open communications between partners. The experience of delivering the best looking and the best functioning documentation in the industry means months of effort to create a push-button approach to convert a DITA map to a finished digital PDF that provides a complete solution to online documentation for the cockpit. This story is a continuing exploration of the boundaries of automation, compliance, design, and a desire to enhance the usability (and the re-usability) of content from creation to the final delivery. See how it works and what DITA can do to change the way we fly.
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Automating DITA Publishing: How Gulfstream Publishes Style-rich, Interactive PDFs from DITA
- 1. www.publishingsmarter.com Automating DITA Publishing... ...How Gulfstream publishes style-rich, interactive PDFs from DITA
- 2. www.publishingsmarter.com Travelling the world in a Gulfstream... ...elevates aviation to an art form. Sleek lines, luxurious cabins, and an ongoing pursuit of excellence are what we see. Behind the scenes, there is DITA. Flight manuals, operators manuals, handbooks, and other content is sourced from one set of DITA materials. Gulfstream then publishes it in a system to PDF that is as functional, professional, and sharp looking as the airplanes they support. How Gulfstream does it is a story with highs and lows of discovery, challenge, and success from open communications between partners. The experience of delivering the best looking and the best functioning documentation in the industry means months of effort to create a push-button approach to convert a DITA map to a finished digital PDF that provides a complete solution to online documentation for the cockpit. This story is a continuing exploration of the boundaries of automation, compliance, design, and a desire to enhance the usability (and the re-usability) of content from creation to the final delivery. See how it works and what DITA can do to change the way we fly. 2
- 4. www.publishingsmarter.com Patrick Porter ● Flight Crew Publications Manager ● Production Test Pilot ● Civilian Deputy to Military Program Manager for the F-35 Lightning II System Development and Demonstration Program ● United States Navy, Naval Officer 4
- 6. www.publishingsmarter.com Bernard Aschwanden ● Publishing Smarter: President ○ Content strategist, publishing technologies expert, author, and geek-enough ○ Certified Technical Trainer ○ Content management ○ Topic-based writing ○ Structured content (e.g. DITA) ● Society for Technical Communications ○ Past President ○ STC Associate Fellow 6
- 7. www.publishingsmarter.com Key Takeaways 1. DITA/FrameMaker automation: More than just a toolkit for PDF 2. Design and function create an experience from the initial author to the end audiences 3. Key considerations to have in mind from the day you first think about DITA ● 7
- 8. www.publishingsmarter.com The View from 30,000 Feet Gulfstream Aerospace 8 ● What is the right tool for our flight publications? ● Why AEM? ● How should we architect the XML?
- 9. www.publishingsmarter.com Why DITA? More than just technology 9 ● Direct integration with AEM ● Simple structure ○ Initial XML/Content@, S1000D, discussions? ○ Do we build our own? ○ Discovered AEM uses DITA ○ Decided to explore a hybrid to work with Gulfstream needs ○ Became apparent that it’s DITA ○ Simple/efficient to use ○ Context specific setup
- 11. www.publishingsmarter.com Design and Function Planebook Functionality 11 ● Tab Index Page ● Table of Contents ● Procedures ● CAS Message Buttons
- 18. www.publishingsmarter.com 3 Publication Templates (+1) From one set of reused content 18 Objectives: ● Automate publishing and release for Planebook, Print, Digital, Review (HTML5?) ● Create a digital workflow ○ Go paperless ● Comply with brand guidelines ○ Enforce consistency
- 19. www.publishingsmarter.com DITA and PDF output From one set of reused content 19 ● DITA OT vs FrameMaker ● Not having to worry about the programming behind the scene ● Quick and visual author environment
- 22. www.publishingsmarter.com Challenges Overcome Patrick 22 ● Frontmatter buttons developed with different softwares (i.e. InDesign, Illustrator) ● Elements and Attributes ● Appearance issues
- 23. www.publishingsmarter.com Challenges Overcome Publishing 23 ● More than one delivery (Print, Digital, Planebook, Review) ● Complex page layout ● Multiple sources (AFM/OM/ERH) ● Automation
- 35. www.publishingsmarter.com Goals And feedback from authors! ● Longer term, have authors work in FrameMaker ○ Reviewers/others still see a close mockup in AEM ● Helps with the immediate feedback (QA work) ● Solid and positive feedback on ease of use 35
- 36. www.publishingsmarter.com Key Takeaways 1. DITA and FrameMaker automation: More than just another toolkit for PDF 2. How design and function can create a complete experience from the author to the final content consumer 3. Key considerations that you should have in mind from the day you first think about DITA ● 36