16
Jan
Academy

DITA/XML for beginners

DITA/XML For Beginners is a practical stepping stone for those who want to learn the basics of structured documentation writing. In this 2-day course, we will cover the basic principles of DITA/XML and simple content management. The emphasis will be on hands-on learning. The course is a mix between a traditional training and a practical workshop.

From a solid working environment with clear agreements (a critical and often forgotten part of the DITA process) to the details of writing and publication/translation. After having been trained on this short preview of a (simple) DITA project, you will have a solid foundation to start your own projects and/or grow even further by participating in the advanced DITA course.

Key goals:

  • Learning to work in DITA/XML, from first draft or conversion to publication and translation.
  • Laying the foundations for smart writing and modular documentation.
  • Learning to make a plan first before starting to write.
  • Learning to work with the basics of DITA.

Topics:

  • What is DITA?
    • Layout and structure;
    • Modular writing;
    • What are the benefits?
    • The differences compared to traditional writing;
  • Your first project;
    • Setting up a working environment;
    • Defining the structure;
    • Content management;
    • Planning for the future;
  • Importing existing documentation versus a fresh start;
  • The structure of a document;
  • The difference between bookmaps and maps;
  • The difference between topics and specialised variants;
  • Breaking down information;
    • Dividing information into categories;
    • References within documents;
    • Profiling;
    • Basic rules;
  • (Re)writing in DITA;
    • The importance of semantic markup;
    • Elements, attributes and metadata;
    • Images and tables;
    • Warnings;
    • Best practices and common mistakes;
  • Publication examples;
  • Publication in multiple forms;
    • Featured: PDF;
    • Featured: HTML;
  • Parameters and templates;
  • Translation;
    • The importance of a good structure;
    • Exporting the (book)map;
    • Filtering (unused) metadata;
    • Integrating translated information;
    • Working with TMS modules/plugins.

Course material:

  • Presentation;
  • Cheat sheet;
  • Completed assignments.

Results:

At the end of this course, you will have mastered the basics of structured writing, allowing you to collaborate in simple DITA/XML projects.

Additional Information: 

If you are interested in this training and would like to learn more about the programme, content and costs, please feel free to contact us:
academie@foxiz.nl or +31 344 84 88 00