XMetaL's S1000D customization
The S1000D specification is an international standard for the
procurement and production of technical documentation. It is an XML-based
framework designed to prepare, manage, and publish technical information for
various products. Initially developed by the AeroSpace and Defence Industries
Association of Europe (ASD), S1000D is widely used in defense systems, civil
aviation, and other industries to ensure consistency and interoperability in
technical publications.
XMetaL's S1000D customization offers a suite of specialized
functionalities designed for the efficient manipulation of S1000D documents
stored on the local file system. These tools facilitate the editing,
validation, and management of S1000D content, streamlining the process of
creating and maintaining compliant technical documentation.
The customization includes the following features.
-
Graphic and Multimedia
Handling: Manage graphic and multimedia elements within S1000D documents.
-
Reference Element
Management: Efficiently handle reference elements such as <dmRef>,
<figureRef>, and <pubRef>, ensuring correct linkage and structure.
-
Referenced Target
Validation: Check the targets referenced by <dmRef>,
<figureRef>, and <pubRef> elements to ensure accuracy and
consistency.
-
CSDB-like View:
Provide a user interface that resembles a Common Source Database (CSDB),
allowing users to access and interact with S1000D documents stored locally on
the file system.
-
Folder-Based Project
Management: Implement a folder-based project mechanism to manage various
worksets of S1000D documents, enhancing organization and accessibility.
-
Schema-Based
Styling: Style S1000D documents based on their XML Schema, ensuring that
formatting aligns with standard specifications.
-
XML Element Locator
Tool: Provide a tool to efficiently find and insert valid S1000D XML
elements into documents. Users can search by element name or description,
ensuring correct placement and adherence to S1000D standards.
-
S1000D Data Dictionary
Viewer: Incorporate a viewer within the editor, enabling users to access
detailed descriptions of selected S1000D elements from the official data
dictionary. This feature clarifies element usage, supports accurate and
consistent technical publications, and ensures compliance with industry
standards.
XMetaL integration with Google Gemini advanced text processors
powered by AI
Google Gemini is an advanced language model developed by Google AI,
designed to deliver exceptional versatility across a broad spectrum of tasks,
including:
- Natural Language
Understanding and Generation: Gemini comprehends and responds to human language
with accuracy and fluency, facilitating effective communication.
- Creative Writing: It
excels in generating creative text formats, including poems, stories, and
scripts, showcasing a high level of linguistic creativity.
- Translation: Gemini offers
highly accurate translations across multiple languages, enhancing
cross-linguistic communication.
- Summarization: It
efficiently condenses lengthy texts into concise and coherent summaries,
improving information accessibility.
- Gemini's capabilities make
it a powerful tool with wide-ranging applications in research, education,
business, and beyond.
Following features make Google Gemini an invaluable tool for technical
writers, enhancing productivity, accuracy, and content quality:
- Automatically generates
and completes text based on user input and the selected writing style,
streamlining the writing process. Leveraging its extensive pre-training on
diverse documents and texts, Google Gemini provides relevant content generation
across various domains.
- Reviews and suggests
improvements to sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary to ensure content
is clear, coherent, and accessible.
- Simplifies complex topics
by providing clear and concise explanations.
- Facilitates accurate
translation of content between different languages.
- Checks for spelling
errors, grammatical mistakes, and inconsistencies, enhancing the overall
quality of the text.
- Acts as a quick reference
tool, answering technical questions efficiently.
- Assists in generating
initial drafts or ideas for articles, documentation, FAQs, and tutorials.
The XMetaL integration with Google Gemini provides an effective suite
of tools that substantially reduces writing time and improves documentation
quality. XMetaL enables customers to integrate Google Gemini web services
within the XMetaL environment, subject to customer authorization. This
integration enhances XMetaL's functionality by granting access to Google
Gemini’s advanced capabilities, allowing users to leverage its power while
maintaining compliance with internal policies and security requirements.
Additionally, it offers quick access to Google Gemini tools directly within the
XMetaL editor, ensuring seamless data exchange and a streamlined user
experience.
Google Gemini is integrated into the XMetaL Resource Manager, offering
the following features:
- The system enables a
side-by-side layout of edited documents, facilitating efficient workflow.
- Users can seamlessly
switch between AI assistants and XMetaL Document views, enhancing productivity.
- Instructions can be sent
and responses processed directly within the active document environment using
XMetaL macro calls, such as:
- Send XChat
instruction: (Shortcut: Ctrl+\)
- Process XChat
response: (Shortcut: Ctrl+])
- XMetaL Quick
Navigation Commands Manager (Ctrl+?): Allow for streamlined navigation.
- XMetaL context menu:
Provide further access to these features, ensuring a smooth and integrated user
experience.
-
Support for instruction templates enables users to standardize
their processes and enhance the efficiency of content creation.
The quality of Google Gemini’s responses is influenced by the
clarity and structure of the instructions given. XMetaL includes over 50
predefined text-processing commands, such as “Describe and provide details,”
“Improve text quality and clarity,” and “Summarize.” Users can customize this
command set by adding or removing commands to suit their specific requirements.
Technical writers can develop detailed instructions tailored to particular
projects, test the responses, and refine them as needed. These optimized
instructions can then be used as templates for future requests, ensuring
consistent and high-quality outputs.
The supported template parameters include:
- Active document
selected text
- Content of the active
document's ancestor element for the word under the cursor
- Document content
- Text selected in the
Google Gemini response window
- Clipboard content
- Support for XChat response
processing templates allows text generated by Google Gemini to be inserted into
the active document as a parameter value within a predefined XML fragment
template, ensuring proper placement and consistency.
The supported template parameters include:
- The selected text in
the response
- The last response
- The response
containing the selection
- Clipboard content
- The document text sent as
an instruction parameter is highlighted for easy visual reference. This
highlighting also applies to Gemini responses inserted into the document,
ensuring clear visibility and easy identification.
- Depending on user
preferences or the stage of documentation development, both keyboard input and
mouse can be used. Users can type text in XMetaL, send instructions to Google
Gemini, and process responses (such as adding or removing text or XML
fragments) using only the keyboard. This flexibility promotes a more efficient
and streamlined workflow, accommodating various working styles and needs.
Integration was developed and implemented as a customization within
the XMetaL Developer environment. XMetaL customers have the capability to
create similar integrations with other AI-powered web services.
XMetaL Project
The XMetaL Project is a framework within XMetaL Author designed for
structuring and managing extensive documentation.
In modern technical documentation projects, which can encompass
thousands of documents and images, quick access to content is crucial for
technical writers. Efficient cross-referencing between topics is essential for
producing high-quality documentation, yet it can often be complex and
time-consuming . Facilitating this process is a key requirement.
Purpose: The XMetaL Project framework organizes and manages content
within a documentation project. It defines the structure and relationships
between various documents and resources, ensuring rapid access to all elements
and enabling bulk processing of documents. This tool enhances efficiency and
accuracy in documentation projects by streamlining content management.
Features:
-
Hierarchical Organization: Defines the hierarchical structure
of content, including parent-child relationships between documents, resources
and virtual folders.
-
Navigation: Facilitates content navigation by specifying the
order and relationships of documents.
-
Fast Access to Documents and Resources: Enables users to
locate elements by title, file name, keywords, or content, and open them
directly in the XMetaL environment or a specific application.
-
Cross-File Operations: Facilitates various tasks such as
finding and replacing text or markup content, archiving, spell checking,
validating links. These operations can be applied to a subset of XMetaL Project
items, open documents, or file system folders.
-
Inserting Cross-References Assistant: This feature comprises a
set of tools designed to help technical writers manage references within their
documentation. It allows writers to assign keywords to document elements and
efficiently identify potential reference candidates across a collection of XML
files.
Writers can easily view the locations of references along with
their corresponding target documents, simplifying the process of confirming
reference insertions. Additional tools are provided to assist with the
maintenance of reference elements and to facilitate the location of reference
targets on the web.
This functionality streamlines the process of managing references,
enhancing both the efficiency and quality of technical writing. By abstracting
the technical details involved in inserting valid XML content, the assistant
allows writers to focus on the semantic aspects of their work, thereby
improving clarity and coherence in documentation.
-
Import of Existing Documentation: Supports the bulk import of
documents from open XMetaL documents or maps, folder contents, and results from
XMetaL cross-file search operations, including referenced documents and
resources.
-
Adding New Content: Enables the rapid bulk addition of new
documents using XMetaL document templates. By leveraging predefined templates,
users can efficiently create multiple standardized documents at once, ensuring
consistency in formatting and structure. This capability saves time and
enhances productivity.
-
Docs-Desk: This XMetaL project offers a permanent and easily
accessible tool for technical writers. It can be invoked through a macro call
or a keyboard shortcut, ensuring convenience for daily use.
Technical writers can utilize Docs-Desk as a versatile tool for
managing and processing documents and file system resources without altering
the original document project.
Integration with DITA-OT 4.2.2
DITA Open Toolkit is a powerful resource for organizations
implementing DITA for their technical documentation, offering a robust solution
that streamlines content creation and publishing processes.
With this release, XMetaL will utilize the installed version of Java
on Windows systems, simplifying the installation process by removing the need
for a separate Java installation specifically for XMetaL. Users can now rely on
their existing Java setup, ensuring compatibility with DITA-OT and simplifying
updates. This enhancement improves overall efficiency by reducing potential
configuration issues and creating a more integrated experience within the
Windows environment.
In XMetaL, users can select the required Java version and specify Java
Virtual Machine (JVM) parameters for DITA-OT under Tools -> Options ->
DITA Output -> Advanced.
XMetaL installations include only the latest version of DITA-OT.
However, earlier versions are still supported and can be downloaded from the
XMetaL website’s downloads page. Multiple versions of DITA-OT can be installed
concurrently. After installing the desired version, users can select the
appropriate version in XMetaL via Tools -> Options -> DITA Output ->
Advanced. This flexibility allows users to work with the DITA-OT version that
best meets their needs, ensuring compatibility with various documentation
requirements.
Key features of the DITA Open Toolkit include:
- Format Support: DITA-OT
supports multiple output formats, allowing users to produce consistent and
professional documentation tailored to different audiences and delivery
channels.
- Customization: The toolkit
is highly customizable, enabling users to adapt the output and functionality to
meet specific organizational needs. This includes the ability to create custom
templates, plugins, and skins.
- Extensibility: DITA-OT can
be extended with additional plugins to enhance its capabilities, such as
integrating with content management systems or adding support for new output
formats.
- Community Support: As an
open-source project, DITA-OT benefits from a vibrant community of users and
developers who contribute to its ongoing development, provide support, and
share best practices.
- DITA Standards Compliance:
The toolkit adheres to DITA standards, ensuring that documentation created is
structured, modular, and suitable for reuse across various projects.
DITA Open Toolkit Release 4.2.2 uses map-first pre-processing for
HTML5 output and includes a new local configuration file, better CLI messages
with support for overrides, a new version of the Lightweight DITA plug-in with
enhancements to Markdown processing, and updates for the latest DITA 2.0 draft
standard.
-
Map-first HTML5:
The HTML5 transformation has been updated to use the map-first
pre-processing pipeline that was previously enabled for PDF and HTML Help in
DITA-OT 3.0. For details, see Map-first pre-processing.
- New configuration file: A
new .ditaotrc configuration file can be used to store DITA-OT runtime
configurations in multiple places. DITA-OT now looks for this file in the
current directory or any ancestor directory first, then in the user’s home
directory, and finally in the root directory of the DITA-OT installation
-
CLI message improvements: The log messages that appear in the
command line interface have been revised to use more consistent language,
better explain the cause, and how the issue can be resolved. The code that
generates CLI error messages has been refactored to make it easier to override
and extend messages.
Log messages can now be partially overridden or completely
replaced. Custom plug-ins can supply new messages via the dita.xsl.messages
extension point as in previous versions, but now this same approach can also be
used to override the contents or change the severity level of any of the
default messages.
- The only required
information is the @id attribute, which is used to identify the message you are
overriding.
- To change the message
content, specify a new <reason> or <response>.
- To change the severity
level, set a new value for the @type attribute (INFO, WARN, ERROR, FATAL, or
DEBUG).
- You can omit @type,
<reason> or <response>, in which case the previous declaration of
the message will provide that value.
- Lightweight DITA and
Markdown updates: The org.lwdita plug-in has been updated to version 5.7, which
includes a series of bug fixes and support for additional DITA constructs in
Markdown output, including:
- list parsing
performance improvement
- admonition blocks in
list items
- HDITA note elements
- multimedia element
types
- tight task lists
- footnotes
- block content in
tables
- The XDITA plug-in has
been updated to version 0.3.2, which includes recent changes to the grammar
files from OASIS (as of January 26, 2024). This version removes deprecated
catalog entries.
- Updated DITA 2.0 preview:
In addition to the DITA 2.0 preview support provided in DITA-OT 3.5 – 4.1, this
release includes updated processing for the latest draft versions of the DITA
2.0 grammar files from OASIS (as of January 22, 2024).
Enhancing customer experience
XMetaL enhances the user experience of its XML editor by enabling
technical writers to focus on document semantics, while simplifying or
abstracting the complexity of markup handling.
XMetaL Project utilities, such as cross-file operations and reference
insertion, are implemented as modeless floating dialogs. XMetaL integrations
with ChatGPT, Microsoft Bing, Google Gemini, web browsers, Grammarly, and
bookmark managers are implemented as separate tabs in the XMetaL Resources
Manager. These dialogs and tabs, in conjunction with open documents, allow
users to set necessary parameters such as selected text, tags, attribute names,
and attribute values by selecting text or markup within the open document.
Users can run utilities without closing the dialog until they are satisfied
with the results. Content that is passed as parameters is highlighted in the
active document for easy visualization.
Users can seamlessly send the same instructions to ChatGPT, Microsoft
Bing, or Google Gemini and select the most suitable response. Instruction
templates also accept selected text from responses as parameters, facilitating
the research process. For example, the instruction template "Describe, provide
more details: <selected text>" can be applied with a single click to
selected text within the editing document or an AI-generated response.
Depending on the stage of the documentation development process (e.g.,
developing, drafting, research, validation), users can access utilities via
keyboard macro calls to specific utilities or use the context popup menu.
XMetaL's "Quick access to all available commands" (Ctrl+?) allows users to
locate the required utilities by name or description. The content and layout of
the context popup menu are determined by the utilities listed in the XMetaL
Resources Manager tab and its current state.
The XMetaL Inserting Elements utility (Ctrl+Enter) enables users to
select or locate specific elements by name or description. The optional
"element short description" field should be configured for specific DTDs or
Schemas. XMetaL integrations with DITA and S1000D are pre-configured.
Overall, it enhances the performance of technical writers by
streamlining XML editing and optimizing research and document creation
processes.
Various customer feature requests and defect fixes are
addressed