1. A Style Guide for DITA
Authoring
Tony Self
tony.self@hyperwrite.com
2. Context
• “Informed” by academic research at
Swinburne University
• What constitutes best practice in the
Darwin Information Typing Architecture
for technical publications?
4. What is DITA again?
• DITA is a new open standard for the
creation and management of written
documents such as policies and procedures,
teaching and learning documents, Help
systems, Web sites and instruction manuals.
• DITA is many things in one. It is:
– an XML language
– a writing methodology
– a topic-based information architecture
– a structured authoring platform.
5. For Tech Writers...
• The DITA approach utterly separates
content from its presentation by using
document semantics as the basis for
mark-up.
• It takes a modular approach
• It is very different from the existing
methods of:
– linear writing
– style-based markup
6. Two differences to focus on
• Separation of content and form
– Author not concerned with presentational
form
• Modularity
– Documents written as re-useable
components
12. What is a Style Manual?
• A set of standards governing the design and
writing of documents.
• Usually takes the form of a printed manual.
• Originators: publishing organisations,
standards bodies, government agencies and
publication departments
• Examples:
– AGPS Style Manual
– Chicago Manual of Style
– News Limited Style
13. Need for a DITA Style Manual
• Style manuals promote consistency
– Leading to authority
– and readability
• Existing Style Manuals focus on style-
based authoring, and most are entirely
unsuitable for semantic authoring
• One of the difficulties of DITA adoption is
working without a relevant Style Manual
14. Style Guide Content vs Form
45%
Style Manual for Authors,
Editors and Printers
55%
58%
Style Book – A Guide for New Zealand
Writers and Editors
42%
Content (Editorial) Style
Presentational Style
15. Style Guide Content vs Form
30%
Chicago Manual of Style
70%
News Limited Style
100%
Content (Editorial) Style
Presentational Style
18. How style guides work
• Document the standards and conventions used
• Policed by the manager or editor
• Self-policed by authors themselves
• Example – a style guide might stipulate that:
– Each topic should have a primary heading that
describes the content of the topic.
• DITA's language reference is a type of style
guide
• But many requirements can be policed by the
validating editor
– For example, a topic cannot be saved unless it has a
title
19. DITA Style Manual
• Supra-organisational semantic mark-up rules
• Important when the formal language rules
themselves are open to interpretation
– <varname> or <apiname>?
– <term> or <ph> or <keyword>?
• DITA Language Reference is large, technical,
and impenetrable for “non-technical” technical
authors
• Example – Stem sentence followed by a list
• Authority (eventually) of Style Manual via open
source, community ownership
21. DITA Language Reference
• The command (<cmd>) element is
required as the first element inside a
<step>. It provides the active voice
instruction to the user for completing the
step, and should not be more than one
sentence. If the step needs additional
explanation, this can follow the <cmd>
element inside an <info> element.
22. The DITA Style Guide
What Element for Keystrokes?
It is not immediately obvious in DITA what element
should be used to mark up keyboard keys, such as
Enter, Ctrl and Backspace. The best approach is to
use the uicontrol and userinput elements, depending
on context.
When describing keys on a computer keyboard, use
the uicontrol element. For example:
<p>Use the <uicontrol>Tab<uicontrol> to move from field
to field.</p>
Note: Do not use the shortcut element; this element is
intended to identify keyboard shortcuts in
descriptions of user interface controls in windowed
applications.
23. Potential for controversy
• What if you disagree?
• Paragraphs within list items
• Lists within stem sentence paragraph
• Serial commas
• For example, no punctuation at the end
of list items
• Not a matter of right or wrong, but a
means of achieving consistency
24. The DITA Style Guide
• Chapter 1 – Topics and Information Types
• Chapter 2 – DITA Map Files
• Chapter 3 – Syntax and Markup
• Chapter 4 – Language and Punctuation
• Chapter 5 – Graphics and Figures
• Chapter 6 – Cross-referencing
• Chapter 7 – Content Re-use
• Chapter 8 – Metadata and Filtering
• Chapter 9 – Documentation Process
While the DITA technical standard is precise, the DITA approach itself is not universally understood or agreed. Working with DITA is made difficult by the lack of agreed common practices, let alone best practice. Common practices must be adopted so that the advantages of the modular, XML-based DITA document architecture can be reached.This action research project by artefact and exegesis is intended to identify what constitutes best practice in DITA authoring. The product of the research is a style manual, has just been published by Scriptorium in both paper and electronic form. In the medium term, the Style Guide will be donated to the community as an open source Wiki.
This raises the first question of my presentation.... What is DITA?I’m not going to answer completely straight away, because I have to build to it...
DITA is many things in one.
DITA is at the start of its life cycle. It was first released in 2005. DITA tools are now starting to mature, and DITA is now becoming viable for broad sections of the tech comms profession.End of Part I
There is some association with hypertext, which is also topic-based, and often modular. However, hypertext is a delivery format, whereas DITA is an authoring format.With a modular approach, one “work” can lead to many publications.
Existing style manuals come from the Computerisation age. Just as “before computerisation” style manuals became obsolete (even though there are good stuff in them), “computerisation” style manuals are also obsolete for XML authoring (even though there’s good stuff in them).Notice I’m talking about technical writing. Help authoring is perhaps no longer a separate endeavour from print authoring, due to the separation of content and form.
Style is a confusing word. The separation of content from form, in style guide terms, is the separation of editorial style from presentational style. You might say, well, can’t the News Limited Style manual be used? However, although it does indeed cover editorial style and not presentation style. As you can see, I have a wealth of things to document in the Exegesis.
Style is a confusing word. The separation of content from form, in style guide terms, is the separation of editorial style from presentational style. You might say, well, can’t the News Limited Style manual be used? However, although it does indeed cover editorial style and not presentation style.
The last point should be interesting. In order for the style manual to be useful, it has to be continually updated as the DITA standard evolves, and as other ideas and best practices reveal themselves. This is probably best managed by donating the Manual, and moving it to a Wiki format.