2. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► You‟ve decide to adopt the DITA standard
► CMS has been selected
► Publishing scripts are in development
► But your content is not yet in DITA
► It may be the least exciting part of the project,
but conversion is necessary
► (But it‟s not evil!)
3. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Automated conversion is an option
► You should consider it
► But why does it matter how it works?
►To fully appreciate what‟s possible
► So you can pick the best conversion solution
► It will enable you to better manage your conversion project
► But, in the end, what really matters?
► You do!
► You are the content owner, the subject matter expert (SME)
► You must be able to control the conversion
4. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Agenda
► How does automated conversion work
► Patterns / context / guidance
► The secret to successful conversion revealed
► Managing a conversion project
► Conclusion
5. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► The challenge of conversion
► to create semantically rich XML from presentational documents
semantic
adjective: relating to meaning in language or logic
origin: mid 17th century: from French sémantique, from Greek sēmantikos 'significant',
from sēmainein 'signify', from sēma 'sign„
(from the oxford dictionary)
► How can we determine the meaning of the content in documents?
► There are three essential mechanisms that content conversion
technology may leverage - they are:
► patterns
► context
► guided conversion
6. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
9/30/12
30/9/12
+1 (613) 745-4242
$65.12
hello
► The meaning of the above are easily understood because humans are
very good at recognizing patterns
► Computers are also good at this. They use a formalism known as
regular expressions to recognize such textual patterns
► Regular expressions are a notation for regular grammars. A regular grammar
describes a regular language. These notions comes from work done by
linguists and mathematicians in the 1950s
► Though not all sequences of characters can be expressed as a regular
language, in practice they are extremely useful for recognizing patterns at the
micro-level (i.e. text of a few to several characters in length)
7. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Example regular expressions
9/30/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
30/9/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
+1 (613) 745-4242 (“+1” white-space)?
(“(“ digit{3} “)”)?
digit{3} “-” digit{4}
$65.12 “$” digit+ “.” digit{2}?
Hello white-space letter+ (white-space | [“.,?;:”])
8. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► While regular expressions can identify textual patterns, they do not
understand the meaning of the text they recognize
7/4/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
day or month?
1/7/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
9. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Adequate context allows us (and computers) to evolve a deeper
understanding of the meaning of text
Context: A newspaper article authored in the USA
7/4/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
month day
Independence Day!!
Context: A newspaper article authored in Canada
1/7/12 digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2} “/” digit{1-2}
day month
Canada Day!!
10. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Being Bold -- another example to demonstrate the value of context
It was really cold out
Click on the Enable Javascript checkbox
Select: Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad
11. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Being Bold -- another example to demonstrate the value of context
It was really cold out
Not much context here, maybe this is just plain old bold,
meaning emphasis
12. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Being Bold -- another example to demonstrate the value of context
Click on the Enable Javascript checkbox
Perhaps we are inside a DITA task at this point.
The word Click hints that a user interface element may be nearby.
That fact combined with the bold formatting suggest we have a uicontrol.
Click on the Enable Javascript checkbox
uicontrol
13. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Being Bold -- another example to demonstrate the value of context
Select: Start > Programs > Accessories > Notepad
Perhaps we are inside a DITA task at this point
The word Select hints that a user interface element may be nearby
Plus having a sequence of bold tokens with a common separator in between
each bold fragment suggests that we have a cascade of uicontrols
<menucascade>
<uicontrol>Start</uicontrol>
<uicontrol>Programs</uicontrol>
<uicontrol>Accessories</uicontrol>
<uicontrol>Notepad</uicontrol>
</menucascade>
14. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Topic type provides quite a useful contextual clue
Quick-drop cookies
1. Prepare the dough.
a. Beat the egg in a large bowl.
b. Add flour.
c. Stir in milk.
2. Prepare the topping.
a. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
3. Form 1-inch round balls of dough.
It is helpful to use a spoon when forming these balls.
4. Roll each ball in the topping.
5. Place each ball on an ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 425 F for 12 to 15 minutes.
15. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► If we are in a plain topic or concept
<p>Quick-drop cookies</p>
<ol>
<li>Prepare the dough.</li>
<ol>
<li>Beat the egg in a large bowl.</li>
<li>Add flour.</li>
<li>Stir in milk.</li>
</ol>
<li>Prepare the topping.</li>
<ol>
<li>Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.</li>
</ol>
<li><p>Form 1-inch round balls of dough.</p>
<p>It is helpful to use a spoon when forming these balls.</p>
</li>
<li>Use a spoon to make 1-inch round balls of dough.</li>
<li>Roll each ball in the topping.</li>
<li>Place each ball on an ungreased cookie sheet.</li>
</ol>
<p>Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes.</p>
16. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► If we are in a task
<task>
<title>Quick-drop cookies</title>
<taskbody>
<steps>
<step>
<cmd>Prepare the dough.</cmd>
<substeps>
<substep><cmd>Beat the egg in a large bowl.</cmd>
</substep>
<substep><cmd>Add flour.</cmd></substep>
<substep><cmd>Stir in milk.</cmd></substep>
</substeps>
</step>
<step>
<cmd>Prepare the topping.</cmd>
<substeps>
<substep>
<cmd>Mix brown sugar and cinnamon in another bowl.
</cmd>
</substep>
</substeps>
</step>
<step>
<cmd>Form 1-inch round balls of dough.</cmd>
<info><note type="tip">It is helpful to use a spoon when forming these balls.</note></info>
</step>
<step><cmd>Roll each ball in the topping.</cmd></step>
<step><cmd>Place each ball on an ungreased cookie sheet.</cmd>
</step>
</steps>
<postreq>Bake at 425 degrees Fahrenheit for 12 to 15 minutes.
</postreq>
</taskbody>
</task>
17. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Guiding the automated conversion
► Who?
The most reliable authority on this is the content owner who is familiar
with the content
► How?
A mechanism (user interface) is required which enables the content
owner to easily express what the correct context is for different portions
of a document
18. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► A short list of things automated conversion can handle
generation of specialized DITA
generation of hierarchical maps and book maps
configurable file bursting granularity and file naming
tables
lists
extraction of images and other embedded objects
procedures authored as tables converted to tasks
definition lists authored as tables converted to definition lists
identification of conditional text and generation of ditaval file
domain specialization (e.g. ui controls and menu cascades)
relationship tables
use of conref and conkeyref
19. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Knowledge (as defined by Joe Gollner)
Knowledge is the meaningful organization of information, expressing
an evolving understanding of a subject and establishing a basis for
judgment and the potential for action.
The level of success that an automated conversion technology can
hope to achieve is bounded by the depth of knowledge it can attain
of the content to be converted. Context, supported by guided
conversion, provides for the meaningful organization of the
information revealed by patterns. The conversion software can act on
this evolved understanding of your content to produce the richest
XML possible.
Knowledge is the key to intelligent content conversion
20. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► The secret to successful conversion is…
► You!
► How come?
► Because knowledge it the key to successful conversion
(note: This is true for manual as well as for automated conversion)
► It is the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that have this knowledge
21. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► What‟s the best way to run a conversion project?
► Let‟s have a look at some lessons learned from
software development methodologies
22. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Waterfall
► Approach
► Each phase of the project is executed in
turn - phases are discontinuous
► Downsides
► Requirements must be known and
completely specified up front
► Lack of feed back. The rigid structure does
not allow backtracking to incorporate
knowledge acquired as the project
Image: Paulsmith99 at en.wikipedia
progresses
23. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► We need a steering wheel!
24. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Spiral
► Approach
► An iterative approach aimed at
minimizing risk
► Project is broken down into
pieces which are handled as
waterfall lifecycle
► Advantages
► manage risk
► ability to adapt plan based on
previous experience
► Downsides
► higher management overhead
25. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
Agile
“ We are uncovering better ways of
developing software by doing it and helping
others do it. Through this work we have
come to value ...
► Individuals and interactions over
processes and tools
► Working software over comprehensive
documentation
► Customer collaboration over contract
negotiation
► Responding to change over following
a plan”
26. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► We need to work together!
27. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► A well-managed (conversion) project benefits from
► the incremental and iterative approach offered by the
spiral model
► the contribution of individuals that work as a team by
effectively sharing their expertise, leading to an optimal
understanding of goals
28. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Automated conversion if done right enables these best practices
► use an iterative schedule that you control
► learn from previous iteration
► put your expertise to full use by being directly involved in the actual
conversion
► share knowledge and insight with team members via the guidance
interface
► To support this, the conversion solution must
► run on-demand
► provide an interface which allows content owners to guide the conversion
29. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► How?
► knowledge is the key to intelligent conversion
► patterns, context, guided conversion
► Why?
It‟s good to have a general appreciation of the how
► for setting expectations
► not just on perceived limits
► but also to demand the best
► to understand that you, as SME, are critical to the effort
► to understand that an automated conversion solution may enable you
to effectively manage your conversion project
30. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► Look for a conversion solution that
1. is automated
2. has the basics in place
► supports input formats that you are interested in
► can generate high quality, validated output
3. can convert on-demand
► enabling the feedback loop
► cutting down on pre-conversion preparation time
4. provides an interface for SME participation
► to guide the conversion
► to share and evolve understanding of needs with colleagues
► cutting down on post-conversion cleanup time
31. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► These benefits can be realized if the automation is done right
► quality output
► high throughput
► reduction of turnaround time
► convert on-demand
► can manage conversion according to project timelines
► stay in control
► minimal pre-conversion prep and post-conversion cleanup
► reduced cost
32. introduction
How automated conversion works how it works
patterns / context / guidance
the secret to successful conversion
and why it matters managing a conversion project
conclusion
► This will save time and money, because…
► you will get the DITA that you want, because…
► you will understand what you want.
