DITA Open Toolkit upgrade instructions

[nancyt]

I ran across this post on another forum. Do you have equivalent files and instructions that install the DOT version 1.4.3 or later correctly for XMetal Author Enterprise Edition 5.1.1?

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/xmetal-dita/message/286

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[Derek Read]

There are no instructions for doing this. Version 1.4.2.1 of the DITA OT has been tested and is included with XMetaL Author Enterprise versions 5.5 and 5.5 SP1. The next version we are likely to test and configure for use with XMetaL Author Enterprise would likely be the 1.5 or later release (whichever is current when our next release is approaching its own final release date).

We plan to include the latest stable release of the DITA OT configured for use with each new release of XMetaL Author Enterprise.

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[nancyt]

So to upgrade the DOT version used by XMetal 5.1.1, I can either:

1) upgrade to XMetal 5.5 when it includes a later version of the DOT

2) download the DOT version separately and integrate it with XMetal somehow myself

Is that correct?

And if I opt for “2”, can you direct me to any instructions for integrating it correctly?

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[Derek Read]

#2 is the bit we don't have instructions for. It's complicated to document how to integrate with a moving target at this point, and our integration adds to the DITA OT as well (“Single HTML” and the “Enhanced PDF…” deliverables). Each time a new version of the DITA OT is released we spend quite a bit of effort and time integrating it and making sure it works.

If you must use a different version of the OT one solution would be to install it on a centrally located server and generate outputs from there. We have partners that can set this up, including some CMS partners that integrate with XMetaL Author Enterprise that have integrated the OT into their solutions as part of the CMS workflow that allow you to kick of the process from within the CMS (the first that comes to mind is Trisoft).

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[Derek Read]

One more alernative, if you know which specific feature in 1.4.3 has been improved, and you know which files have been altered, it might be easier to change those files in an existing installation. I would only recommend this if the changes are simple enough that you understand exactly which files are different. Even then, it would be quite easy to break things.

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[nancyt]

Derek,

Thanks very much for your explanation. I will check with our CMS vendor about this. I was initially worried only about DTD mismatches, since we publish from the DOT within the CMS but author using the DTDs on our local systems running XMetal. When DITA 1.2 is released and its associated DOT, I want to ensure compatibility between the DOTs in both places so we can use the new keyref feature and others coming with 1.2.

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[Derek Read]

OK, this needs a slightly different answer then.

Even if it was possible to use the DTDs or Schemas today, in whatever form they are currently in, we don't officially support them yet.

We plan to support 1.2 either when it is finalized, or more realistically, probably in a release available shortly after acceptance. I can't really comment on the level of support you can expect except to say that at a minimum you should be able to use the 1.2 DTDs (or possibly Schemas) with the Element List and Attribute Inspector (the basic XMetaL Author functionality that works for any DTD or Schema). Additional first class UI (dialogs, toolbars, menus, etc) would likely be added after getting feedback from our clients and partners planning to take advantage of specific 1.2 features.

Ultimately, the plan is to stay as up to date as possible on both the DITA authoring side (DTDs and editing functionality) and the publishing side (DITA OT).

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[nancyt]

Thanks for clarifying this, Derek.

It sounds like the features you anticipate supporting will be sufficient for our needs. We already bypass some of the XMetal dialogs when creating content and use a menu added by our CMS vendor through bridging software. If the correct elements and attributes can appear in the Element List and Attribute Inspector when DITA 1.2 is supported, we may be in business. Now we just have to figure out how to add the DTDs and other necessary files to 5.1.1 or decide if we must upgrade.

I appreciate your help,
– Nancy

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