Publishing Workflow for InDesign ImportExport of XML

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Publishing Workflow for InDesign Import/Export of
XML

• Creating Bi-directional Content Reusebetween
  Databases and Publishing Applications
• Part 1 The XML Import
• Dorothy J. HoskinsPresident, Textenergy

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Contents

• The Problem Overview
• Current State
• Desired State
• Proposed XML Workflow
• Development
• Successes
• Challenges
• Appendix Why Use XML?

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Overview The Workflow Problem

• The college has 2 major sources of the content
  used in the course catalog a database and
  InDesign documents. They would like to reduce the
  time and effort of publishing the content in the
  database that appears within the InDesign
  catalog. Simultaneously, they want to reduce the
  chance of discrepancies between the two sets of
  content.
• Knowing that XML can be imported into InDesign,
  they decided to try to export XML from the
  database.

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Overview Workflow State at Start

• There was no way to get the content moved between
  the database and InDesign documents without some
  kind of cut and paste operation.
• When the publishing department got the content
  from the database, it came as a large .txt file
  that required extensive manual markup to get it
  formatted correctly in InDesign.
• Revisions also came as .txt or directly from
  reviewers as Word snippets, also requiring cut
  paste and manual markup.

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Overview Desired Workflow

• File import would be used to get the database
  content into InDesign.
• When the publishing department gets the content
  from the database, it will come as a XML files
  that format correctly in InDesign on import.
• Revisions can come as XML snippets also, which
  can be integrated into the main XML import.

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Proposed XML Workflow

• Create content in Lotus Notes database tables for
  course descriptions and programs of study.
• Export these types of content as XML from the
  database, using its XML export capabilities.
• Take sample XML and import into InDesign to
  create element styles (to make each piece of
  content look as it should in print).
• Import entire XML into InDesign.
• Adjust layout in InDesign.

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Proposed XML Workflow

• Develop revision process
• Create review materials and circulate to
  reviewers (PDF of InDesign doc).
• Input revisions in database tables. (The database
  is to be the single source for all course
  descriptions and programs of study content.)
• Export revisions as XML snippets.
• Import XML snippets to make revisions in
  InDesign.
• Create XML export from InDesign to load some
  content into the database (bidirectional flow).

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Development of XML Workflow

• Identify the content types (course descriptions,
  programs of study) and their components (credit
  hours, prerequisites, course titles,
  descriptions, etc.) in the database.
• Model the content as XML elements.
• Research the InDesign paragraph and character
  styles to see how to map the XML elements.
• Develop XML output from the database.
• Test XML content and refine paragraph styles.
• Import XML and verify results.

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Development of XML Workflow

• People and job functions involved
• The database developer to create XML output from
  data tables
• XML consultant to develop the XML import to
  InDesign
• Print publishing manager, production to provide
  input on the InDesign requirements, test and
  verify the import process
• Project manager to track progress against goals
  and schedule
• Web publisher to provide input on web-related
  issues regarding the database

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XML in InDesign CS2

• Paragraph and character styles can be assigned to
  XML elements.

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XML in InDesign CS2

• Import uses the InDesign structure pane (on left
  side of the layoutfor the page).
• The documentalready has itsparagraph
  andcharacter stylesdefined by thepublications
  team.

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XML in InDesign CS2

• Select the XML file for import into InDesign.
• The XML filecan include itsparagraph
  andcharacter stylesin attributes (added
  duringexport from thedatabase). Orstyles can
  be added after importing XML.

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XML in InDesign CS2

• Tables can be created with XML import also.
• Table import requires addedXML structuresthat
  map to tablecells.
• Imported files may be linked forfurther edits
  (notrecommended forlarge XML files).

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XML in InDesign CS2

• Imported XML can be viewed in the Structure pane
  in theInDesign file.
• Expanding thestructure willshow the
  XMLattributes aswell as the elements.
• Flat XML structuresare the best for importing.

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XML in InDesign CS2

• InDesign has a mapping feature to assign
  aparagraph styleto all XML elementsof a given
  name.
• If you name XMLelements exactlyas your
  paragraphstyles are named,(or vice versa)the
  process is very simple.

XML element names cannot contain spaces or
certain reserved characters like .
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XML in InDesign CS2

• InDesign has a Story Editor view that makes it
  easier to edit within XML elements.

Color coding helps identify the different XML
element types.
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Successes

• In a catalog of about 300 pages, over 130 pages
  are now created with XML import.
• This has reduced the manual markup process from
  days to a few hours.
• Course descriptions flow into 70 pages from one
  XML database output file.
• Programs of study flow into 20 pages from another
  database export (but require extra XML processing
  before import)
• Program requirements XML flows over 10 pages of
  4-column table layout.

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Challenges

• The import process gets all the XML elements to
  format uniformly. However, there are known
  issues such as
• Importing takes a few minutes and requires a
  computer with a lot of horsepower. Crashes are
  more likely than with non-XML files.
• Tables are less stable than other layout
  elements.
• Cleanup after import applies column or line
  breaks, kerning overrides and other copyfitting.
• Markup overrides do not affect the XML.
• Overrides have to be redone if the source XML
  file is reimported.
• In some cases, an XSL transform is required to
  restructure the database XML file into a flatter
  structure that works well inside Indesign.

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Why use XML?

• A look at forces moving the marketplace
• e-commerce, globalization,
• speed to market

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Global trading and enterprise integration are
speeding up

• XML, a language for describing the structure of
  information, is one of the key technologies for
  making information reusable and transportable.
• Already, industries have been forming coalitions
  to create standards for themselves called XML
  schemas (rules for structuring information) and
  making these schemas available to build momentum
  for global e-commerce.

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The players are on the field, and theyre all
using XML

• Microsoft, IBM, Sun and Adobe, among others, are
  all building XML-enabled applications and
  systems.
• Large enterprises are already using XML in
  Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), Customer
  Relationship Management (CRM), Salesforce
  Automation (SFA), and Supply Chain Management
  (SCM)/e-procurement. XML is also essential for
  many Content Management systems.

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Future development of products

• XML is widely used in web publishing and print
  publishing is the next frontier. Back in 2001,
  Bill Gates said,
• An open industry standard managed by the World
  Wide Web Consortium, XML enables developers to
  describe data being exchanged between PCs, smart
  devices, applications and Web sites. ... XML is
  a lingua franca for the Internet age. Just as
  the Web revolutionized how users talk to
  applications, XML transforms how applications
  talk to each other.
• Now Microsoft has enabled XML for Office
  applications. So has Adobe for its product line.
  You have more options than ever before for XML
  catalog development, from major players.

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In a nutshell, XML works for business

• Using XML to connect applications and business
  systems is working very well already, and XML
  development is going on all over the globe.
  (Note XML makes multi-language websites and
  localized documents easier to produce.)
• Those who move to leverage their information
  resources with XML have new opportunities for
  establishing valuable partnerships and gaining
  marketshare.

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For more ideas about XML for business

• ContactTextenergy LLCwww.textenergy.comdhoskins
  _at_textenergy.com
• 585 750-3118