I have reviewed the past TC discussions on this item. Here is my summary of the requirements:
A new map type that is part of the base part of the spec, that can be used to publish to multiple output formats. The
new publications map must be amenable to publishing
to many different channels, not just 'book' publishing.
Its primary focus remains publishing of traditional books, but other outputs should be possible using additional instances of the publications map type. Using the same map instance to publish to multiple targets
is a nice to have.
A replacement for bookmap that is structurally sound and well-designed. It must be architecturally sound
and must not incorporate any of the existing design flaws, limitations, and issues found in bookmap. All processing expectations must be fully and clearly defined.
In cases where the out of the box publications map does not meet the needs of the user or organization, the publications map should be the ideal base from which the desired publication map would
be specialized.
Refer to the
DITA4Publishers implementation as a reference and guide from which to develop the new architecture. This should
serve as a model for how to use domains in a map, rather than the monolithic style of bookmap.
Make it is easy to integrate submaps at any level.
Support the ability to flexibly group components into parts or groups, for example, parts containing appendices.
Support flexible and comprehensive front matter and back matter.
Support a reasonable set of metadata on the publications map.
Support for book type, Web type, and voice/bot type navigation.
Clearly address the issues with reltables in maps and the current plethora of options for adding and managing links. Address the current bookmap difficulty
of interaction between related-links and reltable links. Address the current bookmap issues in the spec with reltables and key scopeâ
Include best practices for managing reltables in large publicationsâ How to best copy link data into reltables? The goal is to remove linking from within
topics completely and put it only in maps. Address the
issue of managing the slew of reltables and figuring out where links go to after processing.
Remove topicref from reltables and call it something else with a different functionality unique, specific, and valid only for maps.
Consider all users/audiences:
- IA
implementors who want to use various pieces
- authors
- content architects
- CMS implementors
- link managers
- others who'll want to use the OOTB shell.
Key use cases:
- ability to easily define cover
/ home page content
- create glossaries and glossary terms
- link management
(reltables can get really large and unwieldy)
- ability to group chapters, appendices, and other things into parts or groups
- Apply subject scheme, taxonomy, metadata, etc. to the publication
- Assemble publication flexibly from a set of maps that may contain a hierarchy of submaps
Take #29 into account to identify any enhancements to the legacy bookmap we may wish to consider for the new publication map.
Existing limitations of the DITA-OT should NOT drive this proposal.
Please review and let me know if you think Iâve missed anything. Iâm happy to receive any and all comments. Please can we discuss this at this weekâs TC meeting. Iâll send to dita-comment for
additional comments after the TC provides their initial feedback.
Thanks,
Gershon
Gershon Joseph | Senior Information Architect | Precision Content
Direct: +972 (54) 658-3887| Email: gershon@precisioncontent.com |
www.precisioncontent.com
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