RE: single sourcing in Intercom

[Sean Hower <hokumhome -at- freehomepage -dot- com>]

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Sean Brierley writes:
The latest STC Intercom is out. There's an interesting
article in it on single-sourcing using XML.
I'm not down with it. Whaddaya all think?
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Haven't gotten the issue yet, but yes I agree. XML is perfect for single sourcing. I think it's best used on large projects or projects that require any amount of customization.

BUT, I think it's overkill for smaller projects, or "plain" projects like a standard HTML help or web-based help. The time it takes to set up XML (and all of its associated technologies) outweighs the benefits in these smaller projects.

That said, there are some uses for XML within smaller/plain projects. TOCs, Index, and Glossaries are a perfect place to use XML no matter the size of your project.



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Sean Hower - tech writer
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