Archive for Arbortext Resources

Podcasts resume with a flourish

by Liz Fraley

First of all, I know that there are many of you out there who have been waiting the release of the next podcast. I think we underestimated how hard it was going to be to release a video every other week (Arbortext Monster Garage) and still maintain our podcasting schedule.  Well, get ready to listen: We’ve got several stacked up in the queue ready to go and we’re starting the release schedule again with a flourish!

The first release in the new podcast series is with a legend in the industry: Barry Schaeffer. I met Barry very early on. I always looked forward to seeing him at industry events and reading the articles he published.  Barry was always a frequent speaker and contributor on subjects related to information and content management.

Barry is a legend.

He was Founder and President of X.Systems.Inc., a system development and consulting firm specializing in the conception and design of text-based information systems, with industrial, legal/judicial and publishing clients among the Fortune 500, non-profit organizations and government agencies, until it’s acquisition by XyEnterprise in 2008. His work with structured information began in 1979 with SGML, and with XML at its initial publication as a standard in 1996. X.Systems was the first company to partner with Arbortext.

Today, Barry is a Senior Analyst with the Gilbane Group and a Principal consultant with Content Life-cycle Consulting, Inc.

Over the course of his career, Barry has held management and technical positions with The Bell System, Xerox, Planning Research Corporation, U. S. News and World Report, Grumman Data Systems and XyEnterprise. As an experienced consultant and systems architect, he has supported a client list that includes major industrial organizations, Federal civilian and defense agencies and state governments.  He was even the new media columnist at Newspapers and Technology magazine for a couple of years.

And we are beyond delighted that he could help us restart the PubWright Podcast.

The advice he gives is invaluable when it comes to thinking about how to roll out XML publishing systems, how to think about organizational content strategy, and full of lessons learned about both. In fact, there’s a bit of important history here: Barry was there at BNA when IBM was learning the lessons that lead IBM to invent DITA. Interesting stuff!

Head on over to the podcast. It’s available on our podcast feed and on iTunes iTunes. Hear from a long time part of the the XML/technical publications family: Barry Schaeffer.

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October 13, 2011 · Filed under Arbortext Resources, news

Arbortext Version 6.0 M020 Released

Here’s the list of SPRs and enhancements added to a product release. We highly recommend you log in to the support site and read the release notes (login required) and SPR fix list (login required) for more details.

Here’s a short summary, but all Arbortext products have been affected in the 6.0 M020 release. Platform support, browser support, languages and localization are all addressed in the release notes.

SPR Fixes Summary

  • Configuration Changes
  • Support for XML Catalog Files
  • Changes to Default Settings in PDF Configuration Files
  • New Technical Information Application
    With this release, a new Technical Information Application is provided by default with Arbortext Editor. This application is a set of DITA topics intended for developing information about service operations and parts. The topics in this application work in conjunction with Windchill Service Information Manager and Windchill Service Parts.
  • Support for Creo View Express
  • Table Border Enhancements
  • Java Virtual Machine (JVM) updated to 1.6.0_26 (major security fix)
  • New DITA category added to preferences dialog box
  • Resource Manager Changes
  • DITA Templates updated
  • EPUB output added to Styler (requires Calibre 0.8.0 or later)
  • Accessible PDF & HTML Output
  • Semantic HTML Output
  • Support for Multiple (scoped) indexes
  • Windchill Service Information Manager Support
  • Changes to Burst Configuration Files
  • Arbortext Import Tutorial updated
  • AOM changes
  • Misc ACL changes

Detials for specific SPR Fixes

Arbortext Editor

  • 1200267 File entities will now display after edit -current.
  • 1221271 Opening an XML file through WebDAV for editing no longer results in two GET calls and associated performance issues.
  • 2060240 Support for XML catalogs corresponding to SGML features has been implemented.
  • 2061876 Opening an XML file through WebDAV for editing no longer results in two GET calls and associated performance issues.
  • 2063500 Arbortext’s DOM API is now Java 5 compatible. w3dom.jar has been removed from the lib\classes\endorsed directory, and a new w3cdomval.jar file now appears in lib\classes.
  • 2069184 All schema elements will be shown as valid to insert when the element’s content model in the schema includes any.
  • 2070367 Repeating a delete (forward) character command will delete the correct character.
  • 2071547 Though generated text is not spell checked, Arbortext Editor considers the presence of white space in generated text as forcing a new word to check with respect to spell checking.
  • 2072270 The presence of change tracking will no longer cause Arbortext Editor to incorrectly report that a text field is invalid with respect to a schema’s text restrictions.
  • 2073865 The ACL $selection variable will be correctly updated when the sgmlselection preference is changed.
  • 2075053 EPS graphics that require extensive spot color conversion can now be handled without error.
  • 2075533 Pasting Excel content is no longer subject to a forced 50,000 cell limit.
  • 2076240 The limit on the number of text strings permitted in a document has been increased.
  • 2077346 Object IDs generated for ISO graphics transformed by IsoDraw/IsoView now conform to WebCGM standard, allowing the objects to be listed in browsing dialogs.
  • 2078102 The contents of tag templates and file entities will show correctly in their dialogs for document types that are not found via catalogpath.
  • 2079400 The Replace Al lReplace Al l function will not stop early in some situations when change tracking is turned on.
  • 2079862 The Remove Arbor text PIs on SaveRemove Arbor text PIs on Save button on the PreferencesPreferences dialog box will now remember its state properly.
  • 2081441 Modifying or renaming an entity in the FOSI editor will no longer incorrectly give a read-only error.
  • 2081680 Parser messages about non-existent XInclude files will be sent to the parser error hook like other messages.
  • 2082942 Arbortext Editor no longer unexpectedly terminates when a document is re-opened inside its destroy hook.
  • 2083115 The spell dialog will no longer lose focus when continually spell checking a dialog in an Arbortext Editor window running as an embedded ActiveX control.
  • 2083166 The Paste SpecialPaste Special function will report errors to the status bar similarly to regular paste.
  • 2083426 Arbortext Editor will no longer allow a tag to be inserted if the tag (along with its previous and following siblings) forms a run of tags that is disallowed by the content model.
  • 2087041 An ACL error will no longer occur when attempting to construct a temporary file name from a file name that contains bracket characters.

Publishing

  • 2066309 Hyphens are now underlined when they appear at the end of a line.
  • 2066881 The use of spanned and non spanned cells in the same row no longer leads to incorrect placement of later cells in APP table publishing.
  • 2066886 The middle row spanning beyond single page is now handled correctly.
  • 2069166 The APP engine will now direct PStill to use JPEG compression when the color image compression type is set to JPEG in the PDF printer driver options.
  • 2069356 A link to a target containing a table functions correctly in PDF output.
  • 2069973 Invoking an APP macro with application.runMacro() when no document is open no longer causes an application exit.
  • 2071369 Additional space is no longer added to tables during publishing.
  • 2071770 A suffix to an item number now does not appear in cross references to the item in HTML output.
  • 2072272 Deleted content no longer appears in change tracked PDF output generated by APP.
  • 2072757 Right alignment setting is respected for tables when outputting a PDF using the APP engine.
  • 2072758 Custom counters now appear in the specified format in FOSI output.
  • 2073036 XPath expressions placed in headers and footers can now access the main document tree without using any edited source.
  • 2073483 The spacing after a table title and its repeated equivalent on the next page(s) is now of the same measure.
  • 2074162 A table that includes row spans in cells not in the first column plus a request to keep the top of the partial row together will no longer break unexpectedly to the next page.
  • 2075359 Inline equations now display as inline when published to HTML output.
  • 2075732 Column structure in a right-to-left layout will no longer be changed in output generated by the APP engine.
  • 2077974 An xref pointing to a step with a figure or table located inside an info tag within the step now takes its numbering from the step number as expected, not from the figure or table.
  • 2077994 Table borders based on a double rule with a line weight heavier than the lines in the rest of the table now display correctly in APP PDF output.
  • 2077998 A PDF of a document containing a large number of EPS files will now show all graphics.
  • 2078000 Publishing a page range from a ditamap to PDF now completes as expected.
  • 2078209 Tables with narrow columns shows content as expected.
  • 2078652 Images will be resized during publishing if they have the scalefit and height attributes set but the width attribute not set.
  • 2078801 Table borders based on a double rule with a heavier line weight than other table rules now display correctly in FOSI PDF output.
  • 2079376 Index numbering made up of two numbers denoting a range of pages now both point to the correct pages.
  • 2079833 Low level keeps settings are now treated the same way in FOSI and APP outputs.
  • 2080785 Graphics referenced from a path to Arbortext Content Manager now appear as expected in HTML output.
  • 2081988 Publishing PDF with APP proceeds as normal.
  • 2084058 Publishing PDF with APP proceeds as normal.
  • 2084074 Row separators are now displayed as expected in tables without frames, when published to HTML outputs.
  • 2086107 Publishing of a PDF no longer fails when a bookmark is formatted off the page due to a content overflow.
  • 2086430 Graphics referenced via URL will now be processed correctly when generating PDF output with an XSL-FO stylesheet.
  • 2087265 Content inserted into generated text via Insert->XPath String now appears as expected
  • 2087267 Content inserted into generated text via Insert->Attribute Content now appears as expected.
  • 2087449 Topics or chapters are no longer displayed as linked text in PDF output.

For more information..

Documentation supporting Arbortext is delivered in the Arbortext Editor Help Center. Documentation for this and all recent releases can also be downloaded from the Reference Documentation area of  the PTC web site at support.ptc.com.

 

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September 20, 2011 · Filed under Arbortext Resources, products, release notes

What is the best way to learn Arbortext?

This was a question on LinkedIn. When it comes to learning, there are a lot of options. You’ll want to choose the way that you learn best in order for the training to be most effective for you.

Community Resources

The Arbortext Community is very large and extremely active. There’s a list of all community resources. You’ll have to piece a lot of things together, as these resources are usually answering questions from individuals asking about specific problems.

We keep a list of community resources. There are two major mailing lists with archives that date back to the mid 90s. There’s an open source code repository. There’s a user group that meets monthly. There are community groups on Facebook and LinkedIn, etc. If you learn best by absorbing what’s going on around you or DIY, then there are a world of resources out there for you to take advantage ove.

PTC Learning Products

  • Buy a copy of the product you want to learn (Editor, Styler, IsoDraw are the usual suspects here). All of the Arbortext products ship with Tutorials covering nearly all the things that any user wants to do with the product. It also ships with all the manuals for the product. Manuals are many and big (200 pg average, 5-6 manuals). If you learn best by reading, this is a great option.
  • Certified PTC training, in-person, at a PTC learning center or one of the VAR partners qualified to teach Arbortext. There must be a class running already, or enough people enrolled to make it cost-effective for PTC or the partner to run the class (typically, minimum of 5 students). If you learn best by in-person learning in a live class, this (and the two options at the bottom) are your best bet.
  • Subscription to the an eLearning Library. All of the Certified PTC Courses have been recorded and broken into segments. Courses are updated when new releases come out. You can watch the courses as often as you want and you get updates to all the classes as part of your subscription. There are product specific libraries such as “Arbortext eLearning”, “Arbortext IsoDraw eLearning”, and “Arbortext Content Manager eLearning”. If you learn best by video, this is a great option.

These are all PTC products. As such, you can purchase either of the above from any PTC VAR (like us). However, not all PTC VARs who sell Arbortext are qualified to support it. For a list of qualified Arbortext VAR partners, see Squidoo’s Arbortext Lens.

Alternative Training Options from Single-Sourcing Solutions.

As the only Arbortext-focused PTC VAR, we at Single-Sourcing Solutions offer several more options beyond those available from PTC. If you learn best by interacting with a live person, these are your best options.

Mentoring

One-on-one time over a websessions/conference calls with an Arbortext Expert. The primary goal of the mentoring relationship is to transfer knowledge from our senior staff to your/yours in order to develop technical competency in your staff.

You specify the number of hours you wish to reserve, and our staff devotes that time to you, your learning, or your project. Mentoring can be an accelerated or customized version of the Certified PTC course that is focused on you and your needs.

Single-Sourcing Solutions Advisory Line

The Advisory Line is for the cost-conscious. Billed at a per-minute rate, you can use as much or as little time as you need to accomplish what you need to do. You can use this service whether you subscribe to the service or not.

When coupled with the eLearning Library, you can think of the Advisory Line like your Teaching Assistant (TA). Your TA keeps you on track with your learning, answers the questions that you can’t ask a video, helps you complete the exercises, or goes more in-depth on the video topics as they apply to your business and your needs. You advisor uses conference calls or desktop sharing to work on your system and your environment.

Without the eLibrary, this can be anything you want it to be. The Advisor is there to help you and to focus on your needs, your business requirements.

I am thrilled to say that customers of both the Mentorship and Advisory Line programs have gone on to get new jobs using Arbortext. Several are now in hiring positions today.

Our customers tell us…

“We are killing this job and I attribute most of that to the training that you provided us.
I feel like there is nothing I can’t do.”     - Steve W.

Links:

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November 30, 2010 · Filed under Arbortext Resources, common questions

Want to keep track of the latest release?

Over the years, we’ve had questions from customers asking about the latest release. What’s in it? Should they upgrade? Was my bug fixed? Is the enhancement I requested in there?

It can be hard to convince yourself to read the release notes. After all, it’s locked in a PDF. You have to go download it, it doesn’t just show up in your mail box. It’s painful and we feel the same way.

In answer to that need and thanks to inspiration by a great PTC PLM (Yes, Simon, we mean you!), we’ve taken steps to answer that pain and make it easy for our customers.

Behold: the Arbortext Release Notes Feed:

http://blog.single-sourcing.com/category/products/release-notes/

Point your favorite RSS reader at that URL or bring it up occasionally, and you’ll never miss another release. We list the SPRs and new features right there for you to read. I think there’s only been one case where we didn’t list them all– but the release notes were 200 pages long. That’s a lot of SPRs. (A major release like that, you’ll want to really dig into it anyway.)

If you want it in email, sign up for our newsletter and it will come to you there.

Enjoy!

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August 9, 2010 · Filed under Arbortext Resources

Adepters Code Archive Expands to Include IsoDraw Macro Code Contributions

Today, the Adepters Code Archive expanded to include IsoDraw code for the first time. Thanks to Trevor Hendricks from Kohler, last month’s speaker for the Arbortext PTC/User Group.  Trevor Hendricks is the master of all things IsoDraw at Kohler — and everywhere else. Everyone in the IsoDraw community looks to Trevor for advice, suggestions, and guidance. Trevor has always been found at the forums at PTC.com and now he’s joining the Adepters Code Archive.

His presentation last month was well attended and appreciated by the attendees. He has enormous amounts of advice for handy macros to have on hand and tips for smooth operations that improves adoption by authors and deployment (and subsequent support) by staff.

Today, he sent some macro code for us to post (while he’s getting all set up). Here’s what he sent:

  • Resize to Frame: Resizes a selection to fit the frame
  • Update Preferences: Cleans up a .iso file to fit your preferences (handy when getting files from outside vendors)

Thanks, Trevor and we’re looking forward to benefiting from your experience on Adepters!

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July 6, 2010 · Filed under Arbortext Resources, technology

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