Our simplest form of training is to introduce our clients to the authoring software they would use when reviewing our edits. Keeping documents in XML format helps to speed up the production process, because this avoids the need to convert text to a word processing format then back again just to take in edits from authors.

For every publishing job, we provide clients with a user tutorial to become familiar with the capabilities of the authoring software. This briefing covers:

• understanding the structure of documents
• essential icons, menus and window layout
• using track changes and annotating
• handling graphics.

This ebook provides an introduction to extensible markup language (XML) for single-source digital publishing. Written in an easy-to-understand style, it introduces basic concepts of structured authoring and XML markup. Users are taken through a series of practical exercises using free XML editor and processor software, which show how to apply tagging, style text and compile a book from separate files.

Topics include:

• unstructured and structured authoring
• single-source XML workflows
• XML technologies and markup languages
• formatting text (computer code, graphics, hyperlinks, emphasis)
• formatting lists and tables
• compiling a book
• producing web pages
• introduction to stylesheets.

Download the ebook in PDF (6.0 Mb) or EPUB 2.0 (4.3 Mb) formats. [Note: The exercises in this book are designed for Windows PC users. However, the software used for the exercises is available for both Windows and Mac OSX. Xmplar cannot provide support for any issues regarding your particular operating system.]

You can also buy the XML markup and stylesheets for just $20—contact us for details.

Workshop overview

This workshop introduces editors to the basics of digital publishing using entry-level desktop publishing software. It is designed to familiarise editors with the editing and typesetting potential of XML software. This is a fast-paced, practical workshop that covers the concepts of, and common issues in, XML editing. Using open-source XML and popular commercial software, participants will gain greater understanding of converting material to XML, tagging content, editing and using design stylesheets to produce PDF ebooks.

Course materials will be made available before the workshop and allow participants to continue learning XML markup after the course. A suite of typesetting templates and a practical user’s guide are bonus materials to help kick-start desktop production. (Note: This workshop covers only PDF output; a separate workshop is being developed for EPUB and web ebooks).

To gain maximum benefit from the workshop, prospective participants must download an information sheet on computing requirements. There is also an information sheet available on request that covers prerequisite topics (reading and software setups).

What does it cover?

Topic areas include:

• setting up  desktop production software
• XML standards, metadata and quality assurance
• converting content to XML markup
• editing and formatting text and lists
• transforming XML to PDF
• applying processing instructions
• authoring with ‘track changes’ and differencing files
• marking up and styling tables and graphics
• structuring chapters and modifying stylesheets for document layout.

Who can attend?

Editors and publishers with a general understanding of publishing processes, and/or skills in desktop publishing.

Participants supply their own computer, and benefit from hands-on exercises to produce a short document using a trial version of <oXygen/> XML Editor, and a free version of RenderX XEP to produce PDF documents. We introduce editors to the DocBook 5 XML schema and provide useful follow-up resources.

We're looking for ideas from editors and publishing professionals for preferred training formats. Training could cover:

• short professional development workshops
• downloadable tutorials
• online video demonstrations.

We'd also like to know what you want to know. For an introduction to XML, you might consider topics such as:

• overview of XML for desktop publishing
• transitioning from a word processing environment
• what software you need
• practical XML markup for text, tables and graphics
• converting word processing documents to XML
• on-screen reviewing with track changes
• producing ebook documents
• introduction to EPUB ebooks
• XSLT stylesheets and transformations (advanced training).

Please let us know if you've come across anything XML you'd like to know more about, and we'll put it on our 'to do' list for training. Or just ask us 'Can you do this in XML?'—we can take a hint.