Could you benefit from a two-day workshop on DITA and on XML-based documentation? Then come and join STC UK at our 2-day DITA workshop on 10th and 11th November 2007 in Manchester! If you are considering or in the early stages of a DITA implementation, or are still considering your XML documentation options, then this is one event that you won't want to miss. Indi Liepa of Nokia will be telling it how it is from a user's viewpoint. And Alan Houser, principal of Group Wellesley consultants, co-author of the XML Weekend Crash Course, will run hands-on training workshops on DITA specialisation, and on use of the DITA Open Toolkit. This is a great opportunity to participate in an intensive DITA workshop and XML training event.

This event will take place on the weekend of 10-11 November, 2007, at the Novotel, Manchester Centre. It is sponsored by Salford Translations Ltd, not only a leading translation agency, but also experts in translating FrameMaker and XML content for its clients. 

So what is DITA?

DITA is an open-source technical documentation standard, a subset of XML that is designed for use in writing and publishing technical documentaiton. One of the big strengths of DITA (Darwin Information Typing Architecture, to give it its full name) is the power of single-sourcing. You can write one master document that uses conditional text, and you can output to multiple formats. So for example, you could write a DITA document explains to users how to use a comptuer peripheral. There may be slight differences between setting it up to work with an Apple Mac, and setting it up to work with a PC. With DITA, you could describe both and use conditional text. And then, at publishing time, say to the system "please generate for me a user manual in PDF format for PC users". Or you could push a different button, and generate a PDF aimed at Mac users. Or maybe output the same material to an online Help system, or to HTML for use on your website, or to XML for use in your call centre database, or..... I have seen DITA in use, and it is impressive stuff.
 

The draft agenda is as follows:

Saturday morning offers a high-level introduction to DITA, to the costs and benefits of rolling out a DITA implementation. We'll be guided through this by Indi Liepa of Nokia, who led the DITA implementation in her company and has worked with DITA-based documentation for three years now. And we'll hear from a leading tools vendor on the financial return on investment of implementing the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA).  DITA may or may not be the right solution to your specific needs, and this session offers an excellent opportunity to explore that.

On Saturday afternoon we will explore one of DITA's secret weapons: DITA Specialisation. Out of the box, the open-source DITA system does what it says on the tin, to quote the British TV advert. But it can do more.... so much more. Using DITA specialisation, you can expand the language, define new ways of doing things in DITA, and still remain faithful to the DITA ethos. Alan Houser will lead us through this, drawing on his many years of experience as a FrameMaker trainer, XML trainer, and member of the OASIS committee that draws up and defines the DITA specification. This is a unique opportunity to explore this exciting field under the direction of a leading expert in the field who is also a qualified and highly respected trainer.

The Sunday is an all-day workshop featuring use of the DITA Open Toolkit. Sure, you can download the DITA Open Toolkit and use it "as is". And it is quite impressive even used that way, with the ability to generate multiple output formats, and to use conditional text conditions in doing so. But in reality, you'll probably want to involve a print engine (such as Adobe FrameMaker) to produce really neat printed output or PDF's, and you may find it more convenient to use a DITA authoring tool such as XMetal for writing your materials and for managing storage of the different files. In this all-day tutorial workshop, experienced XML trainer Alan Houser will demistify the DITA Open Toolkit, and explain how it interacts with other appropriate tools.

** Saturday  **
09:30-10:00     Registration and meet other delegates for tea/coffee
10:00-11:00     The ROI of using DITA, presented by JustSystems/X-Metal
11:00-11:20     Mid-morning break with tea/coffee
11:20-12:30     Implementing DITA at Nokia, specialization, and localization, presented by Indi Liepa, Global Concept Owner for XML content management at Nokia Corporation
12:30-14:00     Lunch and networking opportunity
14:00-15:30     Making DITA work for your data: A DITA specialization workshop led by Alan Houser (Part 1)
15:30-16:00     Afternoon tea and cake, and networking opportunity
16:00-17:30     Making DITA work for your data: A DITA specialization workshop (Part 2)

19:30-??:??     Evening meal at local restaurant (optional and additional cost)

** Sunday  Making the most of DITA with Alan Houser **
09:00-09:20     Registration and meet other delegates for tea/coffee
09:20-10:50     Working with DITA and FrameMaker: Authoring and publishing (Part 1)
10:50-11:10     Mid-morning break with tea/coffee
11:10-12:40     Working with DITA and FrameMaker: Authoring and publishing (Part 2)
12:40-14:00     Lunch and networking opportunity
14:00-15:30     X-Metal and the DITA open toolkit: Using the OT for outputs (Part 1)
15:30-16:00     Afternoon tea and cake, and networking opportunity
16:00-17:30     X-Metal and the DITA open toolkit: Using the OT for outputs (Part 2)

Early-bird registration fees (for bookings by Friday 19 October, 2007)

Registration type       One day only      Both days

UK Chapter member           £95             £160
STC member                      £110            £190
Non-member                      £175            £300 

Standard registration fees (for bookings on or after Saturday 20 October, 2007)

Registration type       One day only        Both days

UK Chapter member           £110            £190
STC member                       £125            £220
Non-member                       £200            £365

To book your place on this interesting and informative workshop, please email Ant Davey (details below) your contact details and how you would like to pay.  Invoices can be issued if needed.  The UK Chapter is not VAT registered.  Cheques should be made payable to 'STC UK Chapter'.

The Novotel is holding a block of rooms for us at the special discounted rate of £89.00 per room per night, for a Friday AND Saturday night stay.  There is other accomodation locally at a range of prices - click here for details of other nearby hotels at a range of prices.

If you have any other question please contact Ant Davey.  And if you know of anybody else who might be interested in attending, please let them know about this event.  Everybody is welcome.

How to book your place:

To book your place, please email    This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Where to stay in Manchester:

The Novotel is the obvious choice for somewhere to stay. It is a modern, comfortable new-build hotel, and they also have an Ibis right next door. But here's a local's guide to some alternative Manchester hotels, at a range of prices.

Where to eat in Manchester:

Take a look at Nick's guide to Manchester restaurants.

 And here is a map of central Manchester (click "view larger map" below). The Novotel is on Portland Street, between Princess Street and Oxford Street.