Getting Started With AuthorIT - instructional media + magic

50 Getting Started With AuthorIT
DITA
AuthorIT XML
Why Separate Structure From Format?
Most people who write business and technical documents spend about 50% of their
time making their document look right. Even writers in teams spend far too much
time concentrating on their documentʹs format rather than its content and structure.
AuthorIT takes care of the formatting, so you can concentrate on the writing. This
means you save time, and can either produce a faster result or improve the quality of
your document. This is particularly important with documents for the Web, where
having great content can make the difference between being read or ignored.
Using our years of technical writing experience, we have set the formatting standards
so you can quickly produce professionally‐presented documents in all output formats:
printed, Windows Help, HTML Help and true cross‐platform HTML. Simply use
AuthorITʹs built‐in templates, or modify them to produce your own house style.
If youʹre managing a team of writers, AuthorIT lets you tightly control the format
standards so you get a consistent look and feel across all your documents, no matter
who wrote them.
What's Single-Source?
Single‐Source means you produce your document in many different output formats,
but only store and work with it in one place. AuthorIT offers true single‐source
documentation, designed to produce high‐quality, professional results in all output
formats, not just one or two. AuthorIT stores the components that make up your
document in a single database, then intelligently publishes the different output
formats for you, with all the features that each format offers.
What are Libraries and Books in AuthorIT?
In AuthorIT, your Library is the database where all your related documents and their
components are stored. Itʹs a storehouse of information, just like a public library in the
real world. Each Library contains one or more Books, and shared components.
Each document is called a Book. A Book can reuse any of the components in its
Library, including shared styles and templates, and even other Books.