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Arbortext Editor Training

Upcoming deliveries

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No open dates? Prefer a specific time and date or private delivery? You don't have to wait. Contact a Training Advisor to schedule a delivery that meets your needs.

About this training course

Learn the basics for authoring technical content in Arbortext. This class is good for anyone new to the toolset or simply curious about it. No experience required. We guide you from unstructured authoring through structured authoring in a generic architecture.

This course is a combination of lectures mixed with examples and hands-on exercises. We walk through authoring and cover everything from creating a new document to publishing a finished product. Each attendee will be on a computer building and authoring a standards-based document.

How do you access the software?

You do not need to purchase Arbortext to attend this class, nor do you need to sign up for a free trial license. Students connect through a standard web browser to access a virtual desktop that already has the software installed.

Where is the class held?

We offer both public and private deliveries, either fully remote or in-person. Regardless of the delivery style, all workshops are led by a live, online expert instructor, making for a fully interactive and engaging experience.

Virtual Public Deliveries are held online and, when you share your screen, it's just as if we're just like we're standing behind you and looking over your shoulder. All students can speak and hear each other and the instructor during lecture and hands-on lab exercises. The only difference between this class and in-person? No travel costs.

Private deliveries can be held virtually using your environment, on-site at your facility, or at a location nearby. Contact a training advisor to discuss specific requirements.

Our training sessions are highly interactive and engaging. All sessions are designed to be hands-on using standard, out-of-the-box Arbortext Editor. Training in your specific configuration will not be covered.

Training includes a combination of the following topics. All training is done through hands-on exercises to increase adoption and solidify learning.

  • Structured data (history, industry standards, benefits, SGML vs XML)
  • XML core concepts (how it works, what it looks like)
    • XML Changes (separation of content and formatting, content management, shared authoring)
    • Structures (declaration, elements, text, attributes, comments, processing instructions, namespaces)
    • Well-formed XML (valid vs well-formed, start/end tags, parent/child relationships)
    • Doctypes (schemas, DTDs, supporting multiple doctypes)
    • Content management, file sharing (workflows, check in/check out, file locking, best practices)
    • Stylesheets (basics, supporting multiple stylesheets, output options)
    • Authoring tools
    • Writer roles and responsibilities
    • Content reuse/profiling (basic concepts, application and gotchas)
    • Navigating XML
  • XML workflow
    • Preparing your content (schema/DTD, elements/attributes, content)
    • Storing your content (content management basics)
    • Styling your content (raw content though 1+ stylesheet)
    • Creating your output (different stylesheets for different outputs)
  • Arbortext Editor-specific tasks
    • Creating a new file
    • Inserting elements
    • Modifying attributes
    • Inserting graphics and tables

JANICE SUMMERS, Single-Sourcing Solutions, specializes in helping people who’ve only ever used unstructured desktop publishing applications learn structured authoring. She graduated with a degree in I/O Psychology from San Jose State University and finds that her background helps adult learners in mastering new material. In fact, she’s been successfully transitioning Word users to XML authoring since 2005 and hasn’t lost anyone yet! She's the author of “Arbortext for Authoring: An Author's Guide to Getting Started with Arbortext Editor” (available on Amazon).

LIZ FRALEY, Single-Sourcing Solutions, is a long-time Arbortext user, customizer, stylesheet developer, and implementer. In addition to being a senior software architect, she is the founder of Single-Sourcing Solutions, a qualified, experienced trainer of Arbortext Products. She has over 25 years experience programming, teaching, and supporting knowledge growth in the communities she serves. She holds degrees in Computer Science and English from the University of Maryland College Park and a Masters in English from the University of Southern Mississippi. She's the author of “Arbortext 101: Best Practices for Configuring, Authoring, Styling, and Publishing with Arbortext,” available on Amazon, and has several more planned.

What Attendees Have Said

“Thank you very much for teaching the class, providing the teaching aids, and for having such down-to-earth, open, communication styles.”

“Your patience and willingness to ensure we learned the information and received a good foundation was recognized and much appreciated.”

“I tried to take this training last year from someone else and it was a mess! I have learned so much this time.”

“Thank you so much. This is the best training I have received from the Navy. So many are filled with boring slides but this was fun and informative”

“Thank you so much for the great class. I really appreciate your humor!”

“Thank you for all your help and all the laughs! It’s been a fun and informative 2 and half days.”

“I am taking over 7 other programs that some of the students in our current class belong to. I have told all of my peers that everyone needs to take this class! Thanks!  Both of you stay safe and keep doing what you do!”

Spontaneous feedback from students in our Arbortext Basics class 2022

Various ranks and responsibilities, US Navy

Thanks, Janice! I appreciate your and Liz’s encouragement; I am thoroughly enjoying the class! I also picked up a copy of Arbortext 101 a few weeks ago. The opening paragraph in chapter one which states that [learning about Arbortext requires] “shifting from how you think it should fit into your world to how your world will adapt to it so you can use it effectively.” That has been profoundly true for me! I can’t tell you how excited I am to be learning more about this software! Thanks again!

Danielle

Technical Writer, Defense company

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

President, AccurPro

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