Key features for application developers
The Elkera Utilities for XMetaL Author enable developers to
provide high quality, easily maintained authoring interfaces for writers of
structured content in XMetaL Author.
Off-the-shelf XML authoring tools may require extensive
customization to achieve acceptable levels of usability, particularly for
moderately complex DTDs or schema. Developers attempting to do this for the first time will likely
encounter many problems dealing with new concepts and tools. It is all too easy
for development to be excessively time consuming and for resulting applications
to be undocumented, "Guru systems" that are almost impossible to
maintain.
The Elkera Utilities for XMetaL Author are
designed to simplify and reduce the cost of developing author friendly XML
authoring applications with XMetaL Author. The Elkera Utilities define models
for improved user interface features that can be mapped on to most DTDs and
schema, saving developers a large amount of planning and development effort.
This provides superior functionality over most individual editor customization
approaches.
The Elkera Utilities are fully supported and documented. Elkera's
maintenance program ensures that your application will always work with the
latest XMetaL Author release. Customers have full access to all configuration
files and an open source licensing model for use of configuration files in
Elkera's pre-configured XML authoring solutions.
Particular features of the Elkera Utilities for XMetaL Author
include:
• The context rule manager allows precise use of XML contexts for
all element insertion and transformation tasks by
authors.
• Application components can be shared among multiple DTDs or XML
Schema to minimise development effort.
• Application resources can be easily shared among multiple authors
in networked environments.
• The Elkera Utilities also include a range of pre-developed
components that will greatly reduce development effort.
• The Elkera automatic numbering and cross reference components can
dynamically create and write all values into the markup. Rendering applications
do not have to re-calculate numbers and references, making those applications
easier to develop and maintain.
• Comprehensive configuration and developer guides are available to
enable developers to create new components and efficiently configure existing
components.
Developers can deliver superior application functionality quickly
and with minimal programming effort.
