Important things to know

The following things are useful to know when you are using IXIASOFT CCMS Web.

Introducing CCMS Web to teammates

When you introduce CCMS Web to your subject matter experts or reviewers, take some time to point out the editing or reviewing tools that you expect them to use. The interface contains a number of features that are intended for a range of users, from those who have little to no knowledge of markup languages to those who are familiar with HTML, XML, or even DITA. By focusing them on what you want them to use, you can reduce the difficulty of learning a new tool.

Since each company's workflow is different, you should also explain when and how you want your subject matter experts and reviewers to check in the content assigned to them.

Choose assignments wisely

As you decide which topics to assign, consider the knowledge level of the person who will be working on the topic. The oXygen XML Web Author Component on the Editing page in CCMS Web has been customized by IXIASOFT by default to camouflage the complexity of DITA to allow users to work on the content in a simplified, user-friendly environment. For example, some elements in the topic are not displayed in the Editing page or made read-only to avoid overwhelming users. Assigning a topic that contains a complex use of DITA elements may be too difficult for someone unfamiliar with DITA or XML to edit. For example, a topic containing a lot of conditional text may be confusing to work on since they may not understand the concept of conditional text. In addition to the default customizations in the oXygen XML Web Author Component, your system administrator may have integrated other customizations according to your company's needs.

Note: Do not assign referable-content topics to be worked on using CCMS Web unless you provide the base element that you want them to use; for example, include a p element in the rcbody element.

Avoid entities in your topics

CCMS Web only supports the following standard (predefined) entities:
  • quot ("): the double quotation mark (")
  • amp (&): the ampersand (&)
  • apos ('): the apostrophe (')
  • lt (&lt;): the less-than sign (<)
  • gt (&gt;): the greater-than sign (>)
Other entities may be converted into Unicode code. Instead use the keyboard keys, DITA keys, or the appropriate DITA elements and attributes as recommended by DITA best practices. For example, the following entities will be replaced by Unicode code if they are present in your DITA source:
  • non-breaking space (&nbsp;)
  • soft hyphen (&shy;)
  • micro symbol (&micro;)
  • division symbol (&divide;)
  • en dash (&ndash;)
  • em dash (&mdash;)
  • ellipsis (&hellip;)