Advice on use of source control with DITA and Oxygen

[ann.jensen]

Hi,
I am currently developing system documentation for our company using with the following structure:

• oXygen XML Author for editing
• oXygen WebHelp engine for transform
• SVN for source control where I commit files developed locally using Toirtoise SVN tool
• TeamCity for centralised and automated transforms

Currently any SME reviews are done after transform and deployment to a test server.

We are considering merging Docs and Training teams together and so there may be more than me developing DITA content where the others are not technical/familiar with DITA>

We are looking at tools such as oXygen XML Web Author, easyDITA and AuthorBridge as potential tools to help us expand.
I am very happy with the current configuration which is running smoothly and want to make minimum changes to it while still making it possible for others to contribute content.
Can you advise on the suitability of oXygen XML Web Author for my needs? Can I still use SVN for source control and how exactly do multiple contributors add/update shared DITA content?
Any advice appreciated,
Regards,
Ann

[cristi_talau]

Hello,

Web Author works with some SVN servers. Namely, those who have WebDAV support with "Autoversioning". Which server are you using?

In case it works, SMEs can basically open files directly from your SVN repository. When a SME saves a file using Web Author, a new version of the file is commited to SVN using a default commit message. To avoid polluting the commit history you can create a dedicated branch for Web Author to use. Web Author has also support for locking to avoid conflicts.

If you are interested in this kind of solution we can give you more details or prepare a demo setup.

Best,
Cristian

[ann.jensen]

Thanks Cristian,
We are using Toirtoise SVN client for Subversion.
I would be very interested in getting more information about all of this and a demo would be very helpful.
Can I privately contact you?
Regards,
Ann

[cristi_talau]

Hello,

I would be more interested in which SVN server you are using instead of which client. Finding this out might involve talking to your SVN server administrator. Knowing this helps us proposing a solution for you.

Yes, you can write on our support email address: support@oxygenxml.com.

Best,
Cristian

[ann.jensen]

Sorry Cristian,
The SVN server is Visual SVN Server 3.5.1.
I will mail you privately about organising a demo.
Regards,
Ann