Author-it Software Corporation today announced the release of version 5.0. Yay!

This version has loads of new features. It starts with a brand-new interface that is similar to Microsoft Office 2007 with the ribbon and "pearl" in the window's upper left corner that leads to more options.

One of the new big features is Author-it Xtend, a patent-pending technology that uses intelligent "fuzzy logic" matching to provide a faster, more efficient way to reuse and share content and knowledge within an organization's library. This functionality is available to all content creators and can be customized. (Note: Author-it Xtend requires the SQL library...it can't be used with JET.)

Publishing Profiles are another big feature. As users know, Author-it uses media objects to pass layout information when publishing. Until now, it's been a bit of a pain to publish something like a Word document on both Letter and A4 paper, or to create HTML outputs that are branded differently. I've created some workarounds, but I have to remember all the steps. With Publishing Profiles, I will no longer need my workarounds...I can set it all up in AIT. So once I get 5.0 installed, I can publish branded outputs without doing anything afterward...I can store all the steps inside a profile. (For example, I license some of my training materials, and now I will be able to brand them for the licensees.) And I can throw away the sticky with my "branding" notes :-) (Just a note...I could have set this up so that all the information was stored within my library, but it was easier at the time to do it this way. And because I did set it up like this, it will be much easier to use Publishing Profiles.)

For more information on the 5.0 upgrade, see the Author-it Knowledge Center.

All Author-it users with maintenance plans can get the v5 release, and should receive an email this week. However, users must attend a webinar that discusses the new features before receiving a link to the download. In addition, users will receive an evaluation license and a test script to use with their library (or libraries). After returning the test to Author-it, a license file will be generated and emailed to match the currently installed 4.5 licenses.

Desktop and Workgroup users will be given the option to upgrade to Enterprise Edition by paying the difference in licensing fees. Talk to your reseller or someone at Author-it Software Corporation for more information. (I'm not a reseller, so I don't know exactly what's involved.)

If you need training, I'll be creating new materials for 5.0 and hope to have them ready by the beginning of December. (I know...that's so far away! But I'm speaking at the Yggdrasil, LavaCon, and tcworld conferences between now and mid-November, and I still haven't figured out how to get more hours in a day.) I'll also be putting together some "upgrading from version 4 to version 5.0" materials, but I'm not sure yet what they'll include.

(Lots of vendor announcements this week...wonder what's next?)

Between emails and search logs, it seems that folks want to know about:

• Author-it 5. It's in beta, folks. As soon as I'm able, I'll let you know the possible release date. (But it's cool :-) )
• RoboHelp 7. It's in beta, too. As soon as I'm able, I'll let you know the possible release date. (It's cool, too.)
• Collaborative writing. I'm working on a workshop for the Yggdrasil Conference now (well, when I'm not writing blog entries) that will cover a variety of collaboration types. I'm really excited about this workshop, and my system administrator has figured out how I can use my laptop as a server so that I can present this workshop in places with no Internet connection. (BTW, I'll be ariving in Oslo on Friday, 12 October, if anyone wants to get together to tour the Munch Museum or otherwise sightsee.)
• Best HAT to use. Seriously, the best HAT is the one that has the features you need. I love getting questions on "which one's the market leader?"...no one knows! The vendors don't share that information, other than in big broad strokes. Find the one that has the features you need and try it out...the vendors all offer trial versions. And please, don't try to pick your HAT by a popularity vote...you'll be disappointed.
• My speaking schedule.
• Training Materials. I currently offer training materials for Author-it 4.3, Author-it 4.5, and RoboHelp X5. The current plan is to offer updated versions for Author-it 5 and Robohelp 7 (thus skipping RoboHelp 6) within 6 to 8 weeks of their releases. Of course, with my luck, they will release within several days of each other.

More soon...

This year, LavaCon is partnering with the Project Management Institute, Greater New Orleans Chapter, to co-host a Professional Development Summit in New Orleans, October 27–30, 2007. The fifth annual LavaCon includes practical information you can apply and will present proven best practices in the fields of technical communication and project management.

The conference is coordinating a community service day on Saturday,
October 27, for people wanting to help areas that are still in the process of recovering from hurricane Katrina. Two opportunities currently exist, one for Habitat for Humanity and one for New Orleans City Park.

The program includes both sessions and workshops, keynotes at the beginning of each day, and speakers during each lunch session. Conference speakers include me (Char James-Tanny), Joe Welinske, Scott Abel, Rahel Bailey, Kay Ethier, Paul Mueller, Nicky Bleiel, Neil Perlin, Michael Priestley, Bernard Aschwanden, and more.

Hope to see you in New Orleans!

You still have time to refister for this year's European Online Help Conference, held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on September 20 and 21. In two information-packed days, you'll hear about new trends, key issues, emerging designs, and key technology developments relating to software user assistance. Sessions are presented by leading industry experts from the USA, Europe, and Australia, including Joe Welinske, Matthew Ellison, Tony Self, and Scott Boggan.

The event also features an exhibition of the latest tools and technologies for creating online Help. Exhibitors include Adobe, AuthorIT, Innovasys, ComponentOne, MadCap Software, 4.ST, 3di, and Cherryleaf. Both product and service demonstrations will be taking place.

The main conference is preceded by an optional half-day workshop called Introduction to DITA, presented by Tony Self, a member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee.

Yggdrasil 07 is the ninth annual, national, two-day conference arranged by the Usability and User Documentation special interest groups of the Norwegian Computer Society. The conference covers user experiences, usability, technical communication, and related topics.

This year's conference starts off with two international keynote speakers, Luke Wroblewski and me (Char James-Tanny), followed by three parallel sessions. The second day starts with four workshops (two by the keynote speakers) and then features two parallel sessions of presentations by (mainly Norwegian) professionals.

My keynote is called The Future of Communication (Luke's is called Designing for Web 2.0). My workshop is called Getting the Most from online Collaboration, and I'm really excited about it...we'll have Internet access, which means hands-on exercises using a wiki, Google Documents, a spreadsheet, maybe more. I'll cover the process, too, so that everyone attending has a good idea of how to proceed when they get back to their offices.

(BTW, most of my information is in Norwegian. However, my presentations will be in English ;-) )

Lots of folks want to create CSS-based websites that are W3C compliant, but it takes time to learn the necessary bits (especially when positioning divs and creating more complex layouts). Eric Meyer has the answer.

Working with WebAssist, Eric has created Eric Meyer's CSS SCULPTOR 1.0.0. Designed as a Dreamweaver 8 or Creative Suite 3 extension, CSS SCULPTOR helps you create websites by providing 30 customizable layouts with 12 color schemes. The tabbed interface lets you select between layout, box, type, design, print (for a print CSS), and output at any time. A preview pane shows the results of your current selections.

When you're finished, you can save your layout as a new preset or overwrite an existing one. Add your content to the HTML files, and enjoy your new site!

Eric Meyer's CSS SCULPTOR 1.0.0 is currently on sale for $99.99. After Sept 6, the price goes to $149.99. So get it now and save!