Author DeveloperWorks Content Using IBM Rational Web

Author developerWorks content using IBM RationalWeb DeveloperA comprehensive guide for working with developerWorks XMLtemplatesSkill Level: IntroductoryAhmed Abbass (aabbass@eg.ibm.com)IT ArchitectIBM13 Jun 2006Updated 16 May 2007This tutorial guides you through the process of authoring articles and tutorials fordeveloperWorks. Using only IBM Rational Web Developer, you can edit, validate,preview, and export your work. Learn more about IBM Rational Software DevelopmentPlatform and how you can enjoy a hassle-free authoring experience.Section 1. Before you startAbout this tutorialThis tutorial describes the process of authoring content for developerWorks easily,with special focus on productivity. The process covers creating a template for yourarticle or tutorial, then editing, validating, previewing, and exporting it. Throughoutthe tutorial, you'll find relevant information on several features of IBM Rational WebDeveloper to give you a better understanding of the steps from a product standpoint.Although the tutorial mentions only IBM Rational Web Developer, other IBM RationalAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 1 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksSoftware Development Platform products, such as IBM Rational ApplicationDeveloper and IBM Rational Software Architect, provide the same functionality in thesame way.ObjectivesGot a great idea for content ondeveloperWorks?When you're ready to write a how-to article and share yourexpertise on a new topic, or your experience with a technology orIBM product, we invite you to submit content based on your ownideas or on the content wish list of our developerWorks editors.Upon completion of this tutorial, you will be comfortable with authoring articles andtutorials with developerWorks XML templates. You will also know some usefulcapabilities of IBM Rational Software Development Platform, represented by IBMRational Web Developer.PrerequisitesThis tutorial is good for authors who have general XML knowledge. More knowledgeof XML, Rational tools, and the IBM developerWorks author package will helpauthors get the most benefit of these three working together.System requirementsIn order to follow the steps described in this tutorial, you need to install Rational WebDeveloper for WebSphere Software, Rational Application Developer for WebSphereSoftware, or Rational Software Architect. Download a free trial version of RationalWeb Developer for WebSphere Software V6.0 or Rational Application Developer forWebSphere Software V6.0 if you don't have a copy of any of them already. Thehardware and software requirements for this software are located at Rational WebDeveloper for WebSphere Software System Requirements and Rational ApplicationDeveloper for WebSphere Software System Requirements.Section 2. How does it work out?Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 2 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks The diagram in Figure 1 represents the sequence of activities in the workflow of theauthoring process.Figure 1. The workflowThese activities are grouped in two sets:1.2.Prepare your environmentFollow these steps to prepare your machine for authoring the first time.Once you do this, you can reuse the same setup for your futuredeveloperWorks articles and tutorials.a.Create a workspace or use an existing one.b.Enable XML capabilities for the workspace.c.Switch to the Resource perspective.d.Download and import the author package project into theworkspace.Perform authoring activitiesYou need to go through these steps each time you write an article or atutorial for developerWorks. These steps cover how to edit, preview, andexport your work.a.Create an XML template for your article or tutorial.b.Edit the XML template to add your content, then validate that XMLagainst the schema and correct any errors.Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 3 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksc.Preview your article or tutorial in the built-in or external browser.d.Export your article or tutorial, as well as any resources used(images and files).The following two sections describe the details of each step. Based on yourfamiliarity with the tool, you can skip some or all of the "Prepare your environment"and "Perform authoring activities" sections. On the other hand, the "Useful featuresof IBM Rational Web Developer" section introduces you to several features that youcan use for better productivity.Section 3. 1. Prepare your environmenta. Create a workspaceWhat is a workspace?A workspace is a private work area (a directory) created for anindividual user to hold configuration information, temporary files,and project files. A workspace can contain several projects ofdifferent types.When you start Rational Web Developer, a Workspace Launcher dialog prompts youfor a workspace name. If you wish to use an existing workspace, you can provide itthere. Otherwise, you can provide a new name to create a new workspace.Figure 2. Create a workspaceAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 4 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks New workspaces display a Welcome view with shortcuts to different Rational WebDeveloper resources for first-time users. You can close that view and continue withthe article.b. Enable XML capabilitiesAbout capabilitiesThe IBM Rational Software Development Platform providesmultipurpose integrated development environments (IDEs) thathave a wide range of capabilities for different user roles usingdifferent technologies. Accordingly, you can disable capabilities thatare irrelevant to your type of usage to enhance performance and tolimit the options to the role and the type of technology you use. Thedefault setup doesn't enable a large proportion of the capabilitiessuch as XML development.To enable XML capabilities for the workspace, select Window Preferences, asillustrated in Figure 3.Figure 3. Open the Preferences dialogAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 5 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksFrom the left-side pane, expand the Workbench node and select Capabilities.Check XML Developer on the right-side pane and click OK.Figure 4. Enable XML capabilitiesAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 6 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks c. Switch perspectiveAbout perspectivesA perspective is a predefined set of views and editors that suit auser role for a specific set of technologies in a handy way. Userscan modify perspectives per their preferences. You can switchperspectives at run time without affecting the data by any means.Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 7 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksThis task is absolutely optional. It is included here only to ensure that you seemenus exactly as described in this article. To switch to the Resource perspective,click the highlighted button and select Other. If you already see Resource insteadof J2EE as in the Figure 5, you don't need to do this step.Figure 5. Open the Select Perspective dialogSelect Resource and click OK.Figure 6. Switch to Resource perspectived. Import the author package projectWhat is the author package project?The author package project is the author package that containsdeveloperWorks XML templates packaged in a project format readyfor you to import in Rational Web Developer. Basically, it's a simpleproject that contains the extracted contents of the developerWorksauthor package.Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 8 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks After downloading the author package project from developerWorks, you need toimport it into the workspace by selecting File Import.Figure 7. Import the fileSelect Project Interchange and click Next.Figure 8. Import dialogAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 9 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksBrowse your file system to enter the full path to the author package project you'vedownloaded from developerWorks. Check developerWorks Author Package andclick Finish.Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 10 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks Figure 9. Import Project Interchange Contents dialogSection 4. 2. Perform authoring activitiesa. Create a templateWhat is a developerWorks XML template?A developerWorks XML template is an XML file that provides askeleton for developerWorks authors to edit their articles andtutorials. The template also provides sample sections to illustratedifferent options available for authors. You can automate thecreation of these templates using new-article and new-tutorialscripts provided with the author package. These scripts generate atemplate with the name index.xml and place it in a folder namedwith the title of the article or tutorial.To create an XML template for your article or tutorial, expand developerWorksAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 11 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksAuthor Package and double-click new-article for the article template, ornew-tutorial for the tutorial template. Use .vbs files for the Microsoft Windows platform and .sh for UNIX -based operating systems.Figure 10. Template creation dialogReplace my-article or my-tutorial with the title of your article or tutorial.To see the folder created for your article or tutorial, right-click on thedeveloperWorks Author Package and select Refresh from the context menu.Otherwise, simply press F5 while selecting developerWorks Author Package.Author developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 12 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.

ibm.com/developerWorksdeveloperWorks Figure 11. Refresh to see the template folderFigure 12. The template folder appears after refreshmentAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web Developer Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.Page 13 of 36

developerWorks ibm.com/developerWorksb. Edit and validate the XML templateThis activity is the playground for your creativity as an author. Fortunately, IBMRational Web Developer provides some useful features to let you focus on thecontent itself rather than how to write it. I list some of these features here:i.Different XML editorsii.Source formattingiii.Spell-checkingiv.Finding and replacingv.Comparing and replacing from local historyvi.Team developmentvii.Importing illustrationsviii. Source outliningix.Source code assistantAuthor developerWorks content using IBM Rational Web DeveloperPage 14 of 36 Copyright IBM Corporation 1994, 2008. All rights reserved.