Stumped: Why won't DITA-OT process my Frame 9 map file?

Report · Nov 22, 2010

I'm stuck and hope someone might provide some guidance. I'm running Frame 9 on Windows XP.

I've created a very simple map file and am trying to get it to process in the DITA OT.

Everything appears to be set up correctly (I specify which Dita map is to be transformed...

etc.), but when I click Transform, I get the following error message:

"WinANT Build Error

It appears the build process failed. Either no log file was produced or the log file stylesheet

was not generated into the output directory.This means the process didn't complete correctly."

It then tells me:

-To be sure I have the Java JDK installed. (I do.)

-Check that the Dita OT dir on the DITA tab is pointing to the correct

location of the DITA toolkit. (It is.)

-To deselect the Overrides on the advanced tabs ( I did.)

-Tweak the fix resolver checkbox on the DITA OT tab (I tried.)

Sigh.....nothing seems to work.

Just wondered if anyone might a clue as to what's going on.

Many thanks in advance,

Gary

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Hi Gary...

It sounds like you're using WinANT to build the map and topics .. yes? Have you been able to build other maps using WinANT? Can you do a build from the command line in the OT?

After installing the OT, make sure everything works by doing a sample build using the OT command line .. then try building the sample files provided with the OT. Then, if you're using WinANT, make sure it's working by trying to build the sample files. If all of that works, then you *should* be able to build using your FM9 map file (assuming it's a real DITA map and not a binary FM file pretending to be a DITA map .. to be sure, open it in Notepad.

Let me know how it goes.

...scott

Scott Prentice

Leximation, Inc.

www.leximation.com

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Scott...

Thanks for the reply.

>

It sounds like you're using WinANT to build the map and topics .. yes?

No, I've used Frame 9 to do that.

Have you been able to build other maps using WinANT?

This is my first attempt as using the DITA OT, so no, I haven't tried.

But I will.

Can you do a build from the command line in the OT?

If all of that works, then you should be able to build using your
FM9 map file (assuming it's a real DITA map and not a binary FM file
pretending to be a DITA map .. to be sure, open it in Notepad.

>

It looks ok, tho' I'm far from an expert. Here's how it appears in

Notepad: Does it appear valid?

</map

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Hmm. Well, FM9 does not by default include a command for building a map with the DITA-OT. There is a plugin that you can install that provides this type of functionality, but it doesn't include any output that would mention "WinANT" and doesn't have an interface that includes tabs like you describe. Is this a system that someone else set up or have you installed all of the DITA bits? Did you install the OT connector plugin from Adobe?

The map you pasted in didn't survive, but based on the last bit that did, it does look like it was XML and not a binary file, so that's not the issue.

Tell me more about who set up your system .. it doesn't sound like anything I've seen before.

...scott

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Oh wait .. when I said "... WinANT to build the map and topics ..." I didn't mean to create those files, I mean to do the OT transformation (the "build" process).

So .. you're using FM9 to create the DITA files and you're using WinANT to process those files with the OT?

Try my suggestions of testing your OT installation , then move on to testing DITA files with WinANT that are provided in the OT as samples.

...scott

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Hi Scott...

Hmm. Well, FM9 does not by default include a command for building a
map with the DITA-OT.

Right. What I did was create the topic files and the map in Frame,

then try to import the mapfile into the DITA OT.

There is a plugin that you can install that provides this type of
functionality, but it doesn't include any output that would mention
"WinANT" and doesn't have an interface that includes tabs like you
describe.

You know, it's funny. I've heard about the Frame 9 Dita OT plugin, but

can't find it. The pointer I've used to access the plugin - which is

an Adobe website - (which is really for a plugin for Frame 8) no

longer exists. So no...I can't find it. And I'm wondering if it exists

any more.

Is this a system that someone else set up or have you installed all
of the DITA bits? Did you install the OT connector plugin from Adobe?

I installed the Adobe Tech. Communications 2.5 package myself. It runs

fine...I have no problem creating Dita-aware files (and map files)

using Frame 9. I had someone else install the Dita OT...including the

front end so I could work with the GUI and avoid the command line.

(Major confession!) The WinANT app displays fine....but when I

indicate the Frame mapfile I want transformed, that's when everything

breaks.

Where I meander from here...well, consider me stumped.

-Gary

Report · Nov 22, 2010

Hi Gary...

Note that you don't "import" files into the DITA-OT. The OT is a tool for generating output from DITA files .. you use it to create various types of deliverables from DITA files.

Yes .. the FrameMaker DITA-OT connector plugin does seem to have fallen off the web .. I've asked around, but no one will fess up to where it's gone. I may make a plugin for this purpose .. it's very nice to have this built into Frame. You might want to look into using the DITA-FMx plugin, which provides many additional DITA authoring and publishing features as well as an OT connector. You can download the DITA-FMx trial from my website ..

http://leximation.com/dita-fmx/

It is possible that WinANT doesn't like FM9 DITA files, but I'm thinking that's not the case. You should try building (generating) output from the DITA samples provided in the DITA-OT using WinANT .. that will determine if the problem lies in your WinANT installation or with the FM9 DITA files.

BTW .. the command line isn't all that hard to use. Just locate the DITA-OT folder .. it should contain a file named "startcmd.bat" .. run that file to get the shell from which to run the commands. Once the DOS shell opens up, you can enter the following to create XHTML output from your map file ..

java -jar lib/dost.jar /i:C:/PATH/MAP.DITAMAP /outdir:C:/PATH/OUT /transtype:xhtml

Where "C:/PATH/MAP.DITAMAP" is the path and filename of your ditamap file, and "C:/PATH/OUT" is the path and folder where you want the output created.

In theory, this should all work .. but as you might expect there are reasons that it may not.

Cheers,

...scott

Report · Nov 23, 2010