Authoring Tools
- oXygen XML Editor – Rich-featured and widely used for DITA with tools for content validation, reuse, and publishing.
- XMetaL Best suited for users who prefer to rely on a more visual interface along with support for DITA.
- Adobe FrameMaker – Best for structured and unstructured writing. It’s got some good stuff DITA-wise.
Publishing Tools
- DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT) – This is an open-source, central engine that enables general DITA content conversion into many output forms.
- Antora – Has the necessary capabilities to publish modular technical content using site generation techniques.
- Adobe RoboHelp – Provides modern UI for help system publication, best for authors switching from old authoring tools.
Content Managements (CMS)
- SDL Tridion Docs – This is a completely-fledged CMS with extensive DITA support with integration for localization.
- Componize DITA CMS – Open-source, Alfresco-based CMS built for content in DITA.
- XDocs – Lightweight XML based CMS perfectly built for efficient DITA workflow and collaboration among teams.
Localization Tools
- SDL Trados – Industry leader in CAT tools with unmatched support for DITA and XML files.
- MemoQ -Used by most translators; it supports workflow collaboration and XML processing.
- Lingoport Globalyzer – It helps in the internationalization of software and documents to be ready for localization use.
Version Control and Collaboration
- Git / Subversion (SVN) – Used for source DITA file versioning; Git is newer and more popular.
- Slack / Microsoft Teams – Communication, task management, and collaborative authoring processes.
Choosing the Right Tool
For Solo Authors or Small Teams:
Oxygen XML Editor or Voxcom (lightweight and low maintenance)- both have excellent reuse, validation, and publishing support, and very limited infrastructures required.
Medium to Large Teams:
XMetaL or Adobe FrameMaker are appropriate tools for extensive collaboration and advanced publishing integration required in workflows.
WYSIWYG Experience and Simplicity:
XMetaL and FrameMaker would be the two choices where visual editing is offered while a large knowledge of XML isn’t required.
