DITA is XML, so any XML editor can be used to write DITA code. But that doesn’t mean every XML editor is best suited for the job of producing DITA. As DITA has grown in popularity in the technical writing field, the market has matured and a number of XML editors have appeared that are in some way optimized for creating documentation based in DITA.
For information on how this list came together, please see the accompanying updated article to accompany this listing.
All prices are listed in $US unless otherwise noted. Prices listed are current as of May 14, 2015 (information on Adobe FrameMaker products updated June 3, 2015), but please check the manufacturer for the latest pricing information. Here’s the list:
| Editor | Company | DITA Support | Latest Version | WYSIWYG View | Tag View | Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adobe FrameMaker | Adobe | Full (DITA 1.2) | 2015 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "Adobe FrameMaker (2015 release) is now a complete solution for bidirectional technical content. Ensure content is mobile-ready with new HTML5 layout and deliver it as a mobile app across devices and formats. Personalize content with new dynamic content filters. Author XML content faster with a simplified environment, enhanced Quick Element toolbar, and DITA 1.3 support. Collaborate efficiently with smoother import of Microsoft Word files. Work productively with enhanced conditional text and mini TOCs. Do more with tables." |
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| FrameMaker XML Author | Adobe | Full (DITA 1.2) | 2015 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "Adobe FrameMaker XML Author (2015 release) enables both authors and subject matter experts to easily create bidirectional XML content without knowing XML. Author with an intuitive UI, multiple views, MathML equation support, and new DITA 1.3 support. Manage content using integration with leading CMSs and Dropbox." | ||||||
| Altova Authentic Browser Plugin 2015 | Altova | ? | 2015 | Yes | Yes | Web-browser |
| "Altova Authentic Browser Plugin 2015 Enterprise Edition is an advanced WYSIWYG content editor for XML and databases that allows users to view and edit data without being exposed to the underlying technology. Authentic Browser is deployed on a server and can be easily accessed by any network user via URL. The software is available on a term license basis for a license term of 13 months." | ||||||
| Altova Authentic Desktop Enterprise Edition | Altova | ? | 2015 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "Altova Authentic Desktop 2015 Enterprise Edition is an advanced WYSIWYG content editor that allows users to view and edit data in XML documents and relational databases without being exposed to the underlying technology. They simply fill in e-Forms using the word processor-style interface, and their content or query is instantly processed. Authentic is ideally suited as the user interface element of XML-based document frameworks and database-oriented applications." | ||||||
| AuthorBridge | Stilo | Partial "comprehensive for SMEs" | 1.0 (Initial Release October 2015) | Yes | No | From $4 to $0.50 per seat per month, volume dependent; contact Stilo for more info |
| "AuthorBridge is an enterprise DITA authoring solution that enables subject matter experts to make browser-based contributions to a DITA CCMS at very low cost. It is designed for occasional contributors, such as marketing, training, engineering and customer support, who have no knowledge of DITA or its complexities, to enable them to create and edit content using a simple Word-like interface. AuthorBridge provides a conversion platform that integrates CKEditor, the world-leading, open-source, HTML text editor, and your CCMS . A comprehensive DITA tagset is supported under-the-hood, configurable centrally for individual users or departments. Custom implementations include support for conrefs, conditions, reltables, attributes and specializations, as may be required." | ||||||
| Author-it Cloud | Author-it | Partial (DITA 1.1) | N/A | Yes | Yes | SaaS, Own Server (Enterprise edition) |
| "Author-it Cloud for Tech Comms is the complete solution for Technical Communications professionals developing user assistance, product manuals, help systems and knowledge bases. This solution enables you to transform your content into valued, business supporting asset which can be leveraged throughout your organization. This ability to reuse content across multiple content models without complicated transformations helps you to realize the true value of your contribution and drives revenue, reduces costs, improves productivity and mitigates risk." | ||||||
| Codex | Codex Systems | Full (DITA 1.2) | 3.1 | Yes | Yes | Desktop, Web-browser |
| "Codex is a documentation authoring tool for engineers that enables manufacturing and software development companies to create product documentation more efficiently than word processing or desktop publishing applications. With Codex, engineers can easily create and edit content in DITA format, an open standard for modular documentation that is widely used in a number of industries." | ||||||
| Content Mapper with Simply DITA | Simply XML | Partial ("The Simply DITA Schema is a subset of the full DITA schema.") | 5.9 | Yes | No | Desktop |
| "Content Mapper has been created so many of the 1 Billion+ users of Microsoft Word can improve business results from authoring and publishing content. Content Mapper lets anyone generate useful and valid XML, the rising standard for content authoring and publishing. Content Mapper is an easy to use authoring tool that allows you to generate reusable content right from Microsoft Word. It takes care of all of the technical XML complexities behind the scenes so that all you need to think about is creating great content. It's also quite versatile and configurable to meet your needs." | ||||||
| CORENA Studio (formerly Serna XML Editor) | Flatirons | ? | ? | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "CORENA Studio is a sophisticated XML content creation platform that combines uncompromising native support for multiple widely adopted specifications, including iSpec 2200 and 2300, S1000D, and DITA, while providing technical authors with a feature-rich, WYSIWYG, guided XML editing environment that supports maximum ease of use, ease of adoption, and high configurability to suite personalization." | ||||||
| DITA Exchange Word Editor ** | DITA Exchange | Partial ("Core DITA") | 3.6 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "The DITA Exchange Word Editor is an Office Customization that converts DITA XML to and from Microsoft Word, including tables, lists, footnotes, etc. It also provides a (DITA) Topic designer making the assembly of valid DITA topics an easy process without the need to edit raw XML. DITA Exchange Word Editor is designed to work closely with the DITA Exchange Server software running on SharePoint. DITA Exchange Server administrators can define which metadata elements can or must be applied to DITA topics by authors, and DITA Exchange Word Editor obeys these server-defined settings while making it easy for authors to apply metadata to topics through the Microsoft Word document information panel." | ||||||
| DITAworks Cloud | *instinctools | Full (DITA 1.2) | ? | Yes | Yes | SaaS Cloud |
| "DITAworks Cloud fast path to DITA: DITAworks Cloud is a ready-to-use DITA CMS (Content Management System) with enterprise-grade component content management functionality (CCMS) available for your DITA projects. DITAworks Cloud helps in saving huge investments in time and money to build the CMS infrastructure in-house or to buy an expensive CMS. It counters the problem of procuring budget and personell to build a competent and comprehensive solution and to always keep it up-to-date." | ||||||
| DITAworks Eclipse | *instinctools | Full (DITA 1.2) | ? | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "DITAworks Eclipse to document applications developed on Eclipse RCP: DITAworks Eclipse is a variant of DITAworks Pro but especially designed for documenting Eclipse-based software. Therefore, this comprehensive DITA CMS offers a set of useful Eclipse Help extensions in order to promote Eclipse Help as publishing output format for DITA content." | ||||||
| DITAworks Pro | *instinctools | Full (DITA 1.2) | ? | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "DITAworks Pro desktop CMS with integrated DITA XML editor: This well designed DITA CMS provides major component content management functionality and a strong DITA XML editor for a successfull implementation of your DITA project." | ||||||
| DITAworks Webtop | *instinctools | Full (DITA 1.2) | ? | Yes | Yes | Web-browser |
| "DITAworks Webtop DITA CMS for DITA Authoring and Publishing: DITAworks Webtop provides a complete infrastructure to create and manage DITA topics and maps. It comes already pre-packed with IBM FileNet, but can also used with other CMIS enabled Enterprise Content Management Systems." | ||||||
| easyDITA * | Jorsek Software | Full (DITA 1.2) | N/A | Yes | Yes | Web-browser |
| "The DITA Solution you dreamed of: Complete. Easy to use. Affordable. Quick to implement. easyDITA is a cloud-based solution that makes it easy to create, manage, publish, localize, and deliver DITA content. easyDITA is designed from the ground-up for nontechnical users, so engaging authors and SMEs across your organization has never been so easy. Rapid deployment has you up and running on Day One, without integration. easyDITA is affordable to organizations of all sizes, without a large up-front cost." | ||||||
| FontoXML DITA Edition | FontoXML | Full (DITA 1.2) | N/A | Yes | Yes | Web-browser |
| "With the FontoXML DITA edition subject matter experts can create DITA content, even with no knowledge of DITA or XML. The DITA edition supports the DITA 1.2 standard and is prepared for frequently used specializations like DITA Learning and Training. Of course, the DITA edition includes all FontoXML features and all Add-ons can be used." | ||||||
| oXygen XML Author | Syncro Soft | Full (DITA 1.2) | 17.0 | Yes | Yes | Desktop, Web-browser |
| "XML Authoring for Everyone! The latest version of oXygen XML Author sets new standards among content authoring tools, introducing many user-friendly authoring features and providing an easy-to-use interface. Taking advantage of XML technologies has never been easier. With oXygen you have access to XML-based standard frameworks, preset transformation scenarios, and unmatched extensibility and connectivity." | ||||||
| oXygen XML Developer | Syncro Soft | Full (DITA 1.2) | 17.0 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "oXygen XML Developer is the class-leading tool dedicated to XML development, focusing on XML source editing, schema design, and XSLT editing/debugging. It offers powerful support to help you edit, transform, and debug XML-based documents, making XML development easy and effective. A WSDL editor is also available, providing a specialized Content Completion Assistant and Outliner, along with many other helpful features." | ||||||
| oXygen XML Editor | Syncro Soft | Full (DITA 1.2) | 17.0 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "oXygen is the best XML editor available, accommodating a large number of users ranging from beginners to XML experts. It is the only XML tool that supports all the XML schema languages. The XSLT and XQuery support is enhanced with powerful debuggers and performance profilers. You can use oXygen XML Editor to work with all XML-based technologies, including XML databases, XProc pipelines, and web services. Specially tuned for content authors, oXygen XML Author includes a configurable and extensible visual editing mode based on W3C CSS stylesheets. With ready-to-use DITA, DocBook, TEI, and XHTML support, oXygen is the ideal XML authoring solution." | ||||||
| PTC Arbortext Editor | PTC | Full (DITA 1.2) | 6.1 | Yes | Yes | Desktop, Web-browser |
| "PTC Arbortext Editor enables the authoring of structured content with real-time validation. Authors have the ability to create product-centric information which enables the delivery of contextual, up-to-date product and service information in the forms of interactive service procedures, illustrated parts lists, operator and service manuals, and product training materials. Users can create and edit document components and assemblies and implement publishing standards like DITA, S1000D and DocBook.""PTC Arbortext Editor enables the authoring of structured content with real-time validation. Authors can create product-based information that enables the delivery of contextual, up-to-date product and service information in the form of interactive service procedures, illustrated parts lists, operator and service manuals, and product training materials. Authors can create and edit document components and structures and implement publishing standards like DITA, S1000D and DocBook." | ||||||
| Quark XML Author | Quark | ? | 4.0 | Yes | ? | Desktop |
| "First released in 2002, Quark XML Author for Microsoft Word is the next generation of XML authoring tools. It is an add-in to Microsoft Word that lets anyone easily create XML in Word with no knowledge of XML and little or no training." | ||||||
| SDL LiveContent Create | SDL | Full (DITA 1.2) | N/A | Yes | Yes | Web-browser |
| "SDL LiveContent Create is a powerful, browser-based editor that makes it easy for anyone to create and edit structured content. It is designed to eliminate the complexity of XML for non-technical content creators, reviewers and contributors, yet retain all the power of XML." | ||||||
| Xeditor | appsoft Technologies | Full (DITA 1.2) | 2015 | Yes | No | Web-browser |
| "Xeditor is a web-based XML editor with a WYSIWYG interface. It hides the XML-code in the background and presents the content in a more user-friendly format. The frontend is similar to Microsoft Word. The editor offers support not only for DITA but for also other XML standards like DocBook, PI-Mod and many more. Thanks to WIRIS the author can edit and display mathematical formulas in MathML." | ||||||
| XMetaL XMAX | JustSystems | Full (DITA 1.2) | 9.0 | Yes | Yes | Thin-client (Web, Eclipse) |
| "Integrate structured authoring capabilities for deployment across the enterprise.XMetaL XMAX is an embeddable ActiveX component designed for developers to integrate into custom environments. Use XMAX wherever you need to create a lightweight, easy-to-use XML editor that you can deploy without the IT overhead of desktop installers many global companies rely on thin-client XMAX-based components tightly integrated with dynamic web publishing systems, content management systems, customer relationship management systems, and other critical business applications." | ||||||
| XMetaL Author Enterprise | JustSystems | Full (DITA 1.3†) | 10.0 | Yes | Yes | Desktop |
| "XMetaL Author Enterprise helps you get to market faster by bringing structure and automation to content creation. Using XML standards such as the Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA), XMetaL enables authors and contributors to collaborate effectively and to repurpose high value information into the myriad of languages and formats your customers demand." | ||||||
| XMLmind XML Editor | XMLmind | Full (DITA 1.2) | 5.9 | Yes | Yes | Desktop, Web-browser |
| "XMLmind XML Editor is a strictly validating, near WYSIWYG, DocBook editor, DITA editor, MathML editor, XHTML editor, XML editor. Because XMLmind XML Editor is highly extensible, it may be also be used to create documents conforming to your own custom schema. Its users are generally technical writers who need to author large, complex, modular, documents." | ||||||
† Please note that DITA 1.3 has yet to be officially released
* Full product is a DITA CMS, but its editor can be used on other CMS systems.
** Requires Sharepoint
If you have any updates to this list, please let me know by emailing me at keith@ditawriter.com.
Hello “DITAWriter”,
Thank you for adding SDL Xopus to the list.
SDL Xopus is now known as SDL LiveContent Create, part of the new integrated SDL LiveContent solution.
http://www.sdl.com/products/livecontent/create.html
I knew the name was changing, and hadn’t realized that it was now official. I have changed to accordingly.
Btw, what’s it’s version number? 1.0, 4.4 (following on from the Xopus versioning scheme) of something else?
From the product management team: “We (re)branded the product we provide as part of the LiveContent suite to SDL LiveContent Create. But the “old” product, for which we still have a lot of active customers, for now remains to be called Xopus.
So SDL Xopus 4.4 is an update to the “standalone” Xopus product, which is more of a component that organizations can use to build their own systems with.”
The Professional version of XMLmind ships bundled with Bluestream XDocs (www.bluestream.com). XDocs also offers integrations for OxygenXML Editor and Author, Framemaker, and XMetal.
Bluestream XDocs as I understand it is a CCMS, and so wouldn’t appear on this list of DITA-optimized XML editors. It *will* appear in the upcoming DITA-capable CCMS listing that I am currently working on updating (old version here: https://www.ditawriter.com/list-of-dita-capable-cmses/, which does list XDocs). Thanks for the integration info for it though, which I will add to my research material!
I was not suggesting that XDocs is an editor, I was attempting to round out for your information about where integrations are available for XMLmind, Oxygen, and Framemaker, so we appear to have met where intended.
Cheers,
Jeff.
Indeed, and thanks!
Thank you for creating and sharing this information. I have been away from technical writing. As part of evaluating possibility/option of going back I found this helpful.
You’re welcome!
Hi Keith, Componize is compatible with most editors, including Xopus, XMetal, Arbortext, DITAStorm, XML Mind Editor, FrameMaker…
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