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Inside the Brackets:

[EASYPRESS ATOMIK]

by Jeff Wood     May 2003

In each issue, this section focuses on a different content management-related product, providing an overview of information specifically targeted to publishers.

As publishers look to adopt an XML workflow for content within their organizations, one of the major hurdles comes in the form of QuarkXPress documents. In fact, it is often the case that any content that touches QuarkXPress at any point in its lifecycle is often excluded from these new processes. Or in some cases, the publisher may determine that the lack of specialized design requirements does not warrant the use of QuarkXPress for a specific set of documents, and content should and will be shifted to an XML-based production process. However, for most QuarkXPress content, the richness of design required for a given publication warrants the continued use of that software.

Easypress Technologies' Atomik product line focuses on the ability to convert QuarkXPress files to XML. Its standard product, Atomik 3.1, is an engine that allows for automated conversion of QuarkXPress documents to XML, and includes two components, AtomikXT and Atomik Enhancer. AtomikXT is an XTensions application that tags and extracts QuarkXPress documents as well-formed and valid XML that conform to a pre-defined DTD (future releases are scheduled to support Schema as well). AtomikXT provides in-depth image extraction capabilities, support for paragraph and character-level styling, and can even automatically translate tabular data into the XML table structure. Atomik Enhancer allows you to add metadata to the resulting XML document that doesn't exist in the original QuarkXPress document.

In addition, Atomik offers an optional Developer Edition, which includes all of the features of the standard edition, plus support for AppleScript, AutoPilot, TCP-IP XT and other third-party XTensions software. It also provides the means to make Atomik an integrated component of the Quark Publishing System (QPS).

Atomik Roundtrip 1.0 fills a somewhat different requirement of the QuarkXPress/XML conversion process. Roundtrip starts with an XML file, which can be imported and converted to a QuarkXPress document. The user can make any necessary modifications within the QuarkXPress document and can re-export the document as XML. This kind of round tripping can continue as often as necessary. Unlike the standard edition, Roundtrip does not support the export of XML from legacy QuarkXpress documents and does support Schema in its current version.

Whether you are looking to convert legacy QuarkXPress content to XML for repurposing on the web, or make XML a part of your existing QuarkXPress workflow, Atomik may be the best place to begin your investigation.

Product Highlights