*instinctools GmbH has launched DITA Visual Specialization Manager, a software designed to help Information Architects in development and maintenance of project specific documentation models (DITA Specializations). This application makes complex DITA specialization tasks easier through its user-friendliness and hence opens a new dimension in customization of DITA to specific needs.

Stuttgart, Germany, December 14, 2009 --- *instinctools GmbH, a company providing software solutions and services, has continued its commitment to bring productivity enhancement benefits in the documentation area and extended their product offering by launching DITA Visual Specialization Manager. This software simplifies the DITA specialization process which will help in extending DITA adoption. This software is available either as a stand-alone application or as a part of *instinctools’ DITAworks, an innovative structured documentation solution supporting the entire life cycle of documentation. The stand-alone application can be used for working with DITA based information models that can be exported in other DITA tools for further use.

DITA Visual Specialization Manager contains comprehensive modeling functions. In productivity area, it provides benefits in terms of lesser time, optimal quality of deliverables, and single-sourcing of the model by its ability to export DTD and XML Schema. It also has in-built integration capabilities with 100% DITA-based documentation tools like DITAworks, thereby providing an important component for an integrated DITA documentation environment. The main features of this application are listed as follows:

•     Wizard-based Visual Editor for DITA specializations with support of structural, domain and attribute specializations
•     Import of existing specializations from DTD
•     DITA model validation (checking for validity of specialization)
•     Export of managed specializations to DTD or XML Schema
•     Export of Specializations in the form of DITA OT plug-in
•     Integration with version control

All these benefits and functionalities have been developed to give substantial support to Information Architects and Documentation Project Managers in designing and maintaining their DITA specializations. It is done by providing a wizard-based visual editor for DITA information types. The development of these functionalities has been made possible through a mix of technological expertise and practical experience gained from various DITA projects.

Besides the standard commercial license for DITA Visual Specialization Manager, *instinctools offers a free-of-cost non-commercial license for development and maintenance of publicly available DITA Specializations and a time-limited evaluation license.

For first information on working with DITA Visual Specialization Manager for typical modeling tasks, *instinctools provides tutorial videos for creating Model Projects, Shell DTDs, Structural and Domain DITA Specialization, and Export to DTD and DITA Open Toolkit on their DITAworks website:  http://www.ditaworks.com/Vids.

Downloads for DITA Visual Specialization Manager (for evaluation and non-commercial free-of-charge use) and the documentation tool DITAworks (for evaluation) are available from http://www.ditaworks.com/dl.

For more information about DITA Visual Specialization Manager, please visit www.ditaworks.com/modeling or write to info@instinctools.com.

For more information about DITAworks, DITA-based tool for supporting full life-cycle of structured documentation, please visit www.ditaworks.com.