Master projects, stationery, and general overview questions for ePublisher Platform

1. You use a styles template (a source document showing an example of each style to be used in the project) to create a new ePublisher Pro project. You'll use ePublisher Pro and the Style Designer to configure project settings, define style properties, and modify the look-and-feel of the output. This is what we refer to as the "Master" or "Design" Project. Master Projects can no longer be created from existing Stationery. You must either create a new project from scratch or make a copy of an existing project, rename it, and open it as a new Master Project.

2. You can use your styles template or another test document to generate sample output throughout the design phase with ePublisher Pro to ensure that the output generated from your documents is satisfactory.

3. Once your design project is complete, you can save it as Stationery. You will create Standalone Stationery containing all of the design settings, along with encoded instructions for generating output for one or any number of chosen targets.

4. You will distribute the entire stationery package (all of the files and subfolders in the stationery directory that was created upon saving) to anyone who needs to generate output or reports with ePublisher Express or AutoMap.

5. The Stationery serves as a project template of sorts, so you will use ePublisher Express to create a new "Publication" project based on the stationery. Each writer or content editor should have a copy and license for ePublisher Express so that they can create their own Publication project, applying your stationery settings and generating output on demand using their documents. They can also use Express to generate conformance reports, which will list any possible problems in their documents, such as unresolved cross-references, illegal styles, etc.

6. Once each writer or content generator has proofed and approved the output they have created, they can check it in to the final repository, or deploy it straight to the published destination (e.g., a web server).

7. Finally, the process can be automated by creating an AutoMap job based either on the stationery or on an Express Publication project. AutoMap can be integrated with Content Management or Source Control systems, and it can be scheduled to check out files, generate output (based on your stationery settings), and deploy it anywhere it's needed.

If any changes need to be made (e.g., adding targets, modifying style properties, etc.), you can open the Master Project in ePublisher Pro at any time, make the necessary changes, and then update the stationery. You will save as Stationery, overwriting the existing directory. Then, distribute the stationery again to everyone who uses it (or make it available in a common location). The next time those Express projects are opened, the application will prompt the user that the stationery has changed, and that the project should be synchronized. Or, the Express user can choose to synchronize with another stationery at any time. This way, they will always be generating the most up-to-date output available.

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