A Custom Publishing Engine (or CPE, Content Mashup, eCompile system, etc), enables authorized and authenticated users to assemble new works from a body of content represented in the CPE’s repository.  A CPE enables agile repurposing of content for increased return on investment in two primary ways: 

  1. Internal (editor) rapid creation of new products – with the resultant output sent to production
  2. External (end-user/consumer) creation of new, personal works that can be enhanced with a cover and output to PDF for print on demand, PDF for web use, and/or eBook in ePub

VML’s CPE is built upon the powerful Mark Logic Server as the content repository and leverages a Java framework for the user interface.  It is secure, reliable, highly scale-able, configurable, roles-controlled, multi-tenant solutions for publishers.  For more detail on the repository and the CPE, please see the Detailed Feature List.

The CPE follows VML’s discovery process (see User Experience Concept) that guides the user experience through discovery, experience, content use decision, format type decision.  The diagram below illustrates the process by which a user creates a new work using the CPE:

When a user authenticates or registers into the CPE, he or she receives access to a set of content controlled by his or her assigned role.  A role can have access to all or a subset of the content in the CPE.  Typical user roles include editors (who may have access to all content in the system), corporate users (who have licensed access to all or some of the content in the system), etc. 

Upon entering the CPE,  a user can either create a project or begin the discovery process to find relevant content.   Discovery is facilitated through a simple, standard Boolean search string or via a faceted advanced search as shown in the figure below:

Alternatively, a user can perform a categorized browse through the content as shown below.

All search methods result in either an image-oriented (basic and categorized search) or columnar (advanced search) results screen, examples of both are shown below.

The user can switch back and forth between the two search display types, allow the user to preview a content object, add a content object to the active project, save the content object in “My Library” or refine the search.

The user may preview any content object found during the discovery process to determine if it is desired for a project.  The preview system displays the content including any embedded images, video or audio (via URI link) and has a comprehensive formatting capability that enables control of the font, font size, font treatment, justification, etc for each element type in the XML (e.g. title, author, body, etc).  The picture below shows a screen capture of the preview tool.

VisualML Custom Publishing Engine Preview Example

The CPE includes a powerful project toolbar that enables the user to manage his or her CPE usage, including:

  • Stores and displays the active project – enabling drag and drop reordering and removal of the content objects in the project
  • Management of projects including:
    • Creation of new project
    • Delete project
    • Rename project
    • Share project
    • Publish project
  • My Library which includes:
    • Stored searches
    • Recently added (and unfiled) content objects
    • Comprehensive list of content objects viewed
    • User-named folder system for filing content objects
    • Projects that have been shared with this user
  • Refine results, which displays when in search result display in the main window to hone results

VisualML Custom Publishing Engine Project Box Active Project

EVN Solutions Custom Publishing Engine Project Box My Library

EVN Solutions Custom Publishing Engine Project Box Refine Search Results

The system has a well designed, best of breed Cover design system intended for use by end users, but useful for rapid creation of covers, especially for on-line use.  The capabilities of the cover system are full discussed on the Cover Maker Module page (pending).

When a project is complete and ready to be published, the user selects from a list of Role enabled output types, currently ePub eBook, PDF for web (72 DPI resolution images in RGB) and PDF for Print (full resolution images in CMYK).  The system provides an optional facility for using Adobe ACS4 DRM (see that module description, Adobe ACS4 DRM, for further details).

The CPE can be logoed and colored to match any publisher’s color scheme.  As fully described in the detailed features list, the CPE has a substantial administrative interface and reporting system.

VML offers the CPE system as a license for self hosting or hosted at one of our Level 3 facilities.  Please contact your VML representative for more details and a demonstration. 

That content body represented in the CPE’s repository is composed of content works that are represented in XML, such as:

  • Books (Docbook, NLM3.0, RelaxNG),
  • Magazines (PRISM), and
  • Journals (NLM)

On ingest to the repository, each of the content works is broken up into Content Objects – each of which is a uniquely useable or sellable piece of content such as:

  • an article from a journal or magazine,
  • one or more chapters of a book, or
  • a meaningful picture, etc. 

 

  • Repository
    • Ability to load any XML into repository
    • VML XML framework to drive the CPE; publisher content mapped into framework
    • Access media stored elsewhere (DAM, etc) via URI integration in XML
    • Versioning of stored XML content
    • Comprehensive reporting on content
    • Ability to create custom applications on repository for specific needs
  • Ingest tool that validates ingested VML and provides an interface for Categorization of Content
    • Separates marked Content Objects
    • Ingests arbitrary XML with validation to DTD/Schema
    • Ingests arbitrary content
  • CPE Application
    • User Login and Authentication
    • Arbitrary number of User Roles
      • Control of access (read and edit) to content objects in the CPE by Role
      • Control of access to CPE functions by Role
    • Project Box, enables
      • Storage of projects each of which is composed of a set of Content Objects
      • Arbitrary number of projects
      • Project Management
        • Create New
        • Delete
        • Rename
        • Share
      • My Library
        • History:  Of content objects viewed
        • My Searches:  Stored searches for future use
        • Recently Added:  Content Objects  - added via the “Add to My Library” button in search results and preview
        • All My Content Objects:  Includes user-named folder hierarchy for storage of Content Objects for later use
        • Projects Shared with Me:  by other users of the CPE
    • Comprehensive discovery leveraging all relevant ML search capabilities
      • Basic Boolean search string
      • Advanced/Faceted search build user interface
      • Facet search result refinement
      • Browse for content using an N wide by N deep categorization scheme stored in VML for each Content Object set.
      • Refined search interface by facets
    • Build a project through role controlled rights access to the reposited content object library
    • Ability to preview a Content Object in a well stylized presentation based on information stored in VML for that Object.
      • Control of preview display by element (e.g. selection of font, treatment, justification, etc for each element type – title, author, body content, etc.)
      • Includes button set to add content to project, etc
    • Comprehensive end-user cover system
      • Template system
        • Default or user selection
        • Positioning of project metadata, images, text
        • Selection of output type
        • Selection of document orientation (landscape or portrait)
        • All cover surfaces for print
        • Selection of document size
      • Image Box Control
        • System supplied or optional user supplied images
        • Image position in frame
        • Sizing controls
          • Original
          • Fit Width
          • Fit Height
          • Zoom bar or percentage
        • Single image or tiled
      • Text Frame Control
        • Color
        • WYSIWYG text entry
    • Ability to output a project to a number of possible formats, currently
      • ePub
      • PDF for Print
      • PDF for Web
      • Others available by request using abstracted XSLT interface
    • Comprehensive administration of the CPE
      • Host (Worldcolor) level
      • Client (Publisher) level
      • Deployment (specific
        • Ability to connect > 1 deployment to create an accumulated deployment (e.g. each SI pub could have a deployment and they could do an “all motor cars” deployment as well)
      • Configuration of  all the above
      • Definition of users, roles, groups and rights and permissions for all of the above
    • Rebranding and coloring of user interface
    • Comprehensive reporting of activity in the CPE
    • Classic Help support for working the CPE
  • Options:
    • VisualML Hosted Environment
    • Adobe ACS4 Integration