GRIPS & PRISMA Newsletter
Q1 2023
At a glance
This newsletter presents the new SVG support, a planned interface for Congree Language Check, and the progress made in the implementation of the GRIPS Roadmap 2023 – 2025. Plus, as always, you will receive the Release Notes for the new GRIPS release.
Support for SVG graphics
From GRIPS Release 2023.03 Build 09, it is possible to activate GRIPS support for graphics in the SVG format (requires the “SVG Graphics Package” license). A new graphics library has been introduced accordingly. This is compatible with
- Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) 2 W3C Candidate Recommendation 04 October 2018
- ASD and AIA S1000D Issue 4.0 Graphics Profile
The SVG standard leaves a great deal of room for interpretation and can therefore lead to different renderings in different browsers, which STAR has no influence over. For this reason, STAR also provides an SVG verification tool (Image Check) as part of the SVG graphics package, which can be used to easily validate the rendering of supplied graphics and technical drawings for paper publications.
Fig.: SVG graphic in the SVG verification tool
For more information and a quotation:
mark.wieder@star-group.net
Integration of Congree Language Check from 2024
Until 2024, STAR will be developing an interface to provide support for the language and terminology checking software of Congree. More details will be presented in a subsequent issue of the newsletter.
GRIPS Roadmap 2023-2025 update
Implementation of Roadmap 2023-2025 is making progress:
Process Control for Workflows
Support for standard templates has been implemented for the faster set-up of new authoring projects in project controlling. Further improvements in the project overviews and for tracking the workflow status across phases are in development.
Easy Authoring & Publishing
GRIPS manuals and guides will be available as modular HTML publications from the new GRIPS start page. To meet the comprehensive requirements of a particular pilot customer, a new GRIPS filter tool is being developed. In addition, a new, flexible publication process for HTML based on XSLT is being implemented for another pilot customer.
Smart Knowledge Capture
A new web editor is undergoing phased development as part of a pilot customer project. The most important functions will be available from 2024, with further advancements set to be delivered in subsequent roadmaps. The further development and integration of twin authoring in 3D and in GRIPS as well as 3D training creation will – subject to the budget approval of a pilot customer – start in 2024.
As part of the web editor development, author support is being redesigned. For this reason, the upgrading of the Structure Wizard with an automatically generated “Structure Memory” will no longer be pursued in the current roadmap. To be able to focus on other features having higher user priority, the expansion of anchor names with descriptors and version management/issue tracking for publications are also no longer part of the current roadmap.
For more information:
matthias.gutknecht@star-group.net
GRIPS Release Notes for Version 2022.04 Build 28 – 2023.03 Build 09
The following important improvements are included in the current releases (GRIPS Version 2022.04 Build 28 – 2023.03 Build 09). The releases are currently being delivered to the customers and contain bug fixes and improvements for GRIPS Matrix, Editor and Viewer.
GRIPS start page
With version 2023.02 Build 01 GRIPS gets a start page. The start page provides a pleasant introduction to the daily editorial routine with GRIPS and provides you with all important information about your work. A detailed description is part of the current release notes (2022.04 Build 28 - 2023.02 Build 05) and in the last GRIPS & PRISMA Newsletter Q2 2023.
GRIPS Matrix – Multiple instances of the GRIPS Matrix
Want to work with multiple projects in GRIPS at the same time? Before now, this could be done only by means of workarounds and, even then, problems could occur in the communication between the various windows of the GRIPS Matrix and the associated GRIPS Editors. As of GRIPS Version 2023.02 Build 01, it is possible to run multiple instances of GRIPS. When an as yet unopened GRIPS project is opened, a separate instance of GRIPS is now started with (if needed) its own GRIPS Editors and GRIPS Viewer. It doesn't matter whether the project is opened from the new GRIPS start page or (if JadeToGrips has not been started) from the previous project log-in. Multiple instances make it possible to work conveniently with multiple GRIPS projects at the same time. This is particularly helpful when you are working, for example, with development and production environments; in such cases, it is now easier to compare, copy, etc., data between environments.
GRIPS Matrix – Save and reuse filters for IU lists
Filters for IU lists can, from GRIPS Version 2023.03 Build 03, be saved under any name and then reused.
- Create an IU list in the normal way.
- Filter the IU list.
- In the 'Filter:' area of the filter dialogue at the bottom left, enter the name for your filter.
- Click on the 'Save filter' button.
- The filter is saved.
- When you need to, you can select a previously saved filter from the drop-down list of the 'IU list' dialogue.
GRIPS Editor – Simplified editing of table attributes
Whenever the user wanted to change the element attributes of the “hidden” data elements in the table view (e.g. to apply vertical alignment in a particular table row or to use a fill colour), it was necessary to switch to the tree view first. For this reason, GRIPS Version 2022.04 Build 29 introduces two additional buttons in the icon bar of the 'Tables' view of the dynamic window in the GRIPS Editor. The first button can be used to edit the row attributes of the currently selected table row. When you click on this button, the 'GRIPS Editor' switches to the 'Element Attributes' view, where it is possible to change the element attributes. Using the second button, you can edit the element attributes of the currently selected table feature (i.e. table body, header or footer). The button otherwise functions in the same way as the other button.
GRIPS Editor – 'Include image from clipboard' dialogue always visible
Depending on the scroll position in the data window, the 'Include image from clipboard' dialogue would sometimes open outside the visible area of the screen. The user experience has been improved in GRIPS Version 2023.02 Build 11 such that the dialogue is now always visible as soon as it is opened. This function is particularly suitable for the quick insertion of screenshots from a screenshot tool. Instructions can be found in the release notes (see links below).
GRIPS Editor – Enhanced data link preview
To get a preview of linked content in their data, 'GRIPS' authors click on the small black triangle at the beginning of a data link, thereby opening the data link preview. Here, they can check whether the linked content is in fact correct. With GRIPS Version 2023.03 Build 04, an image-related enhancement has been integrated: When the linked IU contains a data link to an image, the image is displayed as part of the data link preview. Displaying the image helps GRIPS authors to describe content in context. GRIPS authors now no longer have to open two further IUs in the GRIPS Editor. Instead, they can access the image in the preview itself and use it as guidance.
Other improvements, more details and screenshots, as well as bug fixes, can be found in the release notes. Take a look – it's worth it!
Release Notes
For more information:
matthias.gutknecht@star-group.net
GRIPS feature requests
The following GRIPS feature requests were implemented in the new release:
- New library and new verification tool for SVG images
- GRIPS Matrix: Multiple instances of the “GRIPS Matrix”
- GRIPS Matrix: Save and reuse filters for IU lists
- GRIPS Editor: Simplified editing of table attributes
- GRIPS Editor: Enhanced data link preview
- GRIPS Editor: Configuration of invisible control characters
Major GRIPS contract: Daimler Truck Service Information
For Daimler Truck AG, the user manuals for all European brands are already being converted to GRIPS. Daimler Truck AG has now also decided to create all its service information in GRIPS. The start of production with GRIPS is planned for the end of 2024.
Daimler Truck AG comprises the segments Daimler Trucks and Daimler Buses. It is one of the world's largest commercial vehicle manufacturers, with over 35 main locations and approximately 100,000 employees around the globe.
For more information:
matthias.gutknecht@star-group.net
GRIPS & PRISMA @ Events
STAR is participating in the following events:
- VDMA conference “Digitalization in Service”: Focusing on the successful marketing and sales of digital solutions, this conference takes place on 24 October 2023 in Bad Soden am Taunus.
- Tecom Schweiz after-hours talk: The event discusses the topic of “AI support for technical authoring: opportunities & challenges”. The after-hours talk takes place from 18:00 on Thursday, 26 October 2023, at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST) in Rapperswil.
- Technology Days 2023: This conference will offer expert lectures and panel discussions with the focus on content creation in digitalization. STAR, in collaboration with company Hilti, will demonstrate how the GRIPS Structure Wizard can be used to create a new information product from prepared manual modules in the quickest time. The conference takes place online (6–7 November).
- Tekom annual conference 2023: As always, STAR will have a stand at the annual conference this year. Together with Schmeling+Consultants, we will also once again be offering the workshop “The content factory: developing recipes for digital added value” (16 November at 11:30). The workshop is aimed at anyone who wants to learn more about semantic information management and it attracted great interest and numbers last year. If you would like to participate, you can reserve a place via the following link: https://tcworldconference.tekom.de/conference-program/detail/die-content-factory-rezepte-entwickeln-fuer-digitalen-mehrwert