What is Serna Enterprise?

Syntext Serna Enterprise is a highly customizable, multi-platform, pure XSL-driven WYSIWYG XML content editor. It looks and works like a conventional word processor, yet gives you much more flexibility to alter or reuse content while keeping its integrity intact. Syntext Serna lets you collaborate on compound documents that contain embedded data from various sources. Content is viewed as an integrated whole that is intuitively transparent to authors. Possible applications of Syntext Serna range from technical and business content authoring to sophisticated PDM systems.

Quotes "Aside from the affordable pricing, positive feedback from our users and good support from Syntext, Serna made our transition to XML painless for users. It also looks like it will meet other specific longer-term goals in a way that I do not expect other XML-authoring products to do soon." - Tim van Niekerk, Editor - Systems Developer, Dictionary Unit for South African English, South Africa

Why Serna Enterprise?

Syntext Serna's architecture provides a unique set of features designed for the most demanding applications. With on-the-fly XSLT processing and XInclude, Serna allows you to compose sophisticated multi-source documents which are rendered in print-like appearance with XSL-FO stylesheets. Serna is able to handle very large documents and distributed authoring with WebDAV. Other important features include tri-mode instant validation with XML schemas, redlining and content annotation, simple in-line forms, powerful content profiling and a user-customizable GUI. Rapid creation of custom extensions, customizations and integration with other systems can be done with Python scripting and C++ APIs.

Syntext Serna offers innovative, cost-effective solution for creating and maintain complex XML documents. With minimal training, most people will find it as easy to use as a conventional word processor. Serna provides a natural way of migrating toward XML technology and allows you to create and maintain XML documents more rapidly, effectively, and consistently.

Where is Serna Enterprise Used?

The XML editor is successfully used for various applications, ranging from software documentation and literature studies to advanced aircraft maintenance documentation systems. The list of customers includes Northwest Airlines, International Air Transport Association, Siemens AG, Agfa Healthcare, Pearson,BuildForge (an IBM company), Yandex, Northwestern University, The University of Virginia, Hamburg University, North Carolina State University, The University of Tokyo , and many others.

Major Highlights

• XML authoring with print appearance
• Out-of-the-box support of complex industrial DTD/Schemas like DocBook, TEI, DITA, NITF
• On-the-fly XSL-driven XML rendering and transformation (using XSLT and XSL-FO subsets)
• On-the-fly document validation against XML Schemas
• External and internal entity in-place editing
• XInclude support with in-place editing
• Drag-and-drop with on-the-fly validation
• ContentMap: advanced tree-view
• Context-sensitive element help
• WebDAV support
• Python API and C++ API
• Redlining (annotations)
• Large document support
• Fully customizable GUI
• Table support (XSL FO, CALS)
• XML catalog support
• Spell checking
• GUI Internationalization (Chinese, Dutch, French, German, Igbo, Italian, Norwegian, Russian)
• Multilingual (UNICODE) support
• Available for Microsoft Windows™ (2000, XP, Vista), Linux, Mac OS X, and Solaris 8

Power for Professionals

Syntext Serna Enterprise is designed to support the most sophisticated XML document architectures. Because of its unique on-the-fly XSL capability Serna can render large compound documents composed of multiple data sources in a single, print-like editable view.

Creating custom dialogs, implementing database and repository access is easy and convenient with Serna C++ and scripting (Python) APIs. For details, see Syntext Serna Enterprise Software Development Kit.

Ease of Use

Syntext Serna Enterprise provides authors with familiar word-processing features, such as editing text and tables, cut and paste, multiple undo levels, spell checking, intuitive toolbars, and so on. With Serna Document Templates, a new document can be opened or created with just a mouse click: no cumbersome "Projects" are necessary. User interface can be completely customized for particular tasks or document types, so the authors will not be distracted by unnecessary menus and controls and at the same time will have the specific customized controls for their tasks. Many of such customizations can be done right from the user interface without the need to write scripts.

Built-in and External Publishing

Syntext Serna Enterprise allows you to print the document just as it is shown in the editing window, or to call external applications for publishing in different formats (HTML, PDF, etc).

Scenarios

Software company uses Syntext Serna Enterprise to create manuals (in printed and Web forms) and a GUI help, using the same source XML documents organized as small topics. These topics are re-used for all outputs, and assembled differently for the printed form and GUI help. Profiling information is applied for selecting content for the particular language and the product version.

An airline company uses Syntext Serna Enterprise for its aircraft maintenance. Serna is used to create and maintain the job cards. Job cards are assembled by Serna on-the-fly by fetching fragments supplied by the manufacturers from the repository and utilizing conditional content for automatic production of job card variants. This allows automated, instant merge of manufacturer changes. Serna also provides a tailor-made user interface for working with job cards, and formats job cards according to the carrier standards.

Related Services

Syntext provides full range of services, including consulting services, tailoring of Syntext Serna for the needs of particular applications, integration with existing business systems, design of custom schemas and stylesheets, assisting migration from legacy systems, and so on.

Feedback

Feel free to discuss Syntext Serna features in mailing-list serna-users@syntext.com or e-mail your suggestions for improvements and bug reports to serna-bugs@syntext.com.