Publishing a document creates a replica of the document that can have different characteristics from the original (source) document. This is often done to make it available to a different audience. For example, you could publish a Microsoft Word document in HTML format, change its security to make it accessible to a wider audience, and place it in a different folder for broader distribution.
Publishing involves the following components:
Workplace users store their source documents in an object store in one format and when the document is ready to be published, they then select a publish template that transforms the source document into the appropriate type of publication document. The publish template stores the publication document in a folder on the same object store as the source document, publish template, and style template.
A publish template specifies the publishing instructions for the publication document, such as security, property settings, location (object store and folder), and so forth. The publish template can assign a style template, which specifies the output format (transformation), such as publishing a Microsoft Word document in HTML format. The publish template can also assign an event action that is triggered when the publishing process is complete. Each time you publish a document, you can change the options for the resulting publication document.
Authors continue to maintain control over their source documents. They can continue to update and make changes to the source document that are not visible to users of the publication document. When they are ready to make the new version of the document available, they republish the source document. Depending on the publish template's republish instructions, this can create a new version of the publication document or a completely new publication document.
Publishing Designer Creates and modifies publish templates that include instructions on how to publish a document. Publishing Designer is one of the Workplace Author's advanced tools.
Publishing Handler (Content Engine) Converts a wide variety of documents to HTML format or PDF format. Your publish template can point to a style template that specifies the appropriate format. Administrators use the Style Template Manager to create and modify style templates, which specify the input and output format of source and publication documents.
Your administrators can also integrate many different MIME types that generate other formats.
Publish action in Workplace Workplace users select a document, and then specify they want to publish the document via the Actions menu. If the publish template does not specify a style template, the document is published immediately in its native format. If the publish template specifies a style template, the publish request goes into a queue for processing by the appropriate publishing plug-in.