[topicmapmail] Creating topic maps

[Lars Marius Garshol]

* Pranav Lal
>
> I need to map business processes and I am thinking about using  
> topic maps. I
> would like to give the user of the process a graphical  
> representation of the
> process and the relationship amongst the various elements in that  
> process.
> However, I would like to be able to create this process in text  
> format and
> to review it too in text format.

The way it sounds to me you want to have

  (1) graphical *presentation* of your topic map, and

  (2) text-based *editing* of the topic map.

Am I right? If so, you basically have three choices for the editing:

  (1) LTM or AsTMa= together with a text editor, as proposed by Lars  
Heuer.
      This will require your users to learn Topic Maps, learn the syntax
      they are going to use, and that they use some form of text editor.

  (2) Use a generic Topic Maps editor like Ontopoly[1]. This doesn't  
really
      require anything much of the users, but it requires your  
ontology not
      to have too much complex update logic.

  (3) Build a custom editor using some Topic Maps framework. This  
requires
      the most work from you, but is definitely doable.

The presentation is harder. You can use something like Vizigator[2]  
or GraphViz[3], or you can create something yourself.

> I am ok if I have to script to generate the process.

I'm not sure if that's really necessary.

[1] http://www.ontopia.net/solutions/ontopoly.html
[2] http://www.ontopia.net/solutions/vizigator.html
[3] http://www.graphviz.org/

--
Lars Marius Garshol, Ontopian               http://www.ontopia.net
+47 98 21 55 50                             http://www.garshol.priv.no