Choose tools and formats

The decisions that shape everything else: which source format to write in, which target formats to publish to, and which tools actually pay for themselves.

Source formatChoosing what you write in — the decision that determines your entire toolchain.

Target formatChoosing what you publish to, and why it doesn't have to be the same as your source format.

Formats and toolsWhy the format matters more than the tool — and how to evaluate tooling costs.

Is an index useful in a PDF?A concrete example of a format-driven trade-off decision.

Ready to commit to DITA and structured authoring? See structured authoring. Comparing docs-as-code toolchains? See adopting docs-as-code.