This is not strictly off topic for a database list, but is tiptoeing
close to the edge.

I need a writing environment in which to produce blog entries and copy
for a CMS, but also academic essays that entail diagrams, block
quotations, and footnotes. Some items will (obviously) be published in
an online-only format, others will be distributed online as PDFs,
while others will be printed. For every item, I need to track date
created, date modified, classification, multiple topic tags, dates
published (or distributed), contexts/media of publication/
distribution, recipients (with possible multiple recipients on
different dates), and notes on feedback.

There are journaling tools suitable for blog entries and which also
track some metadata, but don't do the page layout and footnoting.
There are word processors that do the footnoting and other pretty-on-
paper stuff, and can also be dumped out to a blog, but don't track
metadata.

Also in this mix is a conflict between choosing the right tool for the
job (and consequently different tools for different jobs) and the
desire to keep everything as simple as possible. I will be producing
hundreds (possibly thousands) of items, which will need to be upgraded
and kept viable as formats evolve. Using the same tool for all of them
is appealing.

I'm leaning toward using a word processor, putting a unique ID in the
filename, and keeping the metadata in a separate index in FileMaker.
But I'm open to other suggestions. Have any of you solved this problem
in a different way?

I'm on a Mac, so Windows-only solutions won't help.

Thanks,
dp


--
This list is a free service of LassoSoft: http://www.LassoSoft.com/
Search the list archives: http://www.ListSearch.com/FileMaker/Browse/
Manage your subscription: http://www.ListSearch.com/FileMaker/