What is structured authoring?
Structured authoring means writing content as reusable, semantic building blocks instead of free-form documents. The idea has been around for decades. DITA XML formalized it in the early 2000s. The tooling then made one assumption and never revisited it: that you are comfortable with XML. Comfort with angle brackets is a strange thing to require of a writer. If you are new to the concept, start with the guide to what a CCMS is.
The principles were never the problem. Topicary keeps the principles and drops the markup. For the research behind this approach, see what 59 technical writers actually say about XML and structured authoring.
Components: write once, reuse everywhere
A component is a block of content (a warning, a setup step, a compatibility note) that you write once and reference from any topic. Update the source and every reference updates automatically. No search-and-replace, no missed page.
Creating a component
Select any block in the editor, open the slash command menu, and choose "Save as component." Name it. It is available for insertion anywhere in the project.
Where-used tracking
Every component shows a where-used panel: which topics reference it, in which maps, published to which sites. You see the blast radius before you edit a shared component.
Conditions: one topic, multiple audiences
Conditional content lets you maintain a single topic that serves multiple audiences. Tag blocks by product, plan, platform, or custom taxonomy. Filter at publish time. The alternative is duplicate topics drifting apart.
In-editor preview
Toggle conditions in the editor to see exactly what each audience will see. No build step, no waiting. The filtered view updates instantly.
Variables: change once, propagate everywhere
Product names change. Version numbers increment. URLs move. Define each one as a variable and reference it throughout your content. Update the variable value once. Every reference follows.
The import path
If you are coming from another tool, Topicary imports your existing content:
- Markdown: headings, lists, tables, code blocks, images
- DITA: topics, maps, conrefs mapped to components, conditions preserved
- MadCap Flare: full project import with TOC, snippets, variables, conditions
- Confluence: page trees with macro cleanup
- Word: .docx with heading hierarchy preserved
- OpenAPI: 3.x specs converted to reference documentation
Drag a file or zip onto the import dialog. The format is auto-detected, and you preview before you commit. Structured authoring, minus the markup. To understand why I built Topicary and the gap it fills between enterprise CCMS tools and modern wikis, read the full story.