April 28, 2010

K4 Version 6 now lets you change Publication Terminology

You can now change the terminology within K4 to more accurately represent the structure of the publications or projects that you are working on.

In previous versions of K4, the administrator could not change the terminology used within the K4 system. However, the new feature-packed K4 Version 6 now ships with this new functionality.

The previous terminology used within K4 referenced every K4 project as a "Publication" and within each publication you had both "Issues" and "Sections." While this terminology fits publications like newspapers and magazines, it was less than perfect for book publishers. Book publishers have long wanted to change these terms to more accurately reflect the kind of work they do within the K4 system.

For example, instead of referring to a new book as a "Publication," book publishers have wanted to use the term "Textbook," or "Book." Since books are produced with the aim of a final release date, and are not monthly, weekly or daily productions, the term "Issue" was a tough concept for book publishers to grasp. In K4 Version 6, "Issues" can now be named "Chapter." And while the word "Section" was a perfect fit for the different segments of a newspaper; front page, editorial, classified, news, community, ect., book publishers now have the freedom to change the word "Section" to "Lesson.

It should also be noted that many companies using K4 don't fall into the newspaper, magazine or book publisher categories; many corporations and public institutions also use K4 and can benefit from this terminology change as well.

Changing the terminology within K4 Version 6 is very easy to setup while you are installing your K4 system. After you create your new "Publication," (it will only be referenced as such until you change it) you can login, select your "Publication" and chose "Edit" by clicking on the pen icon. Within the new, user-friendly admin tool, you will now see a section labeled "Terminology." The terminology can be changed for each "Publication" you have within K4. All you need to do is click the pen icon again to edit the current terms. You can also double-click any of the current terms to open the "Edit Terminology" window.

This is the new "Terminology" section of the K4 Admin.

This is the new "Edit Terminology" section for each "Publication" within the K4 Admin tool.

Once the new terminology has been setup within the K4 admin, the change is instantly reflected for all users inside K4. For users logged into K4 using InCopy and InDesign, the change in terminology can be seen in two different places. First, users can see the new terminology reflected inside the K4 Query panel. Now users can make sure they are opening the correct chapter and lesson, based on the information that is visible within the Query panel, and not just by the naming convention of the document.

This is the new terminology represented in the Query panel.

Second and most importantly, as users initiate workflows (check documents in) from within K4, they can now see the new terminology as they initiate or finish tasks.

This is the new terminology represented in the "Initiate Workflow" dialog box.

For many companies that were previously undecided on whether to invest in a K4 system, this was a major sticking point. Vjoon is finally catering to the other markets that use or would like to use their K4 product by addressing the terminology issue with this brand-new, built from the ground up application.

Overall, the ease of setup and the newfound clarity of terms within the K4 system make using K4 easier than ever before, for both administrators and users alike.

Posted at 12:33 pm by Robert Underwood

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