A lasting solution: technical documentation simplified with Overleaf
Find out how Symplectic’s flagship research information management system went from strength to strength with Overleaf’s ‘flexible, scaleable’ authoring platform.
With Overleaf, working with large complex documents is no longer a daunting task. We now have a process for developing technical documentation which has virtually eliminated the time required to properly format and layout documents, allowing us to focus on the creation of the technical content.
—Andrew Bennet, Software Architect at Symplectic
At a glance
Software development and service company Symplectic needed an authoring tool for their flagship product, Elements. None of the previous platforms the team tried had proved successful and maintaining up-to-date documentation remained labor-intensive. They needed a tool everyone liked, which offered a suitable scope for customization and configuration to meet both current and future requirements.
The solutionBecause Overleaf harnesses the full potential of LaTeX and compiles typeset documents in real-time, the Symplectic team was able to create and configure a document-production environment tailored to their specific requirements. The result was high-quality typeset documentation, perfectly formatted and ready for end-users.
ProductOverleaf Cloud
The choice of leading research institutions
UK-based Symplectic specializes in the capture, management, and reuse of research information data by the world’s leading research institutions. Its flagship product is Elements, a research information management system that records, analyzes, and showcases research that is used by renowned research institutions including the University of Oxford, Carnegie Mellon University, and the UK’s Natural History Museum.
High-quality documentation is essential to the success of Symplectic Elements. However, keeping software documentation updated was time-consuming for the team and the previous authoring and management tools they tested had proved complex or inefficient. They needed a better way to manage and produce technical documentation for their clients.
A customizable tool for technical documentation
The team chose Overleaf because it provided the easy-to-use, flexible, and scalable solution they wanted. Overleaf enabled them to create and maintain complex technical documentation and keep it up-to-date. The power of LaTeX’s packages and macros, combined with Overleaf’s real-time compilation of typeset documents meant the Symplectic team was able to create and configure a document-production environment tailored to their specific requirements.
“One of our main requirements for a documentation solution was to improve the experience of working with snippets of syntax-highlighted code and markup, such as XML, and to make it easier to maintain formatting consistency,” explained Symplectic Senior Developer Andrew Bennet. “We initially attempted to use Markdown, but since it was primarily designed for the web we found that the tools to generate formatted PDF documents were extremely limited.
“With Overleaf, we discovered we could easily use LaTeX packages and define macros tailored to our formatting needs; the editing processes were also significantly simplified by the cloud-based collaborative editing features.”
With Overleaf, we discovered we could easily use LaTeX packages and define macros tailored to our formatting needs; the editing processes were also significantly simplified by the cloud-based collaborative editing features.
—Andrew Bennet, Software Architect at Symplectic
Improved workflows, satisfied clients
Some of the team initially had reservations about using the platform because of concerns that using LaTeX might be a barrier for those who were not already familiar with it. However, the option for users to write either in LaTeX Code Editor or Visual Editor, which provides a ‘word processor’ type environment, meant their concerns were unfounded and Overleaf was widely adopted by the team.
With Overleaf, the Symplectic team finally found a solution that stuck. They’ve been using it since January 2018 and have seen many improvements to their technical documentation workflows, with well-maintained and up-to-date information routinely delivered on time to satisfied clients.
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