How to Add a DTP Step to the Workflow in XTM Cloud

Owned by Damian Rozmiarkowski (Unlicensed)
Last updated: Jul 12, 2024 by Damian Rozmiarkowski
4 min read

Introduction

In XTM Cloud, you can add a Desktop publishing (DTP) step to your XTM Cloud workflow. In XTM Cloud, desktop publishing is the process by which computer software is used to perform a variety of editing/maintenance actions on the target file. Examples: combining and rearranging text and images, creating digital digital files, changing layout, etc.

The purpose of this article is to explain how to effectively add a DTP flow to the workflow for a particular XTM Cloud project.

Instructions

  1. Create a DTP workflow step in XTM Cloud, as it is not created by default. To do so, select Configuration → Settings → Workflow → Workflow steps.

  2. Click the Add button (administrative privileges are required!).

  1. From the Type dropdown, choose the Non CAT tool process step type (one of the Additional steps).

  • In this type of workflow step, an assigned linguist can download target files from and upload target files to a particular project in XTM Cloud, but the existing translation memory (TM) and project segments are not modified.

  1. In the Name field, enter a name for your DTP step.

  2. In the Description field, enter the step’s description.

  3. To activate the step, select the Active checkbox.

  4. Finally, save the changes.

 

  1. In the appropriate XTM Cloud project, create a workflow with the DTP step. (The most common practice is to insert the DTP step at the end of the workflow, so that it is performed once all the translation work has been completed).

  2. Assign a suitable Linguist. See this example:

IMPORTANT!

Make sure that you enable a newly created workflow step for your Linguist so that they can be seamlessly assigned to this step in a workflow. To do so, select Users → User list → (select your user) → General → Workflow steps, and move the step in question to the column on the right.

  1. When the workflow is on the DTP step, the assigned user can now download a target file, perform necessary changes in it, separately from the XTM Cloud application, and upload it back to the DTP step in XTM Cloud.

  1. Once the modified target file is uploaded back to XTM Cloud, the appropriate warning message is displayed in the File Manager to inform the PM that the target file has been uploaded manually.

  1. As this point, when the DTP step is finished and the project workflow is completed, XTM Cloud will not generate a new target file, as it normally does when there is no manual upload! Instead, it will use a manually uploaded target file as a valid and final target file.

  2. A new “valid” target file will only be generated if the user generates a new target file by clicking on the cog icon and selecting Generate target. An appropriate warning message is displayed to explain what will happen if a target is generated.

Good to know!

Here is a couple of words about LPM (Limited Project Manager) user roles.

LPM (Limited Project Manager) user roles are useful if you decide to enhance the capability of your DTP Linguists beyond performing operations on target files. For instance, you might like them to be able to upload or download all types of files, including bilingual files and source files.

For this purpose, you could consider granting Linguists performing DTP tasks one of the LPM (Limited Project Manager) user roles: PM – projects and customers or PM – project creator and viewer. These roles are configurable, so if they do not currently meet your requirements (because they grant too few or too many privileges), the XTM International Support team can adjust them for you. Raise a ticket with the XTM International Support team, on our Support Portal, to submit a suitable request, and provide details.

For more details about the capability of each of the roles mentioned above, see Limited Project Manager (LPM) roles – description and customization.