Confluence Docs With Node.js, Intro to the PSU Tech Writing Program

We'll have two speakers at our October Meetup!

Brian Immel will describe his method for publishing from Confluence with a Node.js script.

As a tech writer who is responsible for writing and publishing documentation in various formats, I've found a need to combine my hobby of toying around with JavaScript and document publication. In particular, I'm tasked with pulling information from an Atlassian's Confluence site down into a static HTML file set. However, the method I use (Export EclipseHelp with a custom template) doesn't reliably generate clean or consistent HTML documents. While the original intent of this tutorial was to update content extracted from Confluence, it can work on any HTML file.

Brian's Bio:

Brian has been writing technical documentation for 10+ years and has been toying with front-end development for nearly as long. Brian cut his technical writing teeth at PDI/DreamWorks (creators of "Shrek", "Madagascar", and more) and currently is the documentation guru for Axway/Appcelerator.

Sarah Read will tell us about the PSU Technical Writing program

Sarah will introduce the PSU program. In her talk, she'll create an opportunity to brainstorm and take ideas on how the program can support the tech community in Portland and vice versa. Sarah will have some program students with her, so they can also take questions and share their experiences.

Sarah's Bio:

Sarah Read is a professor and Director of Technical and Professional Writing in the English Department at Portland State University. She has a Ph.D. from the University of Washington in Language and Rhetoric with a specialization in technical communication. Her most recent research has been about technical reporting and documentation practices at a supercomputing center in Chicago, IL. She teaches technical and professional communication at the graduate and undergraduate levels.