Learning About RoboHelp and MadCap Flare

1. Learning About RoboHelp and MadCap Flare

2. Topics for Tonight • What do we (I) mean by ‘online help’ • Different formats – which one when and why • RoboHelp – hands on • WebWorks ePublisher Pro – demo • Flare – hands on

3. Online Help, Context Sensitive Help, Tools Tips, Balloon Help, Dynamic Help • Online help – usually from menu, Help > Contents (maybe Contents and Index) • Context sensitive help – What’s This? (fairly rare these days), select the question cursor, then select UI element in the application. • Tool tips and balloon help (mouseover) – (term balloon originally from Apple), the pop-up when cursor is placed over UI element (usually over buttons) • Dynamic help – usually part of the application, can update based on what you are doing in the application

4. Online Help Systems • Considerations • Client/Server • Operating System (Windows, Mac, Unix, Linux) • Browser Compatibility • Distribution (Web-based, with software, CD, etc.)

5. Common Formats for Online Help Systems • Simple HTML • WinHelp (compiled .CHM) • MS HTML Help • WebHelp (supports DHTML, scripting) • JavaHelp (typically with Java applications) • Miscellaneous others

6. Simple HTML • Generally no issues with browsers, operating systems • Source relatively uncomplicated allowing hand editing • Difficult to maintain when large • Does not support DHTML features • Can work with scripting

7. WinHelp (.CHM) • Often called ‘Chum’ file • Easy distribution as it is a compiled single file (including any graphics, etc.) • Limited to Windows • Not easy to make minor fixes after built (have to rebuild) • No longer supported by MS

8. MS HTML Help • Numerous versions (4?) • Versions can be browser dependent • Can include Active X controls (potential browser and OS issue) • Outputs various files - .hlp, .hhp

9. WebHelp • Works with many OS and browsers • Supports DHTML • Can do some minor hand editing without rebuild (depends on the extent)

10. Online Help Functionality Options • Table of Contents (expanding or not) • Search (key word, full text) • Index • Links (cross references) and Jumps • Expanding Text (in line and expand below) • Pop-ups • Bread crumbs • Other navigation (previous, next, related topics, etc.) NOTE: Certain online formats do not support all types of features

11. Introduction to RoboHelp • History of RoboHelp (eHelp, then Macromedia, then Adobe) – purchase of Macromedia appears not for Robo but other products like Flash, support for Robo questionable • RoboHelp Office, RoboHelp for Frame (no longer available or supported) • Allows creation of multiple formats and allows document generation (Word) • Works with Word • WYSIWYG

12. Hands-on Getting Started with RoboHelp • Select RoboHelp Starter • Select Help Type – in this case WebHelp (select New Project on that window) • Provide information, select Finish

13. Navigating, Application Layout • Menus and toolbar • Left pane – note tabs at bottom • Main editing pane

14. Adding Topics • Adding, editing directly in RoboHelp • Importing files such as Word • Manually add a number of topics (directly in RoboHelp) • Try various character and paragraph formatting

15. Topics and Books • Each topic represents a screen in online help • Each book is a collection of topics • Books can be nested underneath other books • Topics are only within books

16. Creating Table of Contents (TOC) • After creating a number of topics, select TOC tab (left pane) • Select Topics tab (right pane) • Drag topics from right to left pane • Add a book – in right pane right-click, new, book or select book icon (upper left) • Play with organizing books and topics

17. Generating Output • Generate and view multiple outputs • Select Project tab in left window • Right-click output type (e.g., WebHelp) and select Generate • Or from File menu, select either Generate primary layout or Batch (where you can select the output type) • Compare results

18. Importing Word Documents • Consider styles, headings (see tips in RoboHelp help) • After you import, changes to original Word file are not automatically updated. You have to re-import. • You can have the character and paragraph formatting of Word transferred into RoboHelp (if that works for online).

19. Other RoboHelp Features (Time permitting) • Skins – skin editor • DHTML effects and other navigation options • Indexing (smart index option) • Formatting (text styles similar to Word)

20. WebWorks (actually now ePublisher Pro) • Quadralay Corporation – WebWorks used to be packaged with FrameMaker, hence somewhat popular • Current version is ePublisher Pro 9.3 (and ePublisher Express) • Interface is a bit unintuitive. • Documentation is weak but getting better. • Very powerful – handles large help systems. • Very flexible – but again non-intuitive and can require playing with .asp and .xml • Expensive (more than $1K for a license – requires maintenance fee)

21. Demo of ePublisher Pro • User interface • How handles FrameMaker source files • How to set up topics • Paragraph formatting • (time permitting, conditional text and drop-downs)

22. MadCap Flare • Started by a core group from RoboHelp when Marcomedia purchased by Adobe • Up to version 3.x • Tout a similar UI as RoboHelp but more powerful, much cleaner output, .Net capabilities, more built-in editing and content-management capabilities. • FrameMaker support came a little later and still might not be to the level of WebWorks. • Word support good. • Competitively priced.

23. Flare – Hands On: Starting and Navigating • Start Flare – do not start the project wizard. • Navigating – the UI with floating/anchored (pin) windows, tabs on the side • Add a new, blank topic (any name). • Now look at view menu. Project Organizer, Content Explorer. etc., • Experiment with floating, dragging (dragging to arrows, etc.)

24. Flare – Hands On: XML Editor & TOC • Add content in topic editor – note ‘snippet’ concept • Create numbered list and manipulate via snippet control • Create another topic or two. • To create TOC, Project Organizer – TOCs, shows Master – double-click Master to show Master TOC editor (or view Open Master TOC). • Drag topics from Content Explorer to Master TOC

25. Flare – Hands On: Importing Frame Files • In Project Organizer – right-click imports, Add FrameMaker Import File (brings up New Import Editor) • In editor, select Add Files (select book or individual files) • Select New Topic Styles (to map online topics to Frame paragraph styles) • Select Import (scans Frame files, note – graphic conversion goes through Distiller – can take a while) • Accept import documents • Open new topic TOC (Project Organizer – TOCs) • Review TOC

26. Flare – Hands On: Building Output • Make new TOC the master TOC – either right-click and set Make Master TOC • The ‘Build’ primary help (from menu or Project Organizer – Targets) • View output. • To publish (generate only those files for output – no Flare project files) need to set publishing destination first • Select Targets – double-click MyWebHelp – opens publishing editor • Select Publishing tab – then Edit Destination to file (then save) • Then Build – Publish file – user Explorer to see output

27. Time Remaining? • Skin editor in Flare • Play with Flare or RoboHelp