Does the new RoboHelp really handle print manuals better?

Subject: Does the new RoboHelp really handle print manuals better?
From: "Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Mon, 2 Dec 2002 13:31:34 -0500


Chiming in a week late, as I got called away by an emergency:

Salan Sinclair wondered: <<Does the new RoboHelp really handle print manuals
better? I stayed away from RoboHelp in the past because I heard print was
challenging. Most of my clients need both print (PDF) and MS HTML Help.>>

Since RoboHelp uses Word for its standard WinHelp, it should provide you
with all Word's formatting options. Whether that's a good thing for manuals
I leave to each individual's taste. (I haven't used HTMLHelp, and will
continue avoiding it for as long as possible, so I can't comment on
RoboHTML.)

The bigger obstacle is that printed manuals and online help are different
beasties. I've yet to see a good implementation of a Help file as a manual,
or a good implementation of a manual as online help, and that being the
case, I'd suggest the answer to your question is "no way". You need to write
a manual specifically for its intended usage pattern and intended medium,
and unless you pick a true single-sourcing approach, you're not going to
succeed particularly well at meeting the needs of the online and in-print
reader by trying to take shortcuts.

Of course, if the client insists on an inadequate solution...

--Geoff Hart, geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
Forest Engineering Research Institute of Canada
580 boul. St-Jean
Pointe-Claire, Que., H9R 3J9 Canada
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html
"The skill of writing is to create a context in which other people can
think."--Edwin Schlossberg, designer (1945- )


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