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Subject:Software question - converting HTML to PDF From:Uwe Tallmeister <uwe -at- raintreeinc -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Sun, 24 Sep 2006 19:58:05 +0300
Hi,
I'm new to this list, but I've tried searching the web and the list
archives without any success. If anybody could recommend some software,
I would be very grateful.
Current setup:
Help for our software is in html format, created with in-house tools and
displayed through an internal viewer. Files contain many screenshots and
would not pass HTML validation. There is also a bit of inline formatting
that should be preserved. Index is built on keywords specified in each
file. A table of contents is also generated. In addition to online help
(i.e., help files linked to menus, fields etc.) there is also a manual
that consists mostly of various skill guides. There are several versions
of the software, but most help is identical for all versions. Help
update packages are created each week or even more often.
Problem:
We also have a PDF manual for the customers to print out. Currently it
is created by editing a huge (about 500 pages) Word document and then
converted to PDF with a free converter. The problems with that process are:
a) for each edit, about 15 minutes is spent on opening the Word file and
another 15 on converting it to PDF. Editing the document on a slow PC is
frustrating enough...
b) since updating the offline manual takes a long time, most help edits
will not make it there - to spend half an hour to change five lines of
text in the manual is not very efficient, is it? On the other hand,
updating the manual based on edits made during one day is not an option
as well - getting the list of modified files and then finding the
modifications is possible, but time-consuming.
What we are looking for:
An utility that would take the bunch of html files, create a PDF
document based on them and add a table of contents with page numbers (I
do not mean the PDF bookmarks feature) to the beginning of the document
(preferably also to the beginning of each chapter, but that would be
icing on the cake). A keyword index would also be welcome. Since there
will be constant updates, it would also have to be able to save the
project or configuration. I am aware that we would spend a while setting
it up (since the files are not in the right order, the table of contents
probably has to be created manually; also, the formatting would require
some work), but the goal is to optimize time spent on individual
updates. Compiling the individual html files into HTML Help (or some
other format) as an intermediate step would also be acceptable.
Other information:
There is no price limit set - the management is quite supportive and
open to new ideas (yes, it *is* a nice job), so anything worth its price
would probably be purchased. There are currently three technical writers
(including myself) and a couple more will be hired soon, but it is also
acceptable to design one person as the "keeper" of the document and
purchase only one license.
Sorry for the long rant, but in my experience, additional information
has never done any harm.
WebWorks ePublisher Pro for Word features support for every major Help
format plus PDF, HTML and more. Flexible, precise, and efficient content
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Easily create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to any popular Help file format or printed documentation. Learn more at http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList
