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Re: Total Confusion; was, "RE: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that?"
Subject:Re: Total Confusion; was, "RE: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that?" From:voxwoman <voxwoman -at- gmail -dot- com> To:"Leonard C. Porrello" <Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Jan 2010 14:40:15 -0500
>From MSG#2, Missy indicates she has Adobe Tech Comm Suite 2, which DOES
indeed have RoboHelp. I do not think that she has used it yet.
I haven't done much with RoboHelp in about 10 or so years, but I believe
there is a way to generate WebHelp from it. (I have TC1, whose RoboHelp
integration with FrameMaker is somewhat problematical).
-Wendy
On Thu, Jan 14, 2010 at 2:12 PM, Leonard C. Porrello <
Leonard -dot- Porrello -at- soleratec -dot- com> wrote:
> Rick,
>
> I am sorry you are "totally confused." Perhaps you should go back an
> read Missy's first and second messages. Here they are:
>
> Message 1
> "My new employer wants to make our help system available to our customer
> to download. What files are needed to create a "portable" help system?
> Is this still WebHelp?
> "Personally, I don't know why it is so critical to offer a
> downloadable help system to customers. I can't understand why they can't
> use a .pdf. All of our products are unique and the manuals are quite
> navigatable through pdf. Any thoughts?"
>
> Message 2
> "Okay, I just came back from my boss' office. She showed me a zip file
> that they distribute and the customer downloads. The only files it
> contains is all html files and a folder with images. That's it. She
> stabs her finger at the monitor and says, "That's what I want.
> "I know the previous tech writing team used WebWorks but I have
> no idea how that works or what kind of output that is. We have Frame9
> and it doesn't work with WebWorks, plus we have TCS2 so Robo is the
> answer.
> "Do you know how I can get her what she wants? Thank you."
>
> As I read Missy's words, I see no indication that she has already
> finished creating a RoboHelp project or even that her department owns
> RoboHelp. In fact, I get the exact opposite impression. She states,
> "What files are needed to create a "portable" help system? If she
> already has a project in RoboHelp, why would she be asking about how to
> "create" a help system? Wouldn't the answer be in RoboHelp's help? As I
> read them, Missy's words indicate that she has documentation in Frame
> and needs to get it published as WebHelp.
>
> But perhaps this isn't the only thing causing your bewilderment. Perhaps
> you fail to understand the full purpose of Techwr-l. Please, allow me to
> enlighten you. According to Techwr-l, "The TECHWR-L Mailing List
> provides a forum for any discussions related to technical
> communication." I am pretty sure that the point I raised was relevant to
> the request Missy _actually_ made ("How do I get my Frame document into
> WebHelp?"), is very much in line with the purpose of this forum, and
> will be helpful to anyone who subsequently searches the Techwr-l
> archives.
>
> Still totally confused?
>
> Leonard
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Rick Stone [mailto:rstone75 -at- kc -dot- rr -dot- com]
> Sent: Thursday, January 14, 2010 10:35 AM
> To: Leonard C. Porrello
> Cc: Missy Smith; ASK TECHWR-L
> Subject: Re: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that?
> Importance: High
>
> Hi Leonard
>
> I'm totally confused what the purpose is of your reply is or how it is
> supposed to help Missy with her issue.
>
> Missy asked a question about how to accomplish something that may be
> accomplished using a tool she already has access to. That tool is
> RoboHelp. From what I understood of her question, it was very specific.
> She wanted to know how to accomplish publishing the output. She didn't
> seem to be asking which tool is better than another.
>
> Can you please cite specific examples of how she can obtain Flare and
> immediately make it Publish the RoboHelp output she has just finished
> creating? That seems to be what you are suggesting.
>
> Cheers... Rick :)
>
> Leonard C. Porrello wrote:
> > Regarding RoboHelp, there is at least one arguably superior
> alternative:
> > Flare. You should check it out before you decide which tool to use.
> >
> > Leonard
> ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>
> Are you looking for one documentation tool that does it all? Author,
> build, test, and publish your Help files with just one easy-to-use tool.
> Try the latest Doc-To-Help 2009 v3 risk-free for 30-days at:
>http://www.doctohelp.com/
>
> Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
> learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
> get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at:
>http://www.ModernAnalyst.com
>
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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Are you looking for one documentation tool that does it all? Author,
build, test, and publish your Help files with just one easy-to-use tool.
Try the latest Doc-To-Help 2009 v3 risk-free for 30-days at: http://www.doctohelp.com/
Explore CAREER options and paths related to Technical Writing,
learn to create SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS documents, and
get tips on FUNCTIONAL SPECIFICATION best practices. Free at: http://www.ModernAnalyst.com
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