TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Visio Question(s) From:"Miller, Lisa" <Lisa -dot- Miller -at- ANHEUSER-BUSCH -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 23 Aug 1999 13:34:31 -0500
TECHWR -Ls:
I am diagramming a rather large system using Visio. The diagrams have
turned
out to be very labor intensive. In other words, they are taking longer to
develop then I had originally estimated.
I'm working with my manager to consider delivery options other than
presenting
them through a help system. Help system delivery requires that I convert
the
Visio diagrams to .wmf, place them in the help system as a graphic, hot spot
the
graphic, and then compile (RoboHelp) the system. This means that the
diagrams
must be at least 80% accurate prior to conversation.
My manager and I both feel that the expertise of our audience would allow us
to
deliver less than 100% accurate diagrams in order to get audience feedback
on
diagram usability and technical content. I've given my audience the Visio
files
with limited linking between diagrams, but I would like to provide something
a
little closer to the Winhelp 2000 interface that was the promised delivery
medium. I haven't found anything in Visio to do a "table of contents" or
remove
the stencils area to the left. I think the audience can overcome these
things,
but over the long term are there other options?
My questions are these:
What are my options to quickly present linked diagrams to my audience with
at
least some WinHelp capability, look/feel?
What tools are available to mass convert Visio diagrams from .vsd to .wmf or
.bmp?
Are there shortcuts available to import Visio files into a help system and
retain Visio links between the diagrams?
Thanks for your input.
Lisa Miller
Technical Writer
lisa -dot- miller -at- anheuser-busch -dot- com