Print support in RoboHelp and linked Frame projects?

[mel_w]

Hi,

We're investigating a move from Flare to the Tech Comm Suite. I've just started digging in, so please feel free to point me to an existing resource for any of my questions.

-I initially thought we'd set up a linked Frame/RoboHelp project so that we could use Frame to create print-ready PDFs and RoboHelp to create online and context-sensitive Help. However, my understanding is that the integration goes only one way--from Frame to RoboHelp. In other words, if I take advantage of any of the single-sourcing features in RH, such as variables or snippets, those features won't translate back to FrameMaker. Is that an accurate understanding?

-Is it true that RoboHelp doesn't allow you to add Headers or Footers to your topics that will survive conversion to PDF?

Thanks.

[Peter Grainge]

You are correct that there is no round-tripping but I am asking myself why you want to use variables and snippets in Rh when your content is FrameMaker? Variables and snippets are things you would use with content created in Rh.

I suspect Jeff Coatsworth will be able to add more to the FrameMaker Integration aspects.

As far as Printed Documentation is concerned Headers and Footers don't survive the trip to Word and therefore don't get to PDF. Typically though the output is going to require a little tidying up if only to get page breaks exactly where you want them. From there you can simply copy the Rh output into your own Word template and then create the PDF. There's more about that on my site.

Again though I am asking why you want that when your content is in Fm?

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[mel_w]

Thanks for the clarifications. Our content is currently in Flare, which we use to single-source print and WebHelp outputs.

For our next project, we'd like better print support and support for HTML 5 output, which is why we are looking at RoboHelp and FrameMaker.

We'd also like to move towards topic-based authoring and more reuse, so I was hoping to use some of the RoboHelp features that support that, such as snippets, and to be able to use FrameMaker for printed output. But I don't think it works that way

[Peter Grainge]

As I understand it, Flare gives you two HTML5 outputs, one for mobile and one for desktop. Rh gives you as many outputs as you want so you can have one for iPhone, one for iPad, one for desktop and others for different Android devices. Users need only one URL which is a sniffer page that tells the server what device is accessing it and therefore which layout to server up. See the RoboHelp Tour on my site.

Turning back to print, Rh does have one unsung advantage. With Flare, unless things have changed, it does not generate true heading styles. So Heading 1 in a Flare topic becomes a pseudo heading, it is in fact a paragraph style with the same font characteristics as the heading in Flare. If others want to use your output as the basis of their document, say Training want to use it as a starter, when they add a new heading it will be nothing like it should be. Nothing that can't be fixed but then again, the issues with Rh can be fixed.

---

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge