More newbie RH questions.

[brianlethert]

I am trying to determine if RH is the product I need ( I think it is).

First, I have watched the four-part webinar from RJ Jacquez, and have been reading as much on the various RH pages as I can find, so I am becoming more familiar with how RH works.

I would like to know the following:

1) When you finish a RoboHelp project, and create flash help, does that create a standalone file that can be emailed to another individual and used? or does it require something more to be views/used.

2) Can you create a folder of RH files that can be read using someone's browser? I looked at Rick's (CaptiV8r) downloadable sample, but he indicated the  need for ebook software to finish it.

I am guessing that if you output a RH project as html, it could be used either on a website or locally. Maybe I'm just confused about the difference between an html project and a flash help project.

3) Many of the people I work with use MS Word, and are not likely to switch to FrameMaker. Is the mapping funcitonality from Word to RH anywhere near as useful as the FM to RH example I saw? I understand that the programs are not going to 'talk' to each other with the same degree of ease, but is there any interoperability?

Thanks

-B

[brianlethert]

Rick-

I reread your previous comments on my other post, and I you answered the question of html viewing. What would a user view a flash help project with?

[RoboWizard]

Hi Brian

FlashHelp and WebHelp are best viewed with a web browser. Internet Exploder or FireyFox.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[brianlethert]

Aha-

Okay, I'll do a little bit of reasearch on what CHM is, I suspect that I will need to understand that better (Wikipedia, here I come...).

You anticipated what I was going to say about Word - These documents will be undergoing continuous revisions.Not only that, I need a way to map these user documents to a very complex matrix of regulatory requirements. That is the real challenge.

My intent is to use RH not to create a traditional help system, but instead to create a user-accesible model of this regulatory matrix.

(A relational database is the other option under consideration.)

This model does NOT need to contain the actual data/topics (nice if it could) but it is more important that it keeps all the links correct between interrelated topics.

-B

[RoboWizard]

Hi Brian

Just open Microsoft Internet Explorer, Notepad or Microsoft Paint. Once any of those applications is open, tap the F1 key and what you will see is a CHM file. CHM is an acronym for Compiled Help Module. It is a single deliverable that is able to be read by nearly any Windows operating system in common use today.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks

[RoboWizard]

Hi Brian

FlashHelp and WebHelp are essentially the same format. You end up with more files than you started with. The main difference is that with FlashHelp, the main Toolbar, Navigation Mini-Toolbar and the Navigation panels (TOC, Index, Glossary and Search) are presented using Adobe Flash components. But all the topics are the same. HTML topics.

FlashHelp and WebHelp may be viewed by simply opening a folder and using the Browser to launch the start page. You are confusing things a bit when you say "... html project and a flash help project...". If you are using RoboHelp HTML, ALL your projects are HTML. HTML is the underlying format used. I suspect you may be saying "HTML" and really meaning "HTML Help" (Compiled CHM). This is only one of the many output types RoboHelp may produce. If this is what you mean, it will help if you learn to begin referring to it as "CHM". (Pronounced "chum").

With RoboHelp 8 you have different ways of working with Word content. The simplest way is to just import the Word document. When you do this, the process converts the Word content into HTML. From there moving forward, you only edit the HTML in RoboHelp.

But perhaps you have someone responsible for a Word document where changes will be ongoing. In this case you may establish a link between the Word document and RoboHelp. When you first pull it in, it behaves in much the same way. Topics are created based on the Word content. The difference is that when that document is updated by the other person, you see an indication in RoboHelp that the source is different. You then update to pull in the changes and update the help. There are many nuances to this and how effective it may be. But it's an option.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7 or 8 within the day - $24.95! Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training SorcerStone Blog RoboHelp eBooks