Frame file import to RH X5 and Book x-Refs?

[RickCam]

Hello. My company is considering upgrading to RH x5 in an effort to consolidate from using RH and FrameMaker + WebWorks Pro to a more "single-source" approach for our documentation.

It is unclear from the reading I've done online, whether or not a Framemaker book (.bk and .fm files with all cross references intact) can be imported in a few simple steps into RH x5. If the Frame content files must first be converted to .MIF and then imported, what happens to cross references between .fm files, the frame TOC and index? Does the RHx5 user then have to recreate all those links manually in RHx5 AFTER the .MIF files have been imported?

Thanks for your help.

- Rick

[johndaigle]

Hi, RickCam.
I am not a Framemaker user but since no one has replied, I'll try to help. My students tell me hyperlinks and cross references do work when you import .mif files. I've pasted (below) a few snippets from online help that refer to the process. Remember that RoboHelp is in the process of development for its next release (early next year). Because Framemaker and RoboHelp are now part of the same Adobe family, I can see the possibility of all kinds of "synergy" in the future (my 2cents). You can read more about that here:
http://www.adobe.com/products/special/crossproduct/tech_communication/faq.html

"Following are major FrameMaker elements and how they are converted to RoboHelp.

Book files: Book files and book files saved as .MIF are not converted. To import the files in a book, save each individual file in the book as a .MIF file. Make sure all files are all located in the same directory so that the book file can be used as a TOC. To create a TOC from a book file, create a TOC from your book file in FrameMaker and save it as a .MIF file (BookFileTOC.mif).
Cross-references: Converted to hyperlinks
Footnote properties and table footnotes: Converted
Hypertext: Converted to hyperlinks. You must select and convert all the linked documents at the same time in order to retain links.
Images: Only converted if they are inside anchored frames. If the images are not in anchored frames, you can re-insert them after you have imported the .MIF files. Major file formats are supported (including .BMP, .GIF, transparent .GIF, .JPG, .JPEG, .PNG, .TIF, .TIFF, and .WMF).
Index and glossary markers: Converted to an index and glossary when creating new project
Tables and table footnotes: Converted
TOC files (MyFileTOC.mif): Converted to a TOC in RoboHelp if you answer "Yes" to RoboHelp's prompt when importing."

john

[RickCam]

John,

Thankyou for the information; it is exactly what I was looking for and answers my questions.

Cheers to you and your students!

-Rick

[Guest]

We are currently looking for a new answer for our help files. Currently, we just output Framemaker to PDF. If you have experience with Framemaker and RoboHelp, I'd appreciate your insight.

Thanks,
L Elks
lelks@exstream.com