File structure and Multi-user access/control

[mark_anderson_us]

Hi All

Currently evaluating RH. Our plan is to use RH HTML with RoboServer and either SourceSafe or Team Foundation for source control. We will be producing the "printed" manual (PDF) and publishing online help (hopefully html via RH server) from the single source layout

Given that we will edit content in RH's XHTML editor, I'm not clear on when we should create new files or the granularity of multi-user access. We have 17 apps and I plan to use a master project and merging (because we need to link to related topics in other apps).

I'm really not sure what should constitute a file in RH. First off, is access controlled at the file level?

I want to have multiple authors editing the same manual at the same time, so do I need to break the manual into multiple small files (currently it's a single word doc)?

If I do break it into multiple files, what's the best approach: 1 file per topic (or is this a requirement)?

Finally, when I come to generate the PDF, will the files be combined. (i.e. can I have different page-breaks than I have in the RH project)?

Any pointers greatly appreciated

Regards

Mark

[Willam_van_Weelden]

Hi,

First off, is access controlled at the file level?

Not sure what you mean by that. In source control, you can check in/out ever file independent. Sometimes dependent files will be automatically checked out, for instance images used in the css when you check out the style sheet.

I want to have multiple authors editing the same manual at the same time, so do I need to break the manual into multiple small files (currently it's a single word doc)?

That be the idea. Anyway, it's not a good idea to have an entire RoboHelp project in a single topic. You probably want to cut up your contents into the small chunck: topics.

If I do break it into multiple files, what's the best approach: 1 file per topic (or is this a requirement)?

In RoboHelp a topic is a HTML file. RoboHelp doesn't force you to split up content into one or more topics. If you are creating help for the web, you want the information to be organized in relatively small chunck so users can quickly scan through it.

Finally, when I come to generate the PDF, will the files be combined. (i.e. can I have different page-breaks than I have in the RH project)?

Not sure what you mean by page breaks. As RoboHelp creates HTML files, there are no page breaks such as in paper manuals. When you create a PDF, you combine the topics you need into a single document.

If a PDF is required for you, you may want to consider not using RoboHelp for your sources. A PDF created by RoboHelp is useful for internal use, but it never seems to get good enough to give to customers. Personally, when a PDF version of a manual is required, I create the manual in FrameMaker and link or import the book into RoboHelp. You can also link Word documents, so you may want to play around with that before deciding whether to use Word, RoboHelp or FrameMaker for your source.

Greet,

Willam

[mark_anderson_us]

Thanks Willam

Played around with it last night and seemed to get it all working. The export to Word worked pretty well.

I'm reluctant to use linking to Word, as Word's HTML is dreadful 9way too uch garbage) and from what I've read, many people don;t even use the word import. they convert to ascii text and then paste in RH topics.

Have you had success linking to Word?

Regards

mark

[Peter Grainge]

If you want to use linking you will have to accept Microsoft's take on HTML! That said, any linking I have seen has displayed the topic as it should in IE. Other browsers will need to be tested as what happens will depend on your Word content. I would particularly watch tables.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge