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1. Re: Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.
Captiv8r Oct 26, 2011 10:25 PM (in response to tslakey6)Welcome to our community
Sorry, but Section 508 help isn't pretty. It's not intended to be. It's designed to be compatible for folks that are visually impaired and using a Screen Reading application to interact with things. That's why the Index and Search are presented using an alphabet list. That way users may mouse over these areas and hear the Screen Reading application tell them what they are mousing over.
Cheers... Rick
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Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day!
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2. Re: Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.
tslakey6 Oct 27, 2011 9:35 AM (in response to tslakey6)I'm new to online forums like this, so I hope I don't break the rules by citing another post, including the text of it, saying who posted, mentioning another company's software, or anything else. If so, please let me know.
Rick (Captiv8r), thanks very much for your excellent response. I now finally understand, and am almost ready to
mark it as answered, however I have another related question about Webworks, which I put at the bottom of this post.
The following other post I found by Rick (Captiv8r) was so informative that I include it all here:
http://forums.adobe.com/message/754356#754356
Hi marjoriem
First off, this option only applies to WebHelp output. HTML help (.CHM) output is not 508 compliant. FlashHelp isn't either.
Basically, you flag RoboHelp to generate a plainer version of WebHelp. No fancy Dynamic HTML used for the Table of Contents, Index, Search. No skins. All elements should be presented in a way that screen readers may more easily read to the visually impaired user which element is available or being moused over.
Some folks whine a bit and ask "Why does my help have to look 'ugly' in order to be 508 compliant?". And when you think about it, would the fancy visuals really be needed for a person that is blind or visually impaired?
You *can* sort of have your cake and eat it too. Basically, you generate WebHelp TWICE. You have one output that is 508 compliant and a second output that is skinned. Then you may either point the user to the appropriate output from the beginning, or offer a link within your skinned WebHelp that would open the 508 WebHelp.
Hope this helps a bit... Rick
It helps tremendously. Now my other question:
Is online help produced by Webworks truly 508-compliant? (That is, online help produced by Quadralay Webworks ePublisher Pro?) I believe they claim it is 508-compliant, but it has all the nice Index, Search, collapsible TOC, etc., that Adobe RoboHelp says is non-compliant. So Adobe RoboHelp and Quadralay Webworks appear to be contradicting each other. Who is right? I guess to simplify it down to one question:
Is online help produced by Webworks truly 508-compliant? Please let me know. Thanks! Tom
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3. Re: Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.
tslakey6 Oct 27, 2011 4:49 PM (in response to tslakey6)Maybe it's wrong to ask about Webworks in this Adobe Forum. Maybe what I want is really a cross-HAT (Help Authoring Tool) forum for Tech Writers.
It looks to me like RoboHelp and Webworks have two different philosophies of 508 compliance. RoboHelp might claim that Webworks is non-compliant because they have fancy: TOC, IX, Search, Skins, etc., the fanciness of which is not readable by a screen reader. Webworks might claim RoboHelp isn't 508 compliant because they don't test every image and table to make sure it has Alt text. So the whole question seems really quite complicated. Thanks for your very clear explanation of RoboHelp 508 compliance, because as a new user to RoboHelp it looked to me like it just wasn't working, and now I understand that it was.
Tom
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4. Re: Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.
Captiv8r Oct 28, 2011 6:48 AM (in response to tslakey6)Hi Tom
Sorry, I've had an incredibly taxing last couple of days and I overlooked your last question asking about WebWorks.
Unfortunately, I have no clue how WebWorks operates. Additionally, I'm not any sort of expert on Section 508 compliance. I have the "college level" understanding of it but no real life use to back that up. And seeing as how I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I can't claim to be an expert.
Perhaps another person here has knowledge of WebWorks and may speak to that. Or, you might ask in a different venue. Maybe WebWorks has their own forums? Or you could try asking on TECHWR-L or HATT.
http://www.techwr-l.com/archives/
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HATT/
Cheers... Rick
Helpful and Handy Links
RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form
Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day!
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5. Re: Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.
tslakey6 Nov 1, 2011 12:51 PM (in response to Captiv8r)Thanks very much, Rick. I marked your group of answers as Correct.
Tom



