12 Replies Latest reply: Jan 29, 2014 8:44 AM by Sreekanth_S

Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 24, 2014 11:47 AM

I am not sure if this query comes under FrameMaker forum or RoboHelp, but since I did not see RH Integration category in FrameMaker forums, I am posting it here. Moderators, please move it to the right forum or let me know if I have to delete it from here and post it elsewhere.

If I wanted to publish a WebHelp output from FrameMaker 11, I had an option of selecting my settings.ISF file, which had all my FM-RH styles mapped, and publishing it. But now, in FM 12, I don't see it. I have to select the CSS file and re-do the mapping all over again.

Am I missing something here? How can I feed the ISF or mapped doc to FM so that I don't have to do the mapping everytime I publish the Webhelp output from FM12?

Thank in advance.

Sreekanth

1. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Jeff_Coatsworth Jan 24, 2014 12:06 PM (in response to Sreekanth_S)

Since I wasn’t on the FM12 beta this year, I haven’t had time to play with the new direct “publish” features in FM12. I would think that there might be some place to suck in an .isf file if you had one before, but that may not actually be so anymore. Check the new features webinars and reviewer’s guide for clues as to how that’s going to work (i.e. direct publishing out of FM without having RH).
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2. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 24, 2014 12:32 PM (in response to Jeff_Coatsworth)

Seems like there is a cold war going on between TCS 5 product team and Documentation team. FM 12 help in this matter leads to TCS 4 help content. It still asks me select ISF file when there is no such field.

Sreekanth
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3. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Arnis Gubins Jan 24, 2014 1:47 PM (in response to Sreekanth_S)

The isf file is nothing but a zip container. You can extract the mapping .css file from that and then use the Import Styles option in the FM12 setings editor to import that css file.
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4. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 24, 2014 1:57 PM (in response to Arnis Gubins)

Yes, I can get the CSS file. But that CSS only has the styles I created in RH. The ISF file stored my FM-RH style mapping, which is lost. I have redo the mapping and save it as a STS file now.

On a related note, I noticed that RH 11 still uses ISF file for style mapping settings. However, I can't use the ISF file created in RH 10 here due to some bug. This effectively means I have recreate the ISF file all over again.

Sreekanth
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5. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Willam van Weelden Jan 25, 2014 7:48 AM (in response to Sreekanth_S)

FrameMaker 12 has a different publishing mechanism than FM11. I'm not
sure how it works exactly, but it seems to bypass RoboHelp (at least
superficially). A post in the Frame forums can't hurt. I would try there
as well.

Kind regards,

Willam
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6. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 25, 2014 8:01 AM (in response to Willam van Weelden)

Yes Willam. They have "tried" to bypass RoboHelp. But it is not efficient.

On the better side, I can get the browse sequence when I publish directly from FM. On the down side, there is no provision to associate the RH master page that contains our copyright info in the footer. So, I am still figuring out that.

That also makes me think that the individual product teams in TCS might not be working together, and end up in non-synchronization of features. This has already happened with Captivate, which I feel is packaged as a free gift in TCS.

Anyway, I will post a query on FrameMaker forums as well. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sreekanth
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7. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Jeff_Coatsworth Jan 29, 2014 7:38 AM (in response to Sreekanth_S)

@Sreekanth_S - did you see Arnis's notice about the RH11 ISF import fix that was just posted? It's found here -
http://helpx.adobe.com/robohelp/kb/isf-file-getting-imported-robohelp. html
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8. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Arnis Gubins Jan 29, 2014 8:16 AM (in response to Jeff_Coatsworth)

@Jeff,

The fix is for RH and won't help with importing ISF files to use with FM12's Publish component as this a self-contained subset of what RH uses.
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9. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Jeff_Coatsworth Jan 29, 2014 8:18 AM (in response to Arnis Gubins)

@Arnis – yes I realized that; I should have identified that in post #4 the OP had made a TCS5 observation
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10. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 29, 2014 8:22 AM (in response to Arnis Gubins)

Thanks Jeff and Arnis.

I missed Arnis' post but I got a mail about the fix from Adobe as I (was one of the people who) had reported this bug. I tested this yesterday and it worked fine.

Regarding the ISF file usage in FM12, Adobe confirmed that this is not possible in FM12. As Willam mentioned, FM has its own publishing mechanism which is independent of RH now.

Adobe also confirmed that if I want the header/ footer in the WebHelp output, the only way is to import the FM book into RH as we were doing it in TCS4.

Sreekanth
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11. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Arnis Gubins Jan 29, 2014 8:29 AM (in response to Sreekanth_S)

@Sreekanth,

That seems to be the typical trend from Adobe lately, just enough to get marketing mileage. For the users, it's sort of like thinking you've gotten a diamond, but then finding out later that it's only a cubic zirconia.
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12. Re: Option to select RoboHelp settings.ISF file missing in FM12

Sreekanth_S Jan 29, 2014 8:44 AM (in response to Arnis Gubins)

Well put, Arnis. I could not agree more.

In our team, I take care of creating these RH Settings file, master page, skin, etc. that is needed to publish a WebHelp output from a FM book (typical single-sourcing approach). Our team comprises of people who are new to one or both of these tools. Even though I tell them that there is minimal or no post-RH import task involved in this process, the very thought of working with multiple tools acts as a demotivator.

When I saw the WebHelp output option from FM12, I was excited that I can increase the adoption rate now. I looked at the options and even found the browse sequence here which was missing earlier. But then, when I noticed that there is no way I get my copyright info on the footer, the balloon just burst.

I am sure I am not the only TCS user who has copyright or similar criticial information like company name, author name, year of publication, etc., in the footer. So, I simply cannot understand how the powers-that-be decided that users will be ready to publish WebHelp (or for that matter any other) output without that information. If not through master page, they should have provided some other option to add this info.

Anyway, I guess we can only hope that some sense prevails in the next release atleast.

Sreekanth
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