RE: Best tool for updating mammoth user's guide?

Subject: RE: Best tool for updating mammoth user's guide?
From: Michele Marques <msmarques -at- rogers -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 08 Aug 2002 23:33:02 -0400


Elizabeth writes:

Have created a monster: a 700-some page user's guide to a less-than-perfect
application, for everyone and their grandma.

[...]

Now, the request comes that I break down one version of a user's guide into
user tailored user's guides. For example, a "Customer" has access to only
X,Y, and Z functions of the system so does not need to know about the A
through W that a "Supervisor" does.

This is a great idea. I had a similar manual where I work that I divided into separate guides for different groups of users. Each type of user guide includes only the information required by that type of user (e.g. "Admin" guide contains information for administrative users); there is also a reference manual to cover all functionality.

As others on this list have mentioned, one way to do this is by using FrameMaker to single-source your manual. You can also use WebWorks Professional or Mif2Go to convert your manual into a help file (if you need that as well).

For some practical suggestions on how you can single-source with FrameMaker, see my article on the techwr-l web site, "Single-Sourcing with FrameMaker" at:
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/magazine/technical/singlesourcing.html

My examples are probably more simplistic than your "mammoth" manual, but will probably give you some ideas as to where to start.

Of course, if there is little overlap between your users, you can always divide up your current manual into separate manuals and not worry about single-sourcing.

- Michele Marques
http://members.rogers.com/msmarques


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