RE: Framemaker and RoboHelp

["Pamela Denchfield" <PamelaD -at- onyx -dot- com>]

As the esteemed Rob Hauser says in the following review of RoboHelp 7, "single-sourcing from FrameMaker to RoboHelp would seriously restrict the quality of your help system," and, more to your question about printed outputs, "the main form of printed documentation supported by RoboHelp is still Microsoft Word, which has numerous layout and formatting issues."

http://www.writersua.com/articles/robohelp_7/index.html 

--Pamela Denchfield

-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+pamela -dot- denchfield=onyx -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+pamela -dot- denchfield=onyx -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On Behalf Of Jim Barrow
Sent: Thursday, December 13, 2007 7:07 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Re: Framemaker and RoboHelp

Hi Bill,

Thanks for responding.  I understand what you're saying.  And I understand that the BA didn't propose that we write the help file concurrently in both apps.  I've used RoboHelp and Framemaker for both online help and printed manuals.  I prefer Frame, but our group decided to go with RH because my other three tech writers didn't know Frame.  Is Frame *better* at producing "slicker" printed manuals than RH?  That is, material that is Marketing quality?

- Jim

>From: Bill Swallow <techcommdood -at- gmail -dot- com>
>
>I haven't installed the TCS to test as of yet, but if I recall
>correctly the integration is FM into RH and not vice versa. Therefore,
>any single sourcing would need to be on FM's end for clean long
>document print output. You'd then consume that content (in whole or
>conditionally/selectively) within RH for Help and other online output.
>And he's not suggesting you create content in both tools. He has it
>right; author mainly in FM, import the appropriate stuff into RH, and
>generate Help.
>
>On Dec 12, 2007 9:56 PM, Jim Barrow <vrfour -at- verizon -dot- net> wrote:
>> Okay, here's my latest workplace drama.  Our Tech Pubs group has gotten the okay to purchase the Adobe Technical Suite (Frame and Robo) to create end user manuals and online help.  That is until a business analyst spent the entire day looking at Adobe presentations.  In short, he wants the tech writers to create the help file in Frame AND RoboHelp because he believes that Frame is used for printed material and RoboHelp is used for online help.
>>
>> The following are excerpts that give you an idea of where he is coming from:
>>
>> "Robohelp and Framemaker should play nice together. IÃÂÃÂÂÃÂÂm currently watching an Adobe online presentation which focuses on Framemaker and Robohelp titled ÃÂÃÂÂÃÂBenefits of Content ReuseÃÂÃÂÂ ; it says that in the TCS you can link Robohelp to a Framemaker book, then when you save the book Robohelp can pick up all of the updates. Unless youÃÂÃÂÂÃÂÂve already started authoring in Robohelp, there would be no duplication of effort; Framemaker will directly produce print-oriented materials, and Robohelp will pick up the Framemaker content and compile it for online help.  Adobe offers these products together for a reason. The workflow for this suite works best as follows in order to have an attractively laid-out printed manual and matching online help: create the manual in a Framemaker book, link to the Framemaker book in Robohelp, and whenever the Framemaker materials are updated, simply ask Robohelp to update the linked content."
>
>-- 
>Bill Swallow
>HATT List Owner
>WWP-Users List Owner
>Senior Member STC, TechValley Chapter
>STC Single-Sourcing SIG Manager
>http://techcommdood.blogspot.com

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^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

Create HTML or Microsoft Word content and convert to Help file formats or 
printed documentation. Features include support for Windows Vista & 2007 
Microsoft Office, team authoring, plus more.
http://www.DocToHelp.com/TechwrlList

True single source, conditional content, PDF export, modular help.
Help & Manual is the most powerful authoring tool for technical
documentation. Boost your productivity! http://www.helpandmanual.com

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