My latest project involves using FrameMaker 9 on Windows Vista. This is my first time using Vista and, let’s say, I’m finding my feet. I’ve had some performance issues with FrameMaker 9 using Vista — and for the first time — FrameMaker crashed on me!

With that said I found this tutorial (http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/406/kb406897.html) on the Adobe site that gives some tips on how to optimize the performance of FrameMaker 9 on Windows Vista.

The performance of Adobe FrameMaker depends on several factors, including the options you select, your workflow, and the operating system and hardware configuration. The performance improvements listed below are most noticeable when you work with larger files. Optimizing the operating system and hardware configuration improves performance in other applications as well.

Before you perform the steps below, make sure to install the latest version of FrameMaker or any FrameMaker updates to the version you are using. FrameMaker updates often include performance-related fixes or enhancements. See http://www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/

Note: The Windows Vista procedures in this document are based on the default interface.

Optimizing Windows

By configuring your system to run efficiently, you increase the amount of memory available to applications and ensure that they run smoothly. Increase the amount of memory available to FrameMaker, quit applications you are not using, or disable nonessential startup applications or fonts to improve the performance of Illustrator.

Virtual memory

Virtual memory allows the system to use hard disk space to store information normally stored in RAM. Because it takes longer to access information on a hard disk than it does to access information in memory, using a portion of the hard disk as virtual memory can decrease performance.

Windows Vista manages virtual memory using a paging file; you define the minimum and maximum size of this file. FrameMaker performs best when the paging file’s maximum size is at least three times the amount of installed RAM.

To create a paging file with a maximum size of three times your amount of installed RAM, see “Create a paging file with a maximum size of three times your amount of installed RAM (Windows Vista)”

TechNote kb404940 at http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/406/kb406897.html

Delete temporary files using the Disk Cleanup utility.

See “Delete temporary files using the Disk Cleanup utility (Windows Vista)”

TechNote kb404917 http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404917.html

Display drivers

Some display drivers offer advanced settings for accelerating or modifying graphics display. Sometimes these settings can adversely affect screen redraw performance in FrameMaker.

Try disabling driver-specific features to determine the best settings for use with FrameMaker.

Fonts

If you install only the fonts you need, then you will improve system performance and the performance of applications that access fonts.

Each installed font increases the amount of RAM used by the system, which decreases the amount of RAM available to open applications, and increases the amount of time applications take to display font menus. Use a font management utility to help you manage many fonts.

Startup applications

Applications that start automatically with Windows compete with FrameMaker for available RAM. You can prevent programs from starting automatically with Windows by doing the following:

To disable programs from the StartUp folder in Windows Vista:

1. Quit all applications.

2. Go to Start > All Programs > Windows Defender.

3. In Windows Defender click the tools button, then Software Explorer.

4. In the Category box, select Startup Programs.

5. Select Show For All Users.

6. Select the program that you want to prevent from running and then click Disable.

7. Click Yes to confirm that you want to stop that program from running.

8. Repeat steps 6 and 7 for every program you want to stop from running.

9. Restart Windows:

Note: If the performance of FrameMaker does not improve, then re-enable the icons and shortcuts in Windows Defender.

If the performance of FrameMaker improves, then isolate the performance problem to one or more programs using Windows Defender to re-enable programs.

Repeat this process until the performance of FrameMaker degrades. When you have isolated the icon or shortcut that is causing the performance problem, remove it again and contact the program’s manufacturer to see if an update is available.

To close applications that are specified to start automatically in the registry:

1. Restart Windows.

2. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc.

3. Click the Applications tab.

4. Select an application name, and then click End Task.

5. Restart FrameMaker.

If performance for FrameMaker improves, then contact the application’s manufacturer for help in permanently disabling it from starting automatically. Repeat steps 2-5 for each remaining startup application.

Optimizing your hardware configuration

The hardware you use affects the performance of FrameMaker: the faster the processor or hard drive, the faster FrameMaker can process information. Other hardware enhancements, such as installing additional RAM, using a multiprocessor system, or optimizing and defragmenting drives, can also improve performance.

Processor speed

The speed of FrameMaker is limited by the speed of your computer’s Central Processing Unit (CPU). Since FrameMaker manipulates large quantities of data and performs many calculations, its speed is greatly dependent on the processor’s speed.

Installed RAM

If FrameMaker has insufficient RAM, it uses hard disk space (that is, virtual memory, scratch disk, or both) to process information.

FrameMaker is fastest when it can process information in memory, without having to use a hard disk.

Hard disks

As you add, delete, and move files on a hard disk, available space is no longer a single, contiguous block. If the system does not have enough contiguous space, it saves fragments of a file to different locations on the hard disk.

An application requires more time to read a fragmented file than one saved to a contiguous location. You can test your hard disk by using “Check your hard disk for errors.” You can defragment files and optimize available hard disk space by using Disk Defragmenter.

As FrameMaker reads and writes information while working on a file, the faster the access speed of the disk containing the file or the FrameMaker scratch disk, the faster FrameMaker can process file information.

To improve the performance of FrameMaker, work on files saved on drives with fast access speeds, such as an internal hard drive, rather than those with slow access speeds, such as a network server (a network drive) or removable media (for example, Zip drive, or floppy disk).

Removable media often have slower access times and are more easily damaged than internal hard drives.

When you want to save a FrameMaker file to a network or removable drive, Adobe recommends you first save the file to an internal hard disk, and then close the file and use Windows Explorer to copy the closed file to the external or network drive, or save the file to the network using Adobe Version Cue.

Printer language

For best results when printing from FrameMaker, use a PostScript printer.

Most non PostScript printers rely on display information, host computer resources, and proprietary printer drivers to relay print information to the printer, so they may take much longer to print than a PostScript printer. See http://go.adobe.com/kb/ts_kb406897_en-us

Looking for more info

Create a paging file with a maximum size of three times your amount of installed RAM (Windows Vista)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404940.html

Delete temporary files using the Disk Cleanup utility (Windows Vista)

http://kb2.adobe.com/cps/404/kb404917.html

Some of these are plain common sense, however, I wasn’t aware of how Adobe FrameMaker processes information and the tip to avoid saving directly to a network is worth remembering.

Like I said, I’m new to Vista.

What tips can you give me to get the most of it?

Better still, what tips can you give me to get the most of Adobe FrameMaker?

Tags: Acrobat Capture, Acrobat Connect, Acrobat Distiller, Acrobat.com, Adobe Audition, After Effects, Adobe AIR, Adobe AIR SDK, Authorware, Bridge, Adobe Captivate, Create PDF Online, Digital Editions, Director, Distiller Server, Document Center, Document Server, Flex, Flex Builder, Font Folio, FrameMaker, FrameMaker Server, Adobe InContext Editing, InCopy, InDesign, PageMaker, PostScript, Adobe Premiere, RoboDemo, RoboHelp, RoboHelp for FrameMaker, RoboHelp Server, Technical Communication Suite

I have a love/hate relationship with Adobe FrameMaker. Finding a sensible way to move content between Adobe FrameMaker and Robohelp is something I’ve explored for clients. So, this post from the Adobe Tech Comms team was a nice intro to some points I had overlooked.

• Air Help
• Web Help
• HTML Help
• Flash Help
• PDF, DOC

He adds that you can author the help content in FrameMaker or can start with legacy FrameMaker content and once the FrameMaker content is finalized, link it into RoboHelp for further refinement and publishing into various formats.

To bring FrameMaker content into RoboHelp, start a new RoboHelp project and start linking the FrameMaker file (ie book/document) to the RoboHelp project from File menu.

There are screenshots and more details over here: Getting started: Exploring Technical Communication Suite 2

Do you use this combination of tools to refine your online help docs?

I find this a bit cumbersome.

What do you suggest?

Cherryleaf has released details of new courses for FrameMaker users and technical writers who want to fully understand the features of this powerful tech writing application.

UK FrameMaker Training Courses:

• FrameMaker Basic/Intermediate – create and modify FrameMaker documents.
• FrameMaker Advanced -  create template documents and build and maintain multi-chapter books together with Tables of Contents and Indexes.
• Structured FrameMaker – create and edit documents using structured FrameMaker templates, and feel confident with the authoring environment and the steps required to produce a valid document instance prior to export to SGML or XML.
• Creating EDDs – build an Element Definition Document and link elements using formatting rules to a FrameMaker template.
• Importing and Exporting SGML/XML – edit the FrameMaker Application file and create their own applications, and create and update an EDD from a DTD and vice versa. It covers importing SGML/XML documents into FrameMaker and exporting structured FrameMaker documents to SGML/XML.

See Cherryleaf: http://www.cherryleaf.com/fm.htm

You can now download the FrameMaker 9.0.3 patch.

Mahesh (http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm over on Adobe does a great job of keeping us up to date with all things FrameMaker. This is available through Adobe Update Manager (AUM). This patch (9.0p250) must be applied on top of 9.0.2 (9.0p237) only. You can check for updates through Help->Updates Menu in FrameMaker.

Manish writes that the following workflows are now enabled and/or supported with this patch:

• API Command — The “New document command” in the quick access bar doesn’t get disconnected from the API command “F_ApiDefineCommand”.
• DITA — On converting DITA map, which contains nested topicrefs, to a book the content of the topic files was hidden in folder templates. In 9.0.3, the folder containing template will be labeled as: []
• DocBook — The starter kit unifies the XML and SGML applications and fixes various formatting inconsistencies in the XML application.
• Fonts — Opening/importing files created in FrameMaker 7.2 with virtual fonts applied to the text now correctly shows the text in FrameMaker 9.
• Markers — The correct Index of Marker(IOM) is generated for a file containing Markers that use structured building blocks.
• Memory — Memory leak shouldn’t happen while creating a book with FrameMaker components from DITA map.
• Message Box — FrameMaker doesn’t crash while displaying a message box during FA_Note_PreQuitBook notification, on the second call of F_ApiUpdateTextInset() and when F_ApiAlert() is called from within a FA_Note_PostQuitDoc notification.
• PreserveEntity FDK client — This can be combined with XSLT in XML applications to preserve variables and special character handling when documents are round-tripped between FrameMaker and XML.
• Spelling Checker — This allows words with special characters to be added to dictionary. It also shows the words with suffix “(s)” as correctly spelled now.
• Table Designer — FrameMaker doesn’t crash on switching on different tabs of table designer when context is set for book and panels are iconized.
• Tables — Table row element hides while using DITAVAL filter.
• User Variables — Deletion of multiple user-variables from Variable Pod should not crash FrameMaker.

Image courtesy of Adobe.com

Structured Documents

Manish adds that in structured document, now you can hide child elements even when in Show state if the parent element is hidden using conditional text. This is an additional option.

How Conditional Text works in FrameMaker 9.0.3

Download PDF on how Conditional Text works in FrameMaker 9.0.3

Get the PDF on Acrobat.com - https://share.acrobat.com

DPI resolution for PNG, JPG and GIF files

Adobe says that the dimensions and default dpi resolution for PNG, JPG and GIF files should not get corrupted when imported in FrameMaker.

FrameMaker 9.0.3 Release Notes

Technical information is at: http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2009/10/framemaker_903_available_now.html

Wording of this technical document

Some of the wording is a bit odd. It refers several times to features that ‘may’ work.

What do they mean it may work? When will it not work? And why not?

Maybe I’m just being picky but these vague statements don’t encourage me to believe that it actually works. It’s more like Adobe is saying “well, whatever, it might work…”

I find this a bit odd. Does it work or not?

C’mon guys!

MadCap Mimic 4.0 is a native XML application designed for creating software simulations and tutorials. The newest version lets you import PowerPoint files, has a new Flash engine, print and output options that support conditionalized publishing. While it will take time to dislodge Adobe FrameMaker, especially legacy users, publishing managers and those responsible for running Technical Writing depts should download a trial copy of this.

PowerPoint Import Simplifies Reuse of E-learning Content

You can now directly import files from Microsoft PowerPoint.

• Technical authors and trainers can create a new movie from existing PowerPoint files or insert slides into an existing movie.
• Mimic 4.0 lets you do this by converting master PowerPoint layout slides into master frames.
• Mimic 4.0 supports “.ppt” and “.pptx” formats, as well as PowerPoint images, background images, shape groups, text boxes, and more.

Enhanced Flash

Mimic 4.0 includes a completely rewritten Flash Compiler that improves the image quality of Flash movie output.

Madcap claims that it reduces the file size by three times smaller than with previous versions.

XPS and PDF First-Class Output Types

It also enhances the print output experience.

The Adobe Portable Document (PDF) and Microsoft XML Paper Specification (XPS) print formats are now available as output types, rather than simple exports.

This will help technical writers and others involved in content creation as features associated with first-class output types—such as condition tags—can now be used with PDF and XPS formats.

Additionally, technical authors can use “Page Setup” options for PDF and XPS formats to specify information such as paper size and orientation.

Usability and Ease-of-Use Enhancements

New usability features include:

• Dynamic Help Window Pane Lock lets the translator keep the current Help topic frozen in place while moving around in the MadCap Mimic interface, making it easier to follow steps or other information placed in the relevant Help topic.
• Minimize to System Tray provides an option to place a shortcut button in the system tray (e.g., notification area) of the task bar when MadCap Mimic is minimized.
• Reorganized Frame Editor facilitates the creation and editing of images.
• Expanded Object Support includes the ability to rotate shapes, as well as add loop and arrow shapes to frames.

Other key features:

Like its other documentation and authoring solutions, Mimic offers:

Unicode support for all left-to-right languages; access to these XML files is useful for translating movies into a range of Western and Asian languages.

Mimic is fully integrated with MadCap Flare for multi-channel single-source publishing and with MadCap Lingo, for translation of multi-media elements.

Pricing

MadCap Mimic 4.0 is $299 per single-user license.

Summary

The more I use MadCap, the more I’m impressed with the quality of their products. While it will take time to dislodge Adobe FrameMaker, especially legacy users, publishing managers and those responsible for running Technical Writing depts should download a trail copy of this.

What I like about their products is how well they are inter-connected.

Price-wise, it’s also great value.

If you want a trial copy or are having difficulty getting from their site, let me know and I’ll arrange it.

Likewise, if you have used it, please drop us a line.

What do you think of MadCap so far?

This article explains how to convert large files between Microsoft Word and Adobe FrameMaker.In this tutorial, the source file is the file being converted (Word) and target file is the file that it will be converted into (in this case, a FrameMaker file).

Our goal during this process is to reduce the Word document into an (almost) plain-text document — but keeping its style names, as these will be used to match styles and tags later in the FrameMaker document.

The overall process involves three stages:

• Preparing the Word file for conversion.
• Refining the FrameMaker file in line with the Style Guide.
• Creating the PDF file.

Note: Before you start, print out the Style Guide and use it as a reference during the overall process. This saves you time moving between files and also helps you become more familiar with the Style Guide’s format and presentation as it sits on your desk and is more accessible.

Preparing the Word file

The first step is to prepare the Word file so that its contents will convert more easily into FrameMaker. This involves deleting all formatting that is unique to Word, such as Text Frames.

For example, FrameMaker has very powerful Table of Contents generation features, so you can rely on this rather than trying to import Word’s or hard-coding it to match the FrameMaker format.

To start the process, delete all the Word constructs that need to be removed before the conversion process can start. This involves the following steps:

• Deleting the Table of Contents (TOC)
• Deleting headers and footers
• Deleting local paragraph overrides
• Deleting local character overrides
• Deleting text frames
• Deleting ALL Word specific features
• Deleting linked graphics

The next section explains what needs to be deleted in Word, and provides some information on why we use this approach.

Table of Contents

As FrameMaker has very advanced Table of Contents (TOC) functions, it is much simpler to delete the TOC in Word and then rebuild it in FrameMaker.

In Word, select the TOC and delete it. Save the file.

Note: If you’ve used bookmarks in Word to generate a TOC, delete them as well. The effort it takes to import them into FrameMaker is not worth the effort. FrameMaker can do it quicker.

Headers and Footers

Both Word and FrameMaker have a different approach to Headers and Footers. In FrameMaker, these are setup in the Master page and controlled from there. Trying to import Word’s header and footers into FrameMaker will only confuse it.

In Word, open the header and footer option. Select each one and press Delete. Save the file.

Local paragraph overrides

This involves deleting any formatting in paragraphs (which should have been formatted with Body styles) which has been done manually — rather than formatted with a Word style.

If you import these local paragraph overrides into FrameMaker, they will confuse the tag settings. It’s much simpler to delete them in Word and then rebuild in FrameMaker.

In Word, select the entire document and press Ctrl+Q. Save the document.

Local character overrides

An example of local overrides is when, for example, in Word a paragraph is entirely Times Roman except for the 3rd word, which is in italic. If the italic was set using a character style, the FrameMaker file may assign that style to the 3rd word AND to the remaining words in the paragraph—not what you want!

My suggestion is to delete all local character overrides in Word.

In Word, select the entire document and press Ctrl+Spacebar. Save the file.

Later, in FrameMaker, you will use the Paragraph Designer to modify the style correctly.

Word specific features

All Word specific features have to be deleted as they cannot be interpreted in FrameMaker. Even worse, if you do not do this, they may corrupt the FrameMaker document.

In Word, delete all borders, WordArt, callout boxes, arrows, text frames, etc. Save the file.

Text Frames — Word uses text frames to create what FrameMaker calls a side-head, i.e. text that appears in the left margin column. To recreate the Word text frame in FrameMaker, create a tag in FrameMaker called ‘TextFrame’ and design this in accordance with the style guide.

Linked graphics

Some Word documents ‘link’ graphics (Insert | Picture | From File) to the document rather than using the traditional cut/paste approach.

For a Word to FrameMaker conversion, this means that when you open the RTF file in FrameMaker the graphic file have to correctly link to the same folders as those in Word. In theory, this should work, but in my experience, this does not always work. Instead, follow these steps:

In Word, select each graphic file, save it with a unique name, e.g. Architecture.gif etc, and store it in the project folder. Once this is done, delete all graphics, and Save the file.

Note: In FrameMaker, you will import all these graphics back into the document.

Once all these steps are completed, you then need to modify different parts of the Word file, depending on how it was created.

Note: This does not involve deleting content as we have done above, but modifying how it is constructed, for example adjusting how the number and bullet lists are formatted in Word so that they can be imported into FrameMaker with less data corruption.

You don’t need to delete these constructs, but you do have to adjust their presentation otherwise they will create confusion in the FrameMaker file, for example you could end up with two bullets for every list entry rather than one.

For the conversion project, this involved managing the following areas:

• Master Pages and sections
• Headings
• Numbering
• Bullets
• Cross-references
• Artwork
• Spanned Columns
• Books and master documents
• Styles and tags

Master Pages and sections

FrameMaker uses Master Pages; Word uses sections.

In Word, sections are often used to insert different headers and footers throughout the document. FrameMaker’s approach is totally different.

Figure 1 – How to access FrameMaker Master Pages (View | Master Pages).

In Word, delete all section breaks. You can search for ^b to find all occurrences. Save the file.

Headings

FrameMaker doesn’t care how headings are named. Because of this, you don’t have to modify the style names in Word before the conversion — unless you want to change the style names to reflect the target template.

However, it’s recommended that you delete all redundant headings, and other redundant styles, as they hold no value.

In Word, delete all redundant headings (Format | Styles and Formatting) and save the file.

Figure 2 – In Word, delete all redundant styles and headings

Numbering

If your Word document uses automatic numbering and styles, you’re in luck! However, if the numbering has been done manually, delete the numbers (but not the styles) in Word.

Then, when you open the file in FrameMaker, you can attach a style with numbering applied. You will probably have to do some resetting to 1 and so on, but this is straightforward process in FrameMaker.

In Word, search for all numbers applied manually. Delete the numbers, but not the styles. Save the file.

Bullets

Like numbering, Bullets were done hopefully with styles and not manual overrides. If styles were used, then keep the style names but delete the bullet from the definition.

In Word, search for all bullets applied manually. Delete the bullet. Save the file.

Figure 3 – In Word, select pre-defined bullets and numbers

Note: If the bullets were done by hand in Word, you may find numbered paragraphs in FrameMaker with two bullets—one defined by the FrameMaker tag, and one kept from Word during the import. The quickest way to fix this is to delete the unnecessary bullet by hand. When you open the file in FrameMaker, the bullets should appear correctly as a result of FrameMaker‘s numbering system.

Cross-references

In Word, you can only cross-reference within the same file; by contrast, FrameMaker can cross-reference among other files within a Book. When FrameMaker reads a Word file with cross-references, it finds obscure marker such as “_Ref565989”. These are of no use to FrameMaker and need to be deleted.

In Word, delete all cross-references and re-create them in FrameMaker by hand. Save the file.

Artwork

Any artwork that was cut and pasted into a Word file can be imported directly into FrameMaker. However, there are two issues to consider:

1. The quality of ‘Cut and Paste’ files that you bring into FrameMaker often degrade, i.e. lose quality. Though it may be time-consuming, it’s recommended that you re-create these in PhotoShop and then import them into FrameMaker.

2. Linked graphics in Word files will not work in FrameMaker as the link settings affect what happens on the FrameMaker side. As discussed earlier, delete these files, save them individually, and then import into FrameMaker (File | Import | File).

Spanned Columns

In Word, delete spanned columns. These could open in FrameMaker as one pica wide and confuse FrameMaker’s setting. Delete the spans and re-build them in FrameMaker.

Books and master documents

Word has a Master Document feature that can be used for managing complex long documents. However, I strongly advice against using this feature; it is very unreliable and prone to corrupting documents. In turn, FrameMaker uses the concept of a Book to assemble project files and is very stable.

Figure 4 – FrameMaker’s Book feature

For the test conversion project, we use three files to create the overall ‘Book’; cover sheet; table of contents; main user guide pages. When working in FM, note that each of these files has a different master page and you need to update each master page where necessary.

Styles and tags

Wherever possible, use similar-named styles in both applications, for example, Copyright style; the only exception is when matching Word’s default Normal style with FrameMaker’s default Body tag.

Note: The fewer styles/ tags in FrameMaker, the easier it is to manage. Delete all redundant styles or tags and merge those that are similar.

Saving the RFT

After completing all these steps, save the Word file in Rich Text Format (RTF).

You can now open it in FrameMaker and refine it in accordance with the style guide.

Figure 5 – In Word, save the file as Rich Text Format

Preparing the FrameMaker file

You now have a modified Word file, saved as RFT, with all Word-specific features removed. The next phase involves:

• Returning the content deleted from the Word file, such as Artwork, headers, footers.
• Updating cross-references, indexes, TOC etc.
• Matching the file with the Style Guide.

To start the process:

In FrameMaker, in order to open the RTF file:

• Select File | Open | File Types | All Files (*.*).

Figure 6 – Select All Files (*.*) to view the RTF file.

• In the Unknown File Type pop-up window, select Microsoft RFT and click Convert.

Figure 7 – Select Microsoft RTF and click Convert

This opens the RTF file, though the format and presentation will be modified slightly from the Word version.

Save the file with a .fm extension. The next stage involves returning all Word content that was deleted (or modified).

Importing Graphics

You have two options when bringing graphics into FrameMaker. You can either:

• Option A – Cut and paste from Word or
• Option B – Cross-reference to a project directory.

Option A usually results in large file sizes as the file has to hold the graphics, whereas in Options B they are cross-referenced from their respective location.

The problem with using Option B is that you have to include the graphics folder when sending the FrameMaker files to other users.

However, the good news is that when you need to update any graphic file in the document (or documents) instead of manually going through each page, you simply update the relevant graphic – and all files are updated automatically!

Figure 8 – Option B – Import files by reference

Unwanted Tags

After you’ve opened the RTF in FrameMaker, you may find that you’ve gained a character tag called Default Paragraph Font.

The only way to delete it is to select the text, choose Default ¶ Font, and re-assign it.

Custom table ruling and shading

To delete custom table settings from the entire FrameMaker document, do the following:

• Select the document.
• Choose Table | Custom Ruling & Shading.
• Select both of the ‘From Table’ settings, and select all check boxes.
• Click Apply.

Updating the Header and Footers

As mentioned earlier, both Word and FrameMaker have a different approach to Headers and Footers. In FrameMaker, these are setup in the Master page.

FrameMaker provides default settings for each document’s headers/footers. Use the Paragraph Designer to modify them and, when finished, select ‘Update All’. You can then return to the Body Pages.

Note: when a Book is comprised of several files, you need to set the page numbers so that there is consistency between each file. To do this, open the FrameMaker file:

• Select Format | Document | Numbering | Page.
• Enter the start page number and Save.

Updating the Table of Contents

This process has 2 options depending on whether you want to integrate your TOC in the main document or you want to create a standalone TOC. For the Klariti project, I used Option B as outlined below.

• Option A – this places the TOC within the main FrameMaker file. This option makes sense when you have a small file that is easy to update.
• Option B – this involves creating a standalone TOC that will form one part of a large FrameMaker book. In this project, we used Option B as the main file was very large and other sections used different master pages, styles etc.

To create the TOC, follow these steps:

• Open the FrameMaker Book.
• Add files where necessary.
• Click Add | Table of Contents.

Figure 9– How to create a Table of Contents

This creates a standalone TOC file. Open this and check that it matches with Style Guide. To update the design/layout, open the Master pages and make the required amendments.

PDF Setup

Before you create the PDF document, you need to define the conversion settings in FrameMaker. To do this, go to:

• Format | Document | PDF Setup.
• In Settings, select Print and for Page Range, select All.
• In Bookmarks, check Generate PDF Bookmarks, and for Include Paragraphs add Chapter Title and Headings 1, 2, and 3.
• In Tags, check Generate Tagged PDF.
• Click Set to finish.

Figure 10 – In PDF Setup Settings tab, select Print from the drop-down menu.

Figure 11 – In the Bookmark tab, add the Chapter Title and Headings

Creating the PDF file

The final step involves converting the FrameMaker files into PDF.

In this test conversion project, we have used 3 FrameMaker files which together form a FrameMaker Book. A book, as the name implies, is a master file that controls the relationship between the files that it contains.

To do this, follow these steps:

• In FrameMaker, open the Cover Sheet FrameMaker file.
• Click the Print Option (File | Print). Select the PDF prnit driver from the Print drop-down menu, for example, Adobe PDF.
• In the options screen, select All and Convert PDF Data.
• Click OK.

Follow the same steps for the other two FrameMaker files. You now have three PDF files based on the FrameMaker files. After all files are converted, close FrameMaker and open Adobe Acrobat.

The next step is to create a master PDF file that will contain the 3 PDF files in the correct sequence. To do this, open the Cover Sheet, and add the other two files as follows:

• Open the Cover Sheet pdf.
• Click Edit | Insert Pages and Add the TOC pdf file.
• Click Edit | Insert Pages and add the Klariti.pdf file.
• Once all files have been added, choose File | Save As and save the file.

You now have the entire FM file in PDF format. The next step is to create hyperlinks for the main headings.

Creating Hyperlinks

In FrameMaker, when you add a table of contents, there is an option to create hyperlinks automatically. However, during this project, this option failed to work. An error message stated that it required additional fonts in order to compile. Therefore, the table of contents file did not create hyperlinks to the chapter titles and headings.

Nonetheless, in Adobe Acrobat, you can manually create these links. To do this, you select the heading and cross-reference it to the relevant page in the file.

Figure 12 – The Link tool in Adobe Acrobat

To do this, follow these steps:

1. In Adobe Acrobat, open the master PDF file, e.g. UserGuide.pdf.

2. Select Window | Bookmarks to display the bookmarks. This option shows the Chapter Title and H1/H2/H3 headings.

3. Navigate to the section of the document where you want to create a link.

4. Select the link tool.

5. Create the link rectangle in one of the following ways:

• Drag the mouse to create a marquee.

• Press Ctrl (Windows) and select the target text with the I-beam. This allows you to fit a link rectangle exactly around the selected text.

6. In the Create Link dialog box, choose a rectangle type.

7. Select a highlight option for when the link is selected.

8. Choose an action type.

9. Choose a magnification option.

10 Click Set Link.

Complete this step for all headings in the TOC.

Figure 13 – The Link Properties option in Adobe Acrobat

This process will create hyperlinks from all headings to their respective sections in the PDF document.

Security Settings

In Adobe Acrobat, there are various security options available. The most relevant for this project is to ensure that unauthorized personnel cannot modify the document.

In particular, you want to disallow unauthorised personnel from copying text from your PDF into their documents, for whatever reason.

Figure 14 – The Document Security option in Adobe Acrobat

To do this, follow these steps:

• In Adobe Acrobat, go to File | Document Security.
• Choose Adobe Standard Security from the drop-down menu.
• Under Permissions, check the four options, e.g. No Printing etc.
• Click OK. Click Close and then File | Close to save the settings.

Figure 15 –Security options in Adobe Acrobat

When you re-open the file, these settings will apply.

Matching the Style Guide

To get the styles to match, review the styles/tags in the FrameMaker file against those in the Style Guide.

For example, if the Style Guide’s Body style is Arial 10 etc, and the FrameMaker file has it set to Times Roman 11, you need to correct this as follows:

• Open FrameMaker and select all content marked as Body.
• Open Paragraph Designer and update the Body fields.
• Select ‘Apply to All’. This updates all occurrences of the Body style in the document.

To stop other technical authors from using the wrong styles, delete ALL redundant styles. For example, the RFT file may have several body styles, e.g. Body, Body + Left, Body + Indent. In FrameMaker, delete all of these otherwise future authors may use these inadvertently.

What do you think?

This approach has worked well for me when converting Microsoft Word documents into FrameMaker. I should add that the latest versions of Adobe FrameMaker offer a more streamlined approach to converting the docs.

With that said, you’re still going to have to clean up the Adobe FrameMaker docs to some extent regardless of how well the converter works.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll look at conversion software and work on the latest version of Adobe FrameMaker, which I’ve now got my hands on.

Let me know if you’ve come across better ways to convert these docs or maybe some of the issues you’ve had in converting these docs.

Thanks.

Master templates let you control the format and positioning of every component in your FrameMaker documents. They are very powerful when they work correctly, but be careful. If you make a mistake, it will take many an hour to clean the documents.
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In plain English this means that if you setup a footer as Arial, size 10, and then apply it to the main document, all footers will appear in this font and this size. Sounds good!

But, what if you wanted to have different footers in the document?

You could hard code every footer.

Hard code means you manually type in the footer. That’s ok for a 5 page document but not if your creating a 250 page user guide.

You need to automate the process, which is where master templates come in.

In FrameMaker, you can create different footers, identify each type, and then apply them where you wish.

You can have different headers and footers for the:

• Cover Page
• Table of Contents
• Index
• Chapters, and
• Copyright pages.

Problems with Master Template

One of the problems I’ve had was that even though I’d created the component, it didn’t appear in the document.

The main reason for this, especially for headers and footers, was that the previous entry was still there.

In other words, you have to remove the previous header and then enter the new one.

When you think about it, it makes sense, but if you don’t know you could get very frustrated.

Tip: Delete the ‘old’ header and insert the new ‘one’ instead.

Workarounds

Numbering chapters, headers, footers, and labels can cause all types of confusion.

One trick I’ve learnt it to cut and paste template settings from a FrameMaker document I know works into the new document.

1. In the first document (i.e. you know works), open the template settings, and select the section you want to copy.

2. In the document you want to update, open the template settings, and paste where appropriate.

3. Click Apply and return to the main document. Your changes should now be reflected in the second document.

I have to admit this does seem like a lot of effort.

If you know a more efficient way to do this, please add it below.

Links

Adobe Framemaker Templates Tutorials – This Adobe Framemaker tutorial discusses the following topics: Exploring FrameMaker Templates, Modifying FrameMaker Templates, Creating Custom Templates, Using Custom Templates, and Importing Formats from a Template

How to Create a Template in Adobe Framemaker – While you can use the templates provided by FrameMaker or other pre-defined templates available to you, you may decide that you want to create your own templates. When you create a template, you can set up various types of formats based on what the template is going to be used for. For example, you may decide to create a special Title paragraph tag or table format for your template.

Introduction to Adobe Framemaker 5.0 – This is a Basic Framemaker tutorial. Look at the ‘create a new document’ to find out how to work with Framemaker templates.

Mimic FrameMaker’s Memo Template – FrameMaker’s Memo template is a great example of a template that can be used as a fill-in form. The layout and fields are pre-defined and you just need to fill in the details for each version of the document. C’mon, let’s create our own template that works in the same, wonderful way!

One File, Multiple Uses in Adobe Framemaker – XML lets you publish the same content across different media with minimal effort. And with the new XML features in Adobe® FrameMaker® 7.0, you don’t have to know XML syntax to create XML-compatible documents. Once a developer has created the structured applications, you create the content in a template using predefined element tags and save the file in XML format. It’s ready to use in an XML-savvy application or to convert into another format, such as WML or VoiceXML.

Note: If you don’t see your format listed here, or your file version is not supported, please convert it to Adobe PostScript using the PostScript driver, then upload the resulting PostScript file.Microsoft® Office: Word (.doc), PowerPoint (.ppt), Excel (.xls) Note: Create Adobe PDF Online converts documents which Microsoft Office 2000 is able to successfully open and print. Other Microsoft Formats Publisher (.pub) Note: Create Adobe PDF Online converts documents which Microsoft Publisher 2002 is able to successfully open and print. Adobe Formats Illustrator® (.ai), InDesign™ (.indd), FrameMaker® (.fm, .mif), PageMaker® (.pm, .pm6, .p65, .pmd, .pmt), Photoshop® (.psd) Note: Files from Illustrator version 9 or later are already stored as PDF files and do not require conversion. InDesign files later than version 2.0 are not supported for conversion. AutoCAD AutoCAD (.dwg) Note: Create Adobe PDF Online only supports AutoCAD files saved as versions Release 2.5 through AutoCAD 2002. Corel WordPerfect Office Formats WordPerfect (.wpd) Adobe PostScript® Formats PostScript (.ps, .prn), Encapsulated PostScript (.eps) Text Formats Rich Text Format (.rtf), Text (.txt) Image Formats Windows bitmap (.bmp), GIF (.gif), JPEG (.jpg), PCX (.pcx), PICT (.pct, .pict), PNG (.png), RLE (.rle), TIFF (.tif)

Make documents searchable, using OCR

Adobe PDF (.pdf), Bitmap (.bmp), JPEG (.jpg), PCX (.pcx), PNG (.png), TIFF (.tif)

via createpdf.adobe.com

Posted via web from ivanwalsh’s posterous

I had a query here. for example, the related posts mentioned above – “Adobe FrameMaker Users Get SDL AuthorAssistant for Tech Authoring Adobe FrameMaker 9 users can now download SDL AuthorAssistant.”

How will u rephrase the sentence and remove ‘USERS’ from it?

Photography – Indicating the end user as a photographer makes sense, but how will u address people using products like Adobe or any other similar product?

Originally posted as a comment by preeti on Ivan Walsh’s Technical Writer Tips using Disqus.

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Technical writers often have a degree in English, technical writing, the technical field for which they are writing, or a combination of these.

It is most important that they have enough expertise to understand their audience’s background and needs.

For example, writers who develop documentation for software APIs, microcontroller operation, and other technical subjects are often paid more than those who write guides for a nontechnical audience (for example, how to use email), because it is difficult to find good writers with advanced technical knowledge.

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After the documentation is written, it is normally reviewed for accuracy by one or more “subject matter experts” (SMEs).

Technical Writers Software

The most popular technical writing software includes:

• Adobe Acrobat
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Adobe FrameMaker
• Adobe RoboHelp
• AuthorIT
• Chm2web
• Corel Paint Shop Pro
• DocBook
• Interleaf
• MadCap Software
• Microsoft Visio
• Adobe Photoshop
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• SnagIt
• Microsoft Word
• XML editor

What is Technical Communication?

Technical communication is the process of conveying information about technology to an intended audience. A technical communicator is a person whose job involves technical communication.

Roles in the Technical communication industry include the following job titles:

• Technical writer
• Technical editor
• Information architect
• Usability expert
• User interface designer
• Technical artist
• Technical trainer

The technology can be of any kind, including the sciences, high technology including computers and software, consumer electronics, and so on.

Role of Technical Writing

Technical communications are created and distributed by most employees in service organizations today, especially by professional staff and management.

Effective communications require quality content, language, format, and more. The entire point of communications is to disseminate information; this is where written content comes in. To present the appropriate content, it is imperative to understand one s audience and writing purpose.

If a document does not communicate the information that the writer intends and what he or she wants the reader to understand, then the communication is meaningless.

The writer has an interest in making the extra effort: Looking credible is as important as being credible and getting results in business.

Respect and credibility of the writer/speaker are integral to effective communications. Readers will not trust the information from an author if they do not believe that author is a valuable source of information or the purveyor of worthwhile ideas.

Cold calls! No! I can’t do it. Yes, you can. They’re only human and won’t bite.

Here’s how I make cold calls and it works

When I started out I hated this. I’d do anything to avoid it. In the end I cut a deal with myself. I would call between 10-11 every morning for 1 hour and 1 hour only. Somehow this worked. I’d make the calls and get it over with. In time it got easier and making cold calls became more enjoyable. Yes, imagine that. Cold calls that you enjoy!

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Before you make your first cold call

Before you make the call, look at their site, download their brochures and see what type of documents they might need. For example, software development companies may need user guides, release notes, and installation manuals.

Web companies will need online text, technical support material and help pages. After a while you’ll get a feel for what these companies want and you can tailor your cold calls accordingly.

Don’t be shy about calling. Expect to get turned down 9 out of 10 times at first. It’s nothing personal. And don’t be hard on yourself. Starting up is the hardest part. Once you land your first contract, the next will be much easier.

1. Start with small companies that don’t have dedicated in-house tech writers.

2. Don’t contact the HR Manager. Their job is to screen you out. They won’t be interested.

3. Contact the IT Manager or the Training Manager. These people may actually need your skills. Drop them an email and ask if you can send over a brochure. No hard selling. Gently does it

4. Offer your services on a contract basis

5. If asked, give them estimates of your daily rates – but keep it general.

6. Avoid getting locked into low rates before you have met the client.

Tip: This is a numbers game. The more you call, the more interviews you’ll get. It’s not rocket science. Just persevere.

Remember the words of Churchill: “Never, Never, Never give up.”

Here are some tips for interviewing technical writers, for example, if your company needs to hire a contractor to write some documentation for your next release.

I’ve worked on both sides on the fence, (i.e. went to lots of interviews and also interviewed applicants for roles our Publications Dept) and picked up a few things in the process.

Hopefully, these will be of some help.

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A Technical Writer is someone how writes technical documentation for a piece of software, for example, a User Guide or a System Administration Manual.

They are responsible for writing text that is accurate, readable, accessible, and helpful to its intended audience.

Most companies use assessment tests to determine the skill level of potential employees.

Download Technical Writer Assessment Tests here:

http://www.klariti.com/Technical-Writing-Tests/index.shtml

How much time should be allotted to complete an assessment test?

I’d suggest 1 hour at most. 45 min should be enough.

More experienced writers will race through it, while others might deliberate over those tricky questions until absolutely sure.

Nonetheless, 1 hour should be sufficient time for most to complete the test.

Also, by allocating this amount of time to the test, you are also emphasizing its relative importance. If it were a simple 10-minute quiz, it wouldn’t carry the same weight.

Here’s a suggested approach for administering the test:

When advertising the vacancy, highlight that an evaluation test is part of the assessment process. By saying this upfront, you weed out under-qualified writers who know that they would not pass the test.

When scheduling the interview, remind applicants of the assessment test and to ensure that they arrive on time.

1. Explain to them what is involved, for example, that there is X number of questions on grammar, procurement, technology etc. This demonstrates your company’s professionalism as you are helping the applicants to prepare for the interview. In turn, it would be unprofessional to spring the test on applicants when they turn up and catch them by surprise.

2. Completing the test take about 90 minutes and some of your applicants may have other arrangements to consider, such as day-care, commuting etc.

3. When they arrive, interview them first and then do the test. If they are unsuitable for the position, you can cancel the test and say that it’s not necessary at this point.

In the interview ask them about:

• Technical Writing software they have use and which products they prefer to use.
• Note if they have a preference/bias towards a specific platform
• Ask why they prefer one Technical Writing tool over another, for example, why do they prefer Adobe RoboHelp over MadCap Flare?
• Ask for examples of how they solved problems. This helps get a handle on how they interact with other members of the Technical Publication Dept.

About.com has some sample questions for holding interviews:

http://humanresources.about.com

Different Types of Questions

Use different types of questions when interviewing prospective employees.

• Behaviors – about what the person has done or is doing
• Opinions – about what they think about a topic, for example, the rise in video as a tool for technical communications
• Knowledge – ask specific questions to get facts, for example, what version of Adobe FrameMaker do you use?
• Background/demographics – ask standard background questions, such as education, training to develop a profile of the applicant and also to cross-check their resume

Sequence of Questions

• Ask questions about some facts. This approach encourages respondents to relax and engage in the interview.
• Ask questions about the present first.
• Then discuss the past or future. It’s easier to talk about the present and then work into the past or future.
• Close by allowing respondents to provide other information they prefer to add and also give their impressions of the interview. More assertive types will have suggestions/opinions and express themselves more confidently.

Wording of Questions

• Use open-ended questions.
• Avoid Yes/No questions. Let the applicants choose their own terms when answering questions.
• Stay neutral. Avoid wording questions that might influence their answers, e.g. showing a prejudice towards a specific platform or development environment.
• Ask questions one at a time.
• Be careful asking “why” questions as this may make the person to feel defensive, e.g., have to justify their response/feelings.

Conducting the Interview

• Ask one question at a time.
• Remain as neutral as possible. Avoid showing strong emotional reactions to their responses.
• Encourage responses with occasional nods of the head, “uh huh”s, etc.
• Be careful when taking notes. For example, if you start to write feverishly, it may appear as if you’re shocked with the answer, which is likely to influence the following answers. Likewise, if you stop taking notes it implies that you’ve lost interest.
• Move from topics to topic, e.g., “ok, we’ve been talking about Adobe FrameMaker and now I’d like to move on to Structured Authoring.”
• Remain in control of the interview. Stop respondents from straying to other topics, rambling, or turning the tables on the interviewer.

Starting the Written Assessment

For those you want to assess, do the following:

• Give them a pen and paper (always helps). Some people like to sketch or keep notes when writing.
• Glass of water or coffee.
• Find a quiet room with a PC or laptop.
• Give them a printout of the test. Hardcopies are often easier to read than words on the screen.
• Walk through the test so that they understand what is required.
• Encourage them to ask any questions so there are no misunderstandings.
• Tip: Remind them when the test will finish.
• Once they are ready, leave the room and let them do the test.
• After 20 minutes, drop in to see how they are doing. The point here is not to monitor them, but to see if they genuinely need any assistance.
• After 60 minutes return, stop the test, and print it out.

At this point, I d suggest that they have a break so that you can score the test or let them know that you will call them tomorrow with the result.

This may be the most practical approach if you plan to hold a second interview.

If you want to do it the same day, then get the printout and go over the scores. As everyone likes to know how they performed in a test, walk through the results and discuss them with the applicant.

For example, if they scored low in one section, ask them how this area could be improved.

Finally, thank them for taking the time to do the tests and hope that they have gained from it.

Download Technical Writer Assessment Tests

Full URL: www.klariti.com/Technical-Writing-Tests/index.shtml

My recent article on moving from RoboHelp to Madcap Flare seems to have generated interest in the technical writing community. Rick Stone made some excellent points that I’d like to share here. As the points raised are so detailed, I have created a new post to address each one. Again, thanks to Rick and here goes.

My recent article on moving from RoboHelp to Madcap Flare seems to have generated interest in the technical writing community.

Rick Stone made some excellent points that I’d like to share here. As the points raised are so detailed, I have created a new post to address each one.

Again, thanks to Rick and here goes. Hello Rick, many thanks for clearing up the differences between RoboHelp and Flare. The points you make are very helpful and have given me an insight into RoboHelp that maybe I had over looked.

<I do realize this is a very “Pro Flare” review and intended to place RoboHelp in as negative a light as possible.

The Flare article certainly wasn’t meant to be RoboHelp bashing or anything like that. Here’s some background info that might place it in more context.

I am going through all the major technical writing software applications at the moment and writing up reviews, tips, tutorials and such. This month I’ve been living and breathing Flare. So, lots of words have been written up and published about, well, Madcap Flare.

On reflection, what I should have done was staggered the publication dates of the articles and spread out the material over several months. But I also have to write/publish new material every day, so it’s a balancing act. I hope that makes some sense.

The other point is that the tech writing community are very interested / enthusiastic in Madcap Flare. There’s quite a lot of buzz about what it can do and I think credit must go to Madcap for building up such a following.

Whenever I have contacted them, they came back with answers and were very helpful. I regret to say that my experience with Adobe has left me less than enamoured. I rarely get any response and when I do it’s rather curt.

To be honest, I don’t contact Adobe any more. I guess I’ve lost a certain respect for them.

For example, I also use FrameMaker and PageMaker (showing my age!) and have flicked a few emails to them asking for direction, advice and what not.

Their response?

Sometimes none; other times just generic cut and paste replies.

I’ve used PageMaker when it was owned by Aldus. That’s quite a while back. Adobe doesn’t (to me) show much loyalty to its customer base and seems more concerned with migrating users to its new apps. That’s fine. I can understand that. But if you have used their applications for almost 20 years, I think you deserve more that bland cut and paste replies.

So, with that in mind, I started to look at alternative solutions for tech writing software, which lead me to Madcap and a few others. I hope this doesn’t sound like a rant – it’s not meant to be – I just wanted to put things in context.

<As a long time RoboHelp user (nearly from the beginning) I can attest that Flare is *NOT* as easy of a transfer as this verbiage would seem to suggest. Be prepared to struggle with what seems to be an odd interface layout.

The way I see it is that if you have grown up with Adobe, then yes, the user interface is different and you will need some time to find your bearings. But, I don’t think it’s that difficult to master.

For example, I switched to Word 2007 last year and am having a very hard time finding where things are. Sometimes, I go back to Word 2003 to write the docs as I know all the shortcuts inside out. To me, Word 2007 is an odd user interface. My wife uses Vista and struggles to find files she saved. What were they thinking?

<Just because the Madcap folks had a hand in RoboHelp development, don’t expect Flare to be sort of like RoboHelp on steroids and just seamlessly pick up and off you go and are productive. I’ve seen reports from other Flare converts that suggested they struggled with the interface for a period of time before accepting it was different. That alone hinders productivity and needs to be factored into any plans on switching tools.

Agreed. If you are moving from RoboHelp to Flare, there will be a period of transition. But isn’t this true for most all applications?

PageMaker users are been migrated to InDesign in line with Adobe’s strategic plan. Millions must have been spend defining this transition plan.

But if you are a PageMaker user it’s not a smooth ride from one to the other – and these are two products from the same company.

<As for the many unprecedented features, I’d like to see a list instead of speaking in nebulous vageries.

Will do. I’ll prepare a matrix showing the features of each product. This should help clarify the relative strengths and weakness of each product. It also keeps things a bit more objective.

<I’m not intending to slam Flare. It’s a great product if that’s what you want. But long time RoboHelp users won’t find it nearly as simple as the post seems to imply.

Of course, there will also be teething problems.

Maybe what we really need here is the flip side. In other words, an article that shows how MadCap Flare users can migrate to RoboHelp?

What we need is a list of the benefits RoboHelp offers and identify some of the limitations of Flare. This would balance the argument and provide more balanced information for those considering that switch to RoboHelp or Madcap Flare.

<MadCap Flare is designed to generate pure, clean, compliant XML. XML? Has Flare suddenly shifted gears on us? Last I saw it was producing XHTML which is substantially different.

According to MadCap: Flare stores all content and project files as XML files, making Flare projects completely open, transparent, and accessible.

Page 3 – http://www.madcapsoftware.com/assets/Flare%20v4…

Rick points out that RoboHelp 8 (the latest version) also produces clean and compliant code with no proprietary tags. (KADOV tagging) RoboHelp also now produces XHTML code.

<Keep in mind the “proprietary tags and editor tricks” you cite were part of the older versions of RoboHelp.
These tags and tricks were developed and implemented by the same folks that are now producing Flare.

I don’t know that. I’ll send them an email and see if they can shed some light on this.

<Of course they did what they had to do at the time they were developed, but these tags and tricks are now just a memory and are no longer part of RoboHelp. So your statement is misleading.

I would say it’s misleading but we now know that RoboHelp version 8 produces clean and compliant code with no proprietary tags and XHTML code. Previous versions may not.

<MadCap Flare allows you to import your existing RoboHelp projects, so you won’t lose legacy content.
“Legacy” content? This would seem to infer RoboHelp is long dead. Quite the opposite!

Maybe we’re at cross purposes here. To me, legacy is synonymous with data repositories that have been built up over time and need to be published into new formats/channels etc.

<If Flare is what you want, by all means go for it. But there is no need to try and slant things so RoboHelp looks bad in a lame attempt to try and sway the viewpoint. RoboHelp is quite a nice product as I’m sure Flare is.

I think the intro to this piece pointed out some concerns I have with Adobe and also why I’m exploring alternative solutions. Compared to other articles I’ve seen, I think the tone of this article is fairly balanced.

<If someone is in the market for a help authoring tool, I would advise them to download both products and test for themselves. Then base the decision on what works best for you.

Absolutely.

You can download Adobe RoboHelp here: http://www.adobe.com/products/robohelp/

You can download MadCap Flare here: http://www.madcapsoftware.com/downloads/

I would add that before you start

1. Define your goals
2. Prepare sample material
3. Establish criteria for determining the most appropriate solution.

<It is worth noting and curious that a Flare to RoboHelp conversion tool exists. No tool is created without a demand for it.

http://www.showmethedemo.com/flare-to-robohelp/…

I’ll add this to my to-do list and prepare a review.

<I’ll part with a final question. Why is a Pro Flare/Anti RoboHelp post appearing in a blog that is supposedly dedicated to Word tips and tricks? Seems odd.

Mea cupla!

I use Windows Live Writer to publish material to my blogs. I run 11 blogs.

Windows Live Writer lets you switch between blogs quite easily, i.e. you can publish to Blog #1 and then, if you want, switch to Blog #2 and publish the article there.

It’s very handy if you want to publish the same article (or extracts) across multiple blogs.

And here’s what happened.

When you open Windows Live Writer, the last blog you work on is displayed.

So www.wordtipsandtricks.com was displayed when I opened Windows Live Writer that day. FWIW I use the same WordPress theme for several blogs so it is easy to lose your bearings if you are not paying attention.

That’s how an article meant for this site ended up on www.wordtipsandtricks.com – not the end of the world but as reminder to slow down when doing multiple posts.

What next?

What I would love is someone from Adobe to come forward and address some of the concerns technical writers have about their applications.

1. Why are technical writers moving from RoboHelp to Flare?

2. What are the benefits of RoboHelp v Flare?

3. What’s the strategic plan for RoboHelp over the next 5 years?

I’m not going to waste time contacting them as explained above but this is what the technical writing community want to hear. I don’t think Adobe does itself any favors in the way it presents itself, which I think accounts for the rise in popularity of alternative technical writing solutions.

If you have any opinions about this, please let us know. The more we talk about this, the more informed a decision we can make,

And if you do know someone at Adobe who’d like to talk with us, please send them our way.

Once again, I’d like to thank Rick for clarifying some of the point I made. Likewise, I hope my response showed where I’m coming from.

Use this table if you want to map annotations and comments from an Adobe PDF to FrameMaker. The following tables lists this mapping.

Note: The underline and highlight comments are applied as conditional text.

• Tag name for underline: FM_PDF_Comment_Underline
• Tag name for highlight: FM_PDF_Comment_Highlight

The markers are tracked (irrespective of whether the Track Text Edits is enabled by the user or not).

Although the colors for underline (blue) and highlight (Cyan) will be hard coded, they are inserted as conditional text and will be configurable by the user through the FrameMaker user interface.

Once you have set the properties of the conditional tag (e.g. color), they will not be overridden by the filter (in case of another cycle of importing PDF comments).

If you delete the conditional tag from the document, then whenever comments are imported in this document from PDF in future, a new tag will be created with default properties.

WARNING: Deleting tags from FrameMaker will result in loss of imported comments, it is recommended that you SHOULD NOT EDIT/DELETE THESE CONDITIONAL TAGS unless you intend to remove the comments from the document.

This document shows how to resolve system errors that occur while you use Adobe FrameMaker 9.0 on Windows XP. System errors can manifest in many different ways, including (but not limited to) the following:

• A blank or flickering dialog box
• A frozen cursor or screen
• A blue screen
• An unexpected restart
• An error such as one of the following:
• "Internal Error [number],[number],[number],[number]"
• "This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. If the problem persists, contact the program vendor."
• "FrameMaker caused a General Protection Fault in module [filename]."
• "FrameMaker caused an Invalid Page Fault in module [filename]."
• "Application Error."
• "Unhandled exception detected. Application will be terminated."
• "Illegal Instruction."
• "Segment load failure in [filename]."
• "FrameMaker has encountered a problem and needs to close."
• "Fatal System Error."
• A STOP error

Many different factors can cause system errors, including conflicts among device drivers, applications, operating system settings, hardware, and corrupt elements in specific files. Although a system error may occur only when you work with FrameMaker, FrameMaker may not necessarily be the cause; it may be the only application that uses enough memory or processor cycles to expose the problem.

Before you begin

To benefit most from this document, perform the tasks in order. Keep track of the tasks that you perform and the results of each, including errors and other problems. Adobe Technical Support can use this information to better assist you if you need to call.

Important: Some of the procedures in this document may initiate a User Access Control dialog that asks for your permission to continue. Read the details in the dialog to determine if you want to continue. If you choose to cancel the dialog, then you will not be able to continue with that troubleshooting step.

Note: The procedures in this document are based on the default interface of Windows, with the exception of the Control Panel. The steps in this document that refer to the Control Panel are in reference to the Classic view. The Control Panel can be switched to the Classic view using the appropriate option located on the left side of the Control Panel.The steps in this document that refer to the Control Panel are in reference to the Classic view.

Some of these procedures may require you to locate hidden files, hidden folders, or files by their full file names, which include extensions (for example, example_filename.ini). By default, Windows Explorer doesn’t show hidden files, hidden folders, and file name extensions that it recognizes.

See "Show hidden files, hidden folders, and all file name extensions in Windows Explorer (Windows XP,Vista)" (Technote kb402324) for details.

Beginning troubleshooting

The tasks in this section can help you resolve the most common system errors. Before performing any of these tasks, back up all personal files (for example, FrameMaker files you created). Always restart the computer after a system error occurs to refresh its memory. Continuing to work without restarting the computer may compound the problem.

1. Make sure that the system meets the minimum requirements for FrameMaker.

FrameMaker may not install correctly if the system doesn’t meet the following system requirements:

• 1.0 GHz or faster processor
• Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (Service Pack 3 recommended), or Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (certified for 32-bit editions)
• 512MB of RAM (1GB recommended)
• 1.1GB of available hard-disk
• DVD-ROM drive,
• 1,024x 768 screen resolution
• Broadband Internet connection required for online services*

*This product may allow you to access certain features that are hosted online ("online services"), provided you have a high-speed Internet connection. The online services, and some features thereof, may not be available in all countries, languages, and/or currencies and may be discontinued in whole or in part without notice. Use of the online services is governed by separate terms of use and by the Adobe Online Privacy Policy, and access to these services may require user registration. Some online services, including services that are initially offered at no charge, may be subject to additional fees. For more details and to review the terms of use and Online Privacy Policy, visit www.adobe.com.

For updates to system requirements, visit www.adobe.com/products/framemaker/systemreqs.

Note: To check basic system information, such as processor speed and how much RAM is installed, choose Start > Control Panel > System.
To check available hard disk space, click on Start button > Computer; select the disk on which you want to install FrameMaker and click on Free Space. Make sure that the disk on which Windows is installed has at least 10% of its space available, even if you install FrameMaker on a different disk or partition. To increase available hard disk space, search for and delete any *.tmp files on your computer. For instructions, see the documentation included with Windows.

2. Install the latest version of FrameMaker.

The latest version of FrameMaker may be more compatible with the operating system and drivers. Before you install an update or upgrade, make sure that the system meets the requirements.

The free FrameMaker updates are available from the Adobe website at www.adobe.com/support/downloads.

An upgrade, however, may solve a wider range of problems. (You may prefer to try the tasks in the rest of this document before upgrading.) You can purchase upgrades from Adobe Authorized Resellers and from Adobe directly:

• To locate an Authorized Reseller, visit the Adobe website at http://partners.adobe.com/resellerfinder/na/findreseller.jsp and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
• To purchase an upgrade from Adobe, visit the Adobe Store at http://store.adobe.com/store and choose your country or region from the menu at the top of the page.
• To contact Adobe Customer Service in your region for assistance, visit the Adobe website at www.adobe.com, select your region from the menu at the top of the page, and then click Contact Us.

3. Install current Windows service packs and other updates.

See "Install current Windows service packs and other updates (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb405107).

4. Re-create the FrameMaker’s preferences file.

Re-create the FrameMaker preferences file to eliminate problems that a damaged preferences file might cause.

Note: When you use this solution, FrameMaker will create a new preferences file and you will lose custom settings associated with your current preferences file. However, the file you rename in step 2 is your original preferences file. If you determine that the preferences file is not causing the problem, then you can restore your custom settings by following the instructions below.

To re-create the FrameMaker preferences file:

1. Quit FrameMaker.
2. Rename the maker.ini file (for example, to makerini.old) in the C:\\Users\[user]\AppData\Roaming\Adobe\FrameMaker\9.0\maker.ini (for example, to maker.old)
3. Start FrameMaker. FrameMaker creates a new preferences file.

5. Run FrameMaker in a simplified mode.

Some applications or services may cause system errors or freezes when running concurrently with FrameMaker. Services are specialized programs that perform functions to support other programs. Before starting FrameMaker, disable other applications, including startup items (items that start automatically with Windows), and services.

To start Windows Vista in a simplified mode:

1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
2. On the Startup tab, click Disable All.
3. On the Services tab, select Hide All Microsoft Services, click Disable All, and then click OK.
4. In the System Configuration dialog box, click OK then Restart.
5. Start the FrameMaker installer "setup.exe" and then follow the on-screen instructions.

To identify which startup item is causing the issue:

Determining which startup item is generating the problem can be a tedious process. After determining that startup items are the problem’s cause, break the list of items into halves. Test each half of the list to determine if a problem startup item is present. Continue to break the list in half until you determine what startup items are generating the issue. Do not leave any half untested. Multiple startup items may exhibit the same behavior.

1. Attempt to replicate the issue with all items disabled. If the issue does not occur, then proceed to the next section. Re-enable startup items after all steps have been completed.
2. Restore half of the items that were disabled.
3. Attempt to replicate the issue.
   • If the issue occurs, then divide the startup items in half and determine which half the issue occurs within.
   • If the issue is not reproducible, then enable half of the remaining startup items. Continue dividing the items in halves until you have determined what startup item(s) are generating the issue.
4. Once the problem startup item has been isolated. Contact the startup item’s manufacturer for updates or configuration information.

To re-enable startup items and services:

1. Choose Start > Run, type msconfig, and click OK.
2. Choose Normal Startup on the General tab, click OK, and restart the computer.

Note: If unselected items were present on the Services or Startup tab, then you will need to unselect them again

6. Set a PostScript printer as the default.

To determine if the printer driver for the current default printer conflicts with FrameMaker, install a printer that uses a PostScript printer driver, and then set that printer as the default. (In Windows, you can install a printer that isn’t a physical piece of hardware.) If the problem doesn’t recur, then the printer driver that you were using previously conflicts with FrameMaker; contact the printer manufacturer for an updated driver.

To install a printer that uses a PostScript printer driver, see "Install a printer that uses a PostScript printer driver (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404883).

To set a printer as the default:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double-click Printers.
3. Right-click the printer, and then choose Set As Default Printer from the menu.

If you do not have a PostScript Printer you can set the Adobe PDF Printer, installed with various Adobe applications, as you default printer.

7. Troubleshoot third-party plug-ins.

Remove third-party plug-ins from the FrameMaker plug-ins folder, and then restart FrameMaker. If the problem recurs, move the plug-ins back to the FrameMaker plug-ins folder and proceed to the next section of this document, "Intermediate troubleshooting." If the problem doesn’t recur, thenidentify and address conflicting plug-ins.

To identify and address conflicting plug-ins:

1. Move one third-party plug-in back to the FrameMaker plug-ins folder.
2. Restart FrameMaker, and try to re-create the problem.
3. If the problem doesn’t recur, then begin again at step 1. If the problem does recur, then contact the developer of the plug-in that you last moved, and inquire about an update.

Intermediate troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don’t solve the problem, then try the following intermediate troubleshooting tasks.

8. Install Adobe FrameMaker in a simplified mode from the desktop.

Software and services that load automatically with Windows (for example, virus protection utilities) can conflict with FrameMaker 9 installer and cause problems in FrameMaker. To prevent conflict, reinstall FrameMaker 9 while Windows is in simplified mode doesn’t resolve the issue, try installing and running FrameMaker 9 on a different computer, or on a different hard drive.

To copy the FrameMaker 9 install files to the desktop:

1. Insert the first FrameMaker 9 disc into your DVD-ROM drive.
2. Click the Start button, and then click Computer.
3. Right-click on your DVD-ROM drive, and then click Explore.
4. Copy the AdobeFrameMaker 9 folder from the DVD to your desktop. If you are asked to confirm replacing any folders with the same name, select "Yes".
5. Click the Start button, and then click Computer.

To start Windows Vista in a simplified mode:

1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
2. On the Startup tab, click Disable All.
3. On the Services tab, select Hide All Microsoft Services, click Disable All, and then click OK.
4. In the System Configuration dialog box, click OK then Restart.
5. Start the FrameMaker installer "setup.exe" and then follow the on-screen instructions.

To re-enable startup items and services:

1. Choose Start, type msconfig in the Search text box, and press Enter.
2. Choose Normal Startup on the General tab, click OK, and restart the computer.

9. Run FrameMaker in a new user account.

Create a new user account that has the same permissions as the account that you use when the problem occurs. If the problem doesn’t recur, then the original user account may be damaged. For instructions on creating a new user account, see "To add a new user to the computer" in Windows Help or contact your system adminstrator.

10. Disable UAC (User Access Control)

Important: This procedure involves disabling User Access Control. This feature is intended to prevent administrative accounts from performing undesired actions that may affect the system. Disabling UAC removes these notifications. You must restart your system after you disable or re-enable UAC.
For more information on UAC, see the Microsoft Windows Vista support site.

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Deselect Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now

To re-enable UAC:

1. Choose Start > Control Panel.
2. Double click User Accounts.
3. Select Turn User Account Control On Or Off.
4. Select Use User Account Control (UAC) To Help Protect Your Computer and click OK.
5. Click Restart Now.

11. Update the video card driver.

Many video card manufacturers frequently update their software drivers. If you haven’t recently updated the video card driver, then contact the video card manufacturer for an updated driver, or download one from the manufacturer’s website. (To determine the manufacturer of a video card, view the card’s properties in Device Manager.)

12. Disable Windows Aero.

See "Disable Windows Aero (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404886) for details.

13. Verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista.

See "Verify that device drivers are compatible with Windows Vista (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404887) for details.

14. Check for font problems.

See "Reduce the number of active fonts (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404915) for details.

15.Optimize handling of temporary files by Windows Vista.

Windows and applications store working data in temporary (.tmp) files that they create on the hard disk. Excessive or outdated temporary files can interfere with performance of Windows or applications.

See "Delete temporary files using the Disk Cleanup utility (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404917) for details.

16. Set the virtual memory paging file to the default size.

See "Set the virtual memory paging file to the default size (Windows Vista)" (TechNote kb404939) for details.

17. Repair and defragment hard disks.

See "Repair and defragment hard disks (Windows Vista)"(TechNote kb405363) for details.

18. Scan the system for viruses.

Use current anti-virus software (for example, Symantec Norton AntiVirus or McAfee VirusScan) to check the system for viruses. Virus infections can damage software and cause system errors. For more information, see the documentation for the anti-virus software.

19. Identify the file that causes the problem.

If an error indicates which file causes the problem, then reinstall the application to which that file belongs. If that file is damaged and causes problems in FrameMaker, then reinstalling the associated application can correct the problem.

If an error indicates a Windows file, then contact Microsoft for help replacing that file.

Advanced troubleshooting

If the tasks in the previous section don’t resolve the problem, then you may be able to resolve the problem by reinstalling Windows XP and FrameMaker, reformatting your hard disk and reinstalling Windows XP and FrameMaker, or by determining if hardware is conflicting with FrameMaker.

Disclaimer: Adobe doesn’t support hardware and provides these procedures as a courtesy only. For further assistance, contact the hardware manufacturer or an authorized reseller. If you troubleshoot hardware problems yourself, then you may void the warranty for your computer.

Note: Before you remove or rearrange hardware, turn off and disconnect the power to the computer and any peripheral devices.

20. Log in using the built-in Administrator account.

The built-in Administrator account has a higher access level to the system than a normal local administrator account. By default the built-in Administrator account is disabled. For information about enabling and logging in to the built-in Administrator account, contact your system administrator. You can also refer to this support document on the Microsoft support website: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/926183/en-us?spid=11737&sid=73.

21. Check for problems with RAM DIMMs.

See "Check for problems with RAM DIMMs" (TechNote kb404980) for details.

22. Contact Adobe Technical Support.

If none of the above steps has resolved the error or freeze that you are experiencing with FrameMaker, then you need to contact Adobe Technical Support. You can find the support options at the Support Center.

Problem: Scrolling though a FrameMaker document takes a long time in FrameMaker 7.x and 8.x (Windows). When you try to scrolling through a FrameMaker document, pages take a long time to display the images and it takes time to scroll from one page to the next. This happens mainly with EPS files that are located on a server. To address this, do one of the following:

1. Save As PDF.

Just after you have opened the FrameMaker document, save the document as PDF.

1. Choose File > Save As PDF.
2. Choose a local machine destination and enter a file name.
3. Select any of the PDF Job Options.
4. Click Set.

2. Turn off the display of images.

You can turn off the display of images by pressing ESC V V.

Note: This redraw issue was addressed in the FrameMaker 9 version.

If you do a "SaveAs PDF" the EPS preview images get cached into memory (but not locally) during this process. This improves performance. If you choose to hide the images, no images need to be drawn and thus the scrolling works fine.

If you want to import comments from a PDF file into an Adobe FrameMaker document the PDF files must meet the following requirements:

• The PDF file was created using FrameMaker 9 or above
• It is a tagged PDF file.
• The PDF file must have been saved after commenting.
• Ensure that the source FrameMaker file has not been modified after saving as a tagged PDF file.

Note: Import comments only once in the FrameMaker document. If you make multiple imports it may not work as the document changes with each import.