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Subject:Re: InDesign CS2 file to Web topics? From:"Peter Gold" <peter -at- knowhowpro -dot- com> To:techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com Date:Fri, 3 Oct 2008 03:51:11 -0500
Message: 10
Brigitte Johnston <johnstonbrigitte -at- yahoo -dot- com> wrote:
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My company has recently produced a new (paper) manual using InDesign
CS2. The manual was put together by a graphic designer (with my help!)
because it was a rush job, and I did not know the software (and didn't
have it on my machine -- I've been using Word for the last 7 years!).
So, as I'm sitting here teaching myself InDesign (I'm just getting
started - today), I get a call from one of our VPs asking "What would
it take to put portions of that manual into a format accessible via
the Web?" He wants parts of this manual (topics) accessible and
printable individually, but he does not want people to be able to just
print the entire manual. We'd like to have something resembling help
topics, not just pages of the PDF'd manual (although that may be the
first version, just to get them out there).
Can someone point me in the right direction? Does this require
additional software, or can these topics be generated from the
InDesign files? (There are several files, one for each chapter, put
together as one PDF.) If we can use InDesign, what's the function I'm
looking for? The graphic designer is also looking into this, but I
thought I would ask all of you as well. The more I can get my hands in
this the better!
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Hi, Brigitte:
ID CS3 has better HTML-for-Web output than ID CS2, and ID CS4 (just
announced, but not shipping for a while) has even better, but they all
needs touching-up - major or minor, depending on your needs - and none
equals the output of true help authoring tools.
ID CS3 also has long-document tools - text variables, running headers,
interruptible numbered lists - not in ID CS2. ID CS4 adds conditional
text and cross-references. Both of these can make PDF documents more
useful as help. For example, using conditional text, you can mark
content with conditions like Online_and_Paper, Online_Only, and
Paper_Only, then show or hide the appropriate content before exporting
to PDF. Cross-references create hyperlinks within and across documents
in PDF.
Upgrading to ID CS3 now qualifies you for a free IDCS4 when it's
released, for only the cost of shipping.
You can get more information from the Adobe InDesign Windows and
Macintosh User-to-User fora. Most postings platform-specific, so you
should search both. If you post to both fora, include a note that
you're double posting.
HTH
Regards,
Peter
__________________
Peter Gold
KnowHow ProServices
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