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RE: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that?
Subject:RE: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that? From:Missy Smith <techpubsmistress -at- live -dot- com> To:<kevin -dot- mclauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com>, ASK TECHWR-L <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:48:18 -0600
She clicked on a file named "index.htm" and it opened up the system. I have downloaded a couple different manuals now on my pc, and when I click on the index.htm it says IE cannot display the webpage. I dunno.
> From: Kevin -dot- McLauchlan -at- safenet-inc -dot- com
> To: techpubsmistress -at- live -dot- com; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> Date: Thu, 14 Jan 2010 13:38:55 -0500
> Subject: RE: RoboHelp: Ready to Publish...how do I do that?
>
>
>
> First, Missy Smith said:
> > My new employer wants to make our help system available to our
> > customer to download. What files are needed to create a
> > "portable" help system? Is this still WebHelp?
>
> ... then she came along with...
>
> > Okay, I just came back from my boss' office. She showed me a
> > zip file that they distribute and the customer downloads. The
> > only files it contains is all html files and a folder with
> > images. That's it. She stabs her finger at the monitor and
> > says, "That's what I want."
>
> Hmm. Sounds fishy to me.
>
> JUST html and images...
> No CSS?
> No XML or other glue?
>
> There's a reason that RoboHelp and Flare (and others?) WebHelp
> contains a BUNCH more files than just straight html and some
> images.
>
> Those additional files (in a few sub-directories) are what
> makes it _help_ instead of just a collection of html pages.
>
> Things like the Search facility and the ToC, and Index and
> Browse Sequences, etc. are implemented via those other files,
> in addition to the straight html. Without them, you've got
> some reading material, but you don't have a working, useful
> Help system.
>
> For each of our products, my WebHelp has
>
> /top-directory_named_for_product
> /Content
> /somedirnamepeculiartomyproduct
> /anotherdirname
> /andanotherdirname
> /andyetanotherdir
> /Resources
> /Images
> /Data
> /SkinNewWindow
> /Skin(mycompanyname)
> /Skin
> /Images
> -startpage.htm
> -startpage.js
> -startpage.mcwebhelp
> -startpage.xml
> -startpage_CSH.htm
> -startpage_Left.htm
>
> That gets delivered to the customer in one of three ways:
>
> - on the software CD/DVD
> - on a standalone Docs CD that comes along with the software
> - in a downloadable tarball or zip archive of <see above>.
>
> The customer has the option of running the help directly from
> the CD, or copying the complete structure to their PC hard disk
> and running it from there. (Or they can toss it on a file server,
> but in this form it's not meant to be served by a webserver engine.)
>
> Does what your boss showed you include the functions of a
> usable help system? Or does the user just open each one by
> filename with their browser, then close it?
>
> The advantage of WebHelp is that it works pretty-much the same
> on Linux or Solaris as it does on Windows.
>
> - Kevin
>
>
>
>
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