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Subject:Re: Frame Conditional Text From:John Russell <johnr -at- BRS -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 6 Oct 1994 12:23:57 EDT
> Anne Stankis writes:
> > Can anyone tell me what conditional text is and how FrameMaker uses
> > it to create multiple documents from one document. Thanks.
> Here at Ansoft, we conditionalize chapters so that they can be used
> in manuals for several pieces of software. Features only available in
> certain pieces of software can be conditionalized to only appear in
> the manuals for that software. This seems to work well for chapters
> that appear in two or three manuals, but when a chapter has five or
> six variously overlapping conditionals, it gets a little confusing.
We hope to do something similar.
My company's product runs on multiple platforms, e.g. DOS, UNIX, VAX/VMS,
NT, etc. The system administrator guides (or system configuration
guides) for each of these platforms contain upwards of 80% identical
information. Previously, we managed separate documents for each platform.
Changes in the product configuration meant identical changes in X number
of separate documents.
With conditional text, we (hope to) have one document with the conditions
handling the platform specific stuff. When a change occurs in the product,
one change is made in the documentation. This also makes it easier for
one person to manage the configuraion guide (notice, not guide*s*) as
it's just one document, not five.
At least, that's the theory. We'll be putting it to the test in the
next few months.
--
kjr
johnr -at- lurch -dot- brs -dot- com
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|/ K. John Russell \|
| Dataware Technologies, Inc. |
| 5 Computer Drive South |
| Albany, New York 12205 |
|\ (518) 437-4025 /|
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