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Subject:Re: Ventura to Online Help From:"Bruce H. Johnson" <corpknow -at- EARTHLINK -dot- NET> Date:Thu, 27 Jun 1996 06:08:43 -0700
> Yes, it is another one of those do you know of ... questions. We use Ventura
> 5.0 to produce our paper documentation and are beginning to produce online
> help. Currently I have written the online help using Word 7 only. Could
> you advise me of any tools that would aid in taking a Ventura file and
> creating online help. Respond direct to: julie -at- ctl -dot- com -dot- cy
Julie - we've done over 20 manuals from Ventura to Help. We happened to
use Doc-To-Help, but any HAT will do.
We brought the original up in Ventura and went through each VP chapter.
Identified each graphic with the file name and wrote it on the hardcopy.
In some cases, we made a print of the manual, because the softcopy had
been updated after the manual was released.
Made a note, on the hardcopy, of where each external document file
started, and its name.
Finally, converted (if needed) the document file format to s/g like
ASCII or Word.
This gave us a complete map of the manual's structure.
We'd then start the Help project; get it set up in its directory with
the HPJ, etc. Create the first file and read in the VP document (we
worked in Word). Ran a honker macro to convert the VP tags in the
document file to Word tags, index entries, fonts markings, etc. It
converted about 95% of the VP tags to useable Word formatting.
The we'd do the "normal" Help formatting pass and conversions.
VP has the advantage of using a "text markup" for the tags and other
things, so its relatively easy to search for them; the format and
structure is already established.
Our biggest problem was, as always, with the graphics. Those done with
the VP drawing tools we had to re-do, most of the GEM or IMG we managed
to convert with HiJack.
Have fun.
--
Bruce H. Johnson
Corporate Knowledge, Inc. -- Your knowledge transfer specialists.
corpknow -at- earthlink -dot- net Los Angeles, California
#include <disclaimer.h> http://www.business1.com/cki/
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