Techcomsuite 3 Help
Techcomsuite 3 Help
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Contents
Chapter 1: Getting started
Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Activation and registration ............................................................................................ 1
Adobe Product Improvement Program ................................................................................. 1
Services, downloads, and extras ........................................................................................ 2
Adobe Technical Communication Suite 3 overview ..................................................................... 3
Resources
Before you begin working with your software, take a few moments to read an overview of activation and the many
resources available to you. You have access to instructional videos, plug-ins, templates, user communities, seminars,
tutorials, RSS feeds, and much more.
Register
Register your suite to receive complimentary installation support, notifications of updates, and other services. Register
only once for Adobe Technical Communication Suite.
❖ To register, enter your Adobe ID when prompted when you install or launch the software.
If you choose to skip entering your Adobe ID during installation or launch, you can register within next 30 days by
choosing Help > Product Registration. You can also set a reminder to register after a few days of software installation.
Adobe Exchange
Visit the Adobe Exchange at www.adobe.com/go/exchange to download samples as well as plug-ins and extensions
from Adobe and third-party developers. Use these plug-ins and extensions to automate tasks, customize workflows,
create specialized professional effects, and apply more creativity in work.
Adobe downloads
Visit www.adobe.com/go/downloads to find free updates, trials, and other useful software.
Adobe TV
Visit Adobe TV at http://tv.adobe.com/channel/technical-communication/to view instructional and inspirational
videos on Technical Communication Suite.
Create, import, and update Integrate rich media and Set up shared reviews in the Produce media-rich content
content, taking advantage interactive assets, including cloud and import comments. in multiple formats,
Use cases
of an HTML- or XML-based Adobe Captivate videos. Gather feedback from users including PDF, Adobe AIR,
single-source workflow. Create PDF portfolios. by publishing content as AIR XML, and EPUB. Distribute
Help output from RoboHelp. content to mobile devices,
eBook readers, and tablets.
The tight integration of component products in the suite enables true single-source authoring. You can author content
once and publish it in multiple formats and languages. For example, you can author content in Adobe FrameMaker
and output it in multiple formats using Adobe RoboHelp.
You can also enrich content through interactive 3D models, rich media, multilayered images, demonstrations, and
embedded SWF movies. Using the cross-platform Adobe AIR Help format, you can push updates to your Help content
even after you have delivered it.
This latest release of Adobe Technical Communication Suite includes the following components:
• Adobe® FrameMaker® 10: Author and publish technical content, with XML, DITA standards support, and excellent
PDF publishing capabilities. Includes content management support such as EMC Documentum 6.5 SP1 and
Microsoft SharePoint Server 2007 SP 2.
• Adobe® RoboHelp® 9: Author and publish procedural- or process-based online Help and knowledgebases. Also
includes RoboScreenCapture for still image capturing, and RoboSource Control for managing project source files.
• Adobe® Captivate® 5: Rapidly create powerful and engaging simulations and interactive content. Author rich
eLearning content that includes branching scenarios, Table of content, quizzes, and SCORM- and AICC-compliant
multimedia content.
• Adobe® Acrobat® X Pro: Reliably create, combine, and control Adobe PDF documents for easy, secure distribution,
collaboration, and forms data collection. Create stunning portfolios that combine several file types, such as image
formats, FLV file, PDF, SWF file, and interactive 3D.
• Adobe® Photoshop® CS5: Edit and enhance images and screenshots before using them in your projects.
Adobe Technical Communication Suite includes support for Adobe® Illustrator® CS5. You can seamlessly edit Adobe®
Illustrator® CS5 illustrations from within Adobe® FrameMaker® 10. For this, install Illustrator separately on same
system as Technical Communication Suite.
If you want to capture some quick screenshots, you can use Adobe® RoboScreenCapture®, which is available with
FrameMaker, RoboHelp and Technical Communication Suite.
Adobe RoboHelp also includes Adobe RoboSource Control, which lets you add Adobe FrameMaker or Adobe
RoboHelp files to version control. RoboSource Control™ stores all your project files in a database, enabling other
authors to access them. It also prevents more than one author from checking out a file at the same time.
Effective copy-editing Use AuthorAssistant with FrameMaker to improve content consistency and translatability. For
more information, see “Style and linguistic checks using SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1” on page 48.
Automate manual tasks Use ExtendScript to automate daily mechanical tasks that require manipulation of simple or
complex objects. You can use ExtensScript with FrameMaker, Photoshop, and RoboHelp. It allows robust automation
of tasks across products. For more information, see “Working with ExtendScript” on page 43.
SCORM, AICC, and PENS support through Adobe Captivate 5 Adobe Captivate 5 supports most e-learning content
creation standards for single-click publishing to learning management systems (LMS). SCORM (Shareable Content
Object Reference Model) is a set of specifications used to produce reusable e-learning objects. It defines
communication between a client (such as Adobe Captivate) and a host (usually an LMS). For more details, see
Learning management system (LMS).
Enhanced image-editing Capture images and screenshots for your Help projects using RoboScreenCapture and use
the powerful features in Photoshop CS5 to edit and enhance them. You can also animate the different layers of a
Photoshop image in Adobe Captivate.
Table
3D
HTML XML
Rich media opens opportunities to provide various types of content within your documentation. You can even
combine various media types to create documentation that users don’t only just read, but watch, listen to, and interact
with as well. For example, you could use a camcorder to record a narration and add the video to accompany a demo
that you’ve added.
The following table lists the media you can add to your documents while authoring in the various TCS applications.
3D
Graphic/Image
Audio
Video
Interactive/SWF
Specify poster images for audio, videos, 3D, and SWF content
The poster image is the default image that displays unless the movie is played. By default, either standard icons or the
first frame of the movie is used as it’s poster image. The set poster command lets you specify an image to be displayed
as a poster for the movie.
Right-click the movie or SWF content, and choose Set Poster, and browse to the image file to use as the poster.
3D models are supported only inside PDFs. You can view the PDF using Adobe Acrobat or Adobe Reader.
When you publish the FrameMaker files to HTML or other formats, the default view of the 3D model is rendered as an
image. However, in RoboHelp you can specify the Preserve 3D Images option (Project Settings > FrameMaker
Document > Edit > Image), 3D models are published as embedded PDF files that open when users navigate to that page.
You can also specify the basic 3D settings right inside FrameMaker. Access to the original 3D application is not
required. Use the 3D options to change the background color, lighting, and render modes for the 3D model. Right-
click and choose 3D to access these controls.
Inserting graphics
1 In RoboHelp, place your cursor at the location to insert the file.
2 Choose Insert > Image. The Image dialog box opens.
3 In the Image Name field, specify the file to import or use the browse button and navigate to the file.
4 Optionally, specify the Size, Margins, and Borders.
5 Click OK to add the graphic.
Adobe Captivate lets you select individual layers to import, or flatten the layers to import. If you import individual
layers, each layer is treated as a separate image in Adobe Captivate.
Navigation In print, cross-references specify page numbers which are irrelevant in Help. Converting to online Help
removes chapter and section titles in headers and footers. You can enhance navigability by using breadcrumbs, and
back and next buttons instead.
Redundant content To provide context in different sections of a printed document, writers generally add redundant
information such as brief summaries of concepts covered previously. Because online Help is a random-access,
nonlinear medium, it requires less redundant content. Use cross-references and conditional text options to minimize
redundant content in your outputs.
Chapter versus topic In printed documentation, chapters signal stand-alone logical units, which readers use to grasp
the scope of content. Online Help segregates content at topic level, accessed one topic at a time. You can group the
content into chapter-like folders that expand when a user navigates the table of contents. Even so, only one topic
appears at a time. In this case, try to provide comprehensive information without adding redundancy by grouping
related topics together.
Context sensitivity Although you can assign map IDs to topics in RoboHelp, you can also assign context-sensitive
Help markers in FrameMaker documents. RoboHelp reads these markers and assigns the map IDs to the generated
topics. Ensure that the topics created in FrameMaker contain sufficient information.
For example, a short procedure as a stand-alone topic does not provide conceptual context for the reader. To avoid
creating topics with incomplete information, assign context-sensitive Help markers to topics at a higher level. In this
way, the generated Help topic contains the concept, procedure, and any relevant graphics.
6 Fix any issues in the document such as unresolved cross-references, missing fonts, and irregular numbering issues.
7 Set up alternative text or captions for the images and graphics to create accessible online content.
8 Apply conditional text settings in FrameMaker documents.
9 Edit the FrameMaker TOC reference pages to have indented hierarchical headings with different styles.
3 Select the FrameMaker book or document from the Files Of Type pop-up menu. Then browse to select the
FrameMaker book, and click Open.
3 Select FrameMaker Book or FrameMaker DITAMAP from the Files Of Type pop-up menu.
4 Browse to select the FrameMaker book or DITAMAP file and click Open.
5 Optionally, select a DITAVAL file and click Open. Click Cancel to proceed without a DITAVAL file.
If you are importing a FrameMaker document, you can select the components that you want to import from the
Content Settings wizard that appears. You can select the TOC, index, and glossary, and specify the conversion settings.
Note: FrameMaker documents created in versions earlier than 6.0 (FRM files) can be imported but not linked.
3 Select FrameMaker Book or FrameMaker DITAMAP from the Files Of Type pop-up menu.
4 Browse to select the FrameMaker book or DITAMAP file and click Open.
Note: FrameMaker documents created in versions earlier than 6.0 (FRM files) can be imported but not linked.
• Right-click the linked FrameMaker document from the Project Manager pod and then select Update >
Generate.
• Select File > Update > Generate.
However, if you are importing a FrameMaker document, topics are generated immediately according to the
conversion settings you specify. In addition, you can select the components that you want to import from the Import
wizard that appears. You can select the TOC, index, and glossary, and specify the conversion settings.
Styles in the FrameMaker TOC determine which TOC items become books, sub-books, or pages. The most important
element in determining the level is the left-most indent, followed by the font size and font weight. TOC entries that
have indented items under them become books in the RoboHelp TOC. If all the TOC entries have the same indention,
font size, and weight, the TOC in RoboHelp appears flat.
• To make a heading a main book, include indented heading levels beneath that heading, or use smaller fonts or no
bold for the subsumed headings.
• To make a heading a sub-book, place the heading under a main heading. Then include indented heading levels
beneath the sub-book heading, or use smaller fonts or no bold for the subsumed headings.
• To make a heading a page, don’t include any heading levels beneath that heading. Indent the page heading, or use
smaller fonts or no bold.
• In RoboHelp, you can place a TOC placeholder in another TOC, thus allowing you to create nested TOCs.
Create New Associated Index Enter a name for a new associated index that is added to the RoboHelp project.
Add To Topic Add the FrameMaker index entries to individual topics in which they appear.
Icons of the project files in the Project Manager pod indicate whether the documents are in sync with the RoboHelp
topics.
On the other hand, if the documents were imported into the project, the Project Manager pod does not indicate the
synchronization status. If either the FrameMaker documents or the conversion settings change, reimport the
FrameMaker documents and overwrite the RoboHelp topics already generated. When you update the documents,
RoboHelp updates the converted HTML topics, TOC, index, and glossary.
FrameMaker book missing. The source FrameMaker book that you have linked to the RoboHelp project is either moved to
another folder or deleted. Locate the source book and link them to the new location.
FrameMaker book out of sync because of changes in the source document. Update the RoboHelp topics.
Topics generated from the linked FrameMaker book are out of sync because of changes in the RoboHelp Project Import
Settings. Update the RoboHelp topics generated from the FrameMaker book.
Linked FrameMaker document missing. The source FrameMaker book that you have linked to the RoboHelp project is either
moved to another folder or deleted. Locate the source book and link them to the new location.
FrameMaker document out of sync because of changes in the source document. Update the RoboHelp topics.
Topics generated from the linked FrameMaker document are out of sync because of changes in the RoboHelp Project Import
Settings. Update the RoboHelp topics generated from the FrameMaker document.
Update All Updates all topics generated from all linked FrameMaker documents.
Force Update Overwrites the current set of topics generated from the selected FrameMaker book or document. Use
this option to force update the topics generated from the linked FrameMaker book or document.
Force Update All Updates all linked documents and overwrites all generated topics.
Alternatively, you can select the linked FrameMaker book or document and update the RoboHelp topics generated
from the linked FrameMaker book or document.
When you delete a linked file, all its associated documents, such as CSS, images, baggage files, and multimedia files,
are also deleted.
Notes:
• If a referenced file is moved to a different location, its icon changes. You can restore the link to the document by
pointing to its new location.
• Do not rename files generated after linking a document.
• You cannot drag the generated topics outside the source document folder to some other location in the Project
Manager pod.
FrameMaker files
Book files Documents contained within the book are converted (FM, XML, MIF, HTM, and HTML files). XHTML files that
are included in the FrameMaker book must be valid XHTML. Validate the XHTML in FrameMaker itself. All
other files in the FrameMaker book are ignored. Child books, folders, and groups in FrameMaker 9 books are
converted and appear as folders in the RoboHelp projects. See “Hierarchical structure in a FrameMaker book”
on page 24.
Text insets Text insets in the FrameMaker documents are considered part of the FrameMaker document itself and are
flattened in the RoboHelp topic.
Index and glossary Index and glossary files generated in the FrameMaker book are not converted. Instead, the index markers
and glossary markers in the imported FrameMaker documents are converted if selected. See “Import
FrameMaker index entries” on page 17 and “Import glossary definitions” on page 17..
Variables Converted. User-defined variables in FrameMaker are converted as such in RoboHelp and can be redefined.
Apply relevant conditional text tags to suppress variables that shouldn’t appear in online format. For
example, you can suppress the Table Continuation variable in table headers for tables that break across
pages in the FrameMaker documents.
Equations Convert equations to images and insert them in the RoboHelp topics after conversion.
Markers
Cross-references, hypertext, Converted to hypertext links. You can map the cross-reference formats in RoboHelp so that you can remove
URLs the volume, chapter, and page references that are not relevant in online format. Unresolved cross-references
and hypertext entries appear as text in online Help. URLs become live hypertext links in the online Help
output. See “Convert FrameMaker cross-reference formats to RoboHelp styles” on page 24.
Index and glossary markers Converted to an index and glossary when creating project. See “Import FrameMaker index entries” on
page 17 and “Import glossary definitions” on page 17.
Topic name markers Converted if you select this option in the project conversion settings. Use topic name markers to create topic
titles and topic filenames from the marker text. See “Pagination, topic naming, and context-sensitive Help”
on page 25.
Context-sensitive Help markers Converted if you select this option in the project conversion settings. Use Context Sensitive Help Makers in
FrameMaker to specify text in FrameMaker document for generating Context Sensitive Help. See
“Pagination, topic naming, and context-sensitive Help” on page 25.
Custom markers Converted. You can use these markers for delineating topics from FrameMaker source, or to pass processing
instructions to RoboHelp for images and tables.
Formats
Paragraph formats Converted. You can map FrameMaker paragraph formats to RoboHelp styles or import the source
formatting. See “Convert FrameMaker paragraph formats to RoboHelp styles” on page 28
Character formats Converted. You can map FrameMaker character formats to RoboHelp styles or import the source formatting.
See “Convert FrameMaker character formats to RoboHelp styles” on page 29.
Table formats Converted. You can map FrameMaker table formats to RoboHelp styles or import the source formatting. See
“Convert FrameMaker table formats to RoboHelp table styles” on page 32.
Footnote properties and table Converted. Because table title and table footnotes are paragraph formats in FrameMaker, you specify
footnotes conversion settings for these paragraph formats separately.
Lists Converted according to the settings you define. See “List-mapping scenarios” on page 30.
Page layouts
Master pages FrameMaker master pages are ignored. Master pages are used for layout, borders, and page numbers in
FrameMaker, so they are not applicable to online Help. RoboHelp provides master page support for
breadcrumbs, mini-TOCs, and headers and footers that can be selected when you publish a single source
layout.
Reference pages Ignored. However, you can use the advanced scripting support in RoboHelp to convert images and graphics
placed in the reference pages that are associated with paragraph formats.
Page layout, size, and Ignored. These elements are not applicable to online Help. See “Pagination, topic naming, and context-
pagination sensitive Help” on page 25.
Headers/footers Ignored. Headers and footers in FrameMaker usually contain chapter names, chapter numbers, and page
numbers, which are not applicable in online formats. After you generate topics, you can create headers and
footers in RoboHelp.
Rotated text Converted to text, such as in table cells. (Rotated text is not supported in HTML).
Images Only converted if they are inside anchored frames. If the images are not in anchored frames, reinsert them
after you have imported the FrameMaker files. By default, FrameMaker places the imported and linked
images in anchored frames, so they are converted. However, images placed in graphic frames are not
converted. If images contained in anchored frames are missing, RoboHelp creates blank images with the
filename in a sequential manner. See “Image conversion settings” on page 32.
Drawings Drawings created within anchored frames are converted to images. You can define the image conversion
settings. See “Image conversion settings” on page 32.
Anchored frames Converted to images. See “Image conversion settings” on page 32.
ALT text on images and Converted. If no ALT text is provided in the FrameMaker document for images RoboHelp applies the
anchored frames filename of the converted images as the ALT text. See “Create alternative text for images” on page 34.
Text frames, graphic frames, Anchored frames and their content convert to images. All content within an anchored frame, including text
and images inside anchored frames, multiple images, and callouts convert to a single image. RoboHelp inserts the filename of the created
frames image as the ALT text if no ALT text is defined for the anchored frame.
Equations Enclose equations in anchored frames so that they are converted to images when RoboHelp converts them.
Content references Text or files inserted into FrameMaker documents as content references appear as part of the topics where
they appear. They do not appear as references in the online Help outputs. See “Content reference” on
page 25.
Conversion basics
Converting FrameMaker formats to RoboHelp styles
You can define how the FrameMaker formats are converted to RoboHelp styles on the project level. All FrameMaker
format definitions in the FrameMaker document appear in the Conversion Settings dialog box, even if they aren’t used.
For structured documents, FrameMaker formats that are mapped to elements in the structured template are listed.
You specify the following:
• FrameMaker template used for conversion. This step is optional.
• RoboHelp style sheet for style mapping.
When you upgrade a RoboHelp 7 project, you can either retain the earlier document-level settings or convert to the
project-level settings supported in RoboHelp 9. After you upgrade your project, you cannot open the project in
RoboHelp 7.
If you choose to retain the RoboHelp 7 settings, you can add or remove documents to an upgraded project with the
document-level conversion settings. You can define document-level conversion settings for the newly added
FrameMaker documents also. This option allows you to retain the RoboHelp 7 behavior for your upgraded project.
However, to take advantage of the enhanced features of RoboHelp 9 and its integration with FrameMaker, you should
upgrade the project completely. For example, RoboHelp 7 provided limited mapping options for autonumbering and
list styles. On the other hand, RoboHelp 9 allows you to map complex autonumber formats and multilevel list styles
to RoboHelp styles or HTML lists.
Note: You can discard the document-level settings any time, even if you choose to retain them at the time of upgrading.
However, discarding the document-level settings is irreversible.
Hierarchy of FrameMaker book reflected in the Project Manager pod when you link a FrameMaker book into RoboHelp
Content reference
Text or files that you have inserted into the FrameMaker documents as content references appear as part of the topics
where they are referenced. They do not appear as references in the online Help outputs.
Conversion settings
You can create a standard set of conversion settings for importing FrameMaker content into RoboHelp projects and
then use these settings consistently across multiple projects.
You define these settings once. For subsequent projects, import these settings to the project. In this way, you can
quickly set up the project environment and publish FrameMaker content in several online formats.
These settings include:
• Specified FrameMaker template
• Cascading style sheets (CSS) for RoboHelp projects
• Style mapping between FrameMaker formats and RoboHelp styles
• Format conversion settings, image conversion settings, and other settings
the task information, without the required contextual information that is covered in another Heading 3 level topic. To
avoid such disconnected topics, set the pagination at a higher level so that complete information is available in a single
Help topic.
Drop-down text Ensure that the paragraph format for the drop-down text body is not set for pagination. The
paragraphs applied with this format must accompany the drop-down text caption paragraph format.
Even though it is easy to define pagination and topic title generation based on FrameMaker paragraph formats, this
approach has the following limitations:
Lack of topic-level controls Because the pagination settings are set at the project level, you cannot exercise discrete
control over topics that are not in the defined heading levels. For example, suppose you want to make an H3 level topic
a separate Help topic. If you set pagination at H2 for your project, you can’t do so. The H3 topic is included under the
topic immediately above it.
Uniform topic naming convention Help topics use the same file-naming conventions that you define in the conversion
settings, especially if your authoring environment is Structured FrameMaker. You can’t deviate from these
conventions.
Lack of flexibility in topic titles You cannot selectively alter the titles or filenames of the topics without changing the
source content. When you search for content in RoboHelp, topic titles are displayed in search. An intuitively titled
topic helps the reader quickly identify the most relevant information from search results.
Possibility of inconsistency in documents from multiple books Linked and imported FrameMaker documents from
multiple books can lead to inconsistent heading styles for generated topics.
For example, suppose you link to or import FrameMaker documents from a user guide and reference guide. In this
case, topic titles can reflect differences in style for instructional content and reference content. If topic titles are derived
from the paragraph text at which pagination is set, the Help topics generated can have inconsistent titles.
Pagination options
You can define how FrameMaker content is segregated as different Help topics in RoboHelp.
Create separate HTML topics based on FrameMaker paragraph formats You specify the heading styles in FrameMaker
that should be used as the page break. For example, if the FrameMaker file contains ten topics, each with subtopics,
tasks, and tables, you can have each topic convert into a separate HTML file. If each of these topic headings is at
Heading 1 format, you can set each Heading 1 topic to be created as a separate HTML topic. On the other hand, if you
set the pagination at Heading 2, separate HTML files are created for each Heading 2 topic,
Define Page Break markers in FrameMaker content You can insert Page Break markers at the beginning of the
paragraph in FrameMaker documents. Typically, you create page breaks at the heading levels that you choose. If you
use this option, avoid defining pagination setting based on paragraph formats.
Use custom markers defined in FrameMaker If you are converting legacy content in FrameMaker that used custom
markers to define pagination using other tools, you can use this option. Avoid using the Page Break markers in such
documents.
default HTML topic generated has the filename consisting of the paragraph text.
<$filename_no_ext>-<$paratext> HTML topic generated has the filename consisting of the filename of the FrameMaker
document without the .fm extension and the topic title, separated by a hyphen. For example,
the FrameMaker document named “Chapter.fm” with "1-Introduction" as paragraph text is
converted to an HTML topic with the filename "Chapter-1-Introduction.htm”
<$filename_no_ext>-<n> HTML topic generated has the filename consisting of the filename of the FrameMaker
document without the .fm extension and the paragraph number separated by a hyphen. For
example, the FrameMaker document "Chapter.fm" is converted to an HTML topic with the
filename "Chapter-1.htm"
<$paratext_no_num> HTML topic generated has the filename consisting of the paragraph text of the paragraph
format at which pagination is set, without the paragraph number. For example, a heading 1
paragraph "1. Introduction" is converted to an HTML topic with the filename
"Introduction.htm"
<$paratext> HTML topic generated has the filename consisting of the paragraph text of the paragraph
format on which pagination is set. For example, a heading 1 paragraph "Introduction" is
converted to an HTML topic with the filename "Introduction.htm"
Topic Name Marker Topics are named after the marker applied in the FrameMaker document. Ideally, you specify the
topic name as the marker text, so that topic names reflect their content. If you select this option, the pagination settings
applied on the Paragraph Styles pane are ignored. Use this option to precisely control the creation of separate Help
topics from the FrameMaker documents.
Page Break Marker If you are creating new content in FrameMaker, and do not want to use custom markers to define
pagination, you can use the Page Break marker. When you define the topic title, FrameMaker automatically creates the
topic name based on the topic title.
Avoid using this option when your FrameMaker document already contains custom markers for pagination, or when
you want to define pagination based on FrameMaker paragraph formats.
• From within FrameMaker, use the CSH marker option to enter the map IDs for the topics that you want generated.
This option is available only if you are using the Technical Communications Suite.
• From within FrameMaker, use the map ID as the text for the marker that you want to use the context-sensitive Help
marker. When you link or import the FrameMaker documents, you specify the context-sensitive Help marker in
the conversion settings.
If you are using the first option, avoid specifying the context-sensitive Help marker in the conversion settings.
4 From the RoboHelp Style menu, select the RoboHelp style that you want to map to the FrameMaker format. To
retain the appearance of FrameMaker text in the online Help format, select [Source].
To edit the selected RoboHelp style, click Edit Style.
5 Select the properties for the mapped RoboHelp style:
Exclude From Output Select to discard the content in FrameMaker document that is applied with the selected
FrameMaker paragraph format.
Pagination Select to create a Help topic at each occurrence for the selected FrameMaker paragraph format.
User Defined HTML Tag Select or enter a user-defined HTML tag for the selected paragraph format.
If the selected FrameMaker format has auto numbering properties defined, specify how auto numbering is
converted.
List-mapping scenarios
RoboHelp allows you to convert list properties of FrameMaker paragraph formats in several ways. Consider the
following scenarios:
Example:
• Create a paragraph style “FM_Para1” in FrameMaker with autonumbering defined as <a+> and apply it to
paragraphs. The resulting paragraphs are ordered as “a, b, c, ...."
• Map the FrameMaker paragraph format “FM_Para1” to [Source].
Generated paragraphs in RoboHelp topics have the list style applied to them, where the list has properties similar to
those in the source document.
Preferred Dimensions Specify the dimensions for the images. Select one of the following:
• Scale Scale images as a percentage of the existing size. The aspect ratio of the images is maintained.
• Width and Height Specify the absolute image size as Height and Width, in points. Select Maintain Aspect Ratio to
ensure that the images are not skewed.
Note: To convert the images in FrameMaker documents to the actual dimensions of the images, specify the height and
width as 0 pt. The <img> tag for such images in the generated HTML does not have the height and width values. This
conversion is irrespective of the dimensions of the anchored frames that contained the images.
• Maximum Dimensions Set the maximum dimensions for images in online format. Images that exceed the
maximum dimensions you specify are automatically scaled down to fit the maximum size you specify. If you scale the
images and specify an aspect ratio, RoboHelp scales the images within the maximum dimensions specified and
maintains the aspect ratio.
Use this option to avoid large images causing the browser window to scroll horizontally or vertically. For example, if
you specify the window size to be 800 x 600 pixels, you can specify the maximum dimensions to be 640 x 480, so that
the images do not exceed the window size.
Margins Set the margins for the images:
• Set equal margins on all sides by setting the margin in All Sides.
• To set margins on individual sides, set the margins on each side.
Borders Set a border for the images:
• To set a uniform border on all sides, select All from the Border pop-up menu. Alternatively, you can specify the side
on which you want the border to appear from the pop-up menu.
• To set the border style, select the style from the Style pop-up menu.
• To set the border color, select the color from the Color pop-up menu.
• To set the border width, select it in, in points, from the Width menu.
Format Define the image format, color depth, and quality settings for the web-supported images that are converted
from the images in the FrameMaker document:
• As Is Select this option for retaining the images in the current web-supported format.
• JPG Select this option for multicolor images such as screenshots or photographs. JPG format with a high color
depth provides the best online quality, but increases the file size.
• GIF Select this option if the FrameMaker document contains only line art, such as schematic diagrams.
• BMP Select this option for screenshots and other images. BMP files provide good quality at an increased file size.
• PNG Select this option for screenshots and photographs.
JPEG Quality Set the quality percentage for JPG images.
Color Bit Depth Set the color bit depth for bitmap images. JPG and PNG formats can have either 8- or 24-bit color
depth, while BMP images can be have color bit depths of 1, 4, 8, 16, 24, or 32. GIF images can have only 8-bit color
depth.
Grayscale Select this option if you want monochrome images.
Task in the workflow Technical Communication Suite FrameMaker and RoboHelp as stand-alone
applications
Importing FrameMaker documents into Link to or import the FrameMaker source Import FrameMaker documents.
RoboHelp project documents into the RoboHelp project.
Synchronizing FrameMaker source files and The Project Manager pod in RoboHelp Reimport the FrameMaker documents and
RoboHelp topics indicates whether the linked documents are overwrite the topics generated earlier.
out of sync. You can update the linked
documents to have the changes reflected in
RoboHelp projects. You can choose to
preserve the changes in the generated topics.
Updating the topic structure when pagination Update the FrameMaker document in Reimport the FrameMaker documents and
settings are changed RoboHelp. overwrite the topics generated earlier.
Single unstructured or Structured Link FrameMaker book Use RoboHelp as the publishing tool, with
FrameMaker book little or no content authoring in RoboHelp
Multiple unstructured or Structured Link FrameMaker books Use RoboHelp as the publishing tool, with
FrameMaker books little or no content authoring in RoboHelp
Single or multiple FrameMaker books in Import FrameMaker books • Define pagination based on either
versions earlier than 7 FrameMaker paragraph formats or custom
markers
Independent FrameMaker documents Import FrameMaker documents • Define pagination based on either
FrameMaker paragraph formats or custom
markers
Single Word document with a well-shaped Link Word document • Define pagination based on Word
TOC and index paragraph styles
Multiple Word documents Import the documents • Define pagination based on Word
paragraph styles
Mix of FrameMaker books and Word Link FrameMaker and Word documents • Define pagination based on FrameMaker
documents and Word paragraph styles, separately
Mix of independent FrameMaker and Word Import the documents • Define pagination based on FrameMaker
documents and Word paragraph styles, separately
Single unstructured or Structured Link FrameMaker book • Define pagination based on either
FrameMaker book FrameMaker paragraph formats or custom
markers
Multiple unstructured or Structured Link FrameMaker books • Define pagination based on either
FrameMaker books FrameMaker paragraph formats or custom
markers
Multiple FrameMaker books or independent Import FrameMaker books and documents • Define pagination based on either
FrameMaker documents FrameMaker paragraph formats or custom
markers
Single Word document with a well-shaped Link Word document • Define pagination based on Word
TOC and index paragraph styles
Multiple Word documents Import the documents • Define pagination based on Word
paragraph styles
Mix of independent FrameMaker and Word Import the documents • Define pagination based on FrameMaker
documents and Word paragraph styles, separately
You can quickly publish the current document, book, DITA file, or DITAMAP using the Publish option in
FrameMaker. You can select from a set of several online output formats, and then specify the publishing options that
you defined for the FrameMaker- RoboHelp workflow.
If you want to quickly publish the entire book or DITAMAP from FrameMaker, ensure that you have defined the
publishing workflows such as the FrameMaker to RoboHelp style mapping, pagination, and other conversion settings.
In a production environment, create separate RoboHelp projects and Import Settings Files (ISF) for each output
format.
Optionally, you can also specify the DITAVAL file to create output based on conditions specified in the DITAVAL file.
1 Select File > Publish.
2 In the Publish Settings dialog box, select the output format.
3 Select the folder where the published output will be saved. By default, FrameMaker chooses the same location as
the source file.
4 Specify the RoboHelp settings that will be used for the conversion and click Publish.
Note: Even though these settings are not mandatory, to get optimum output, you should specify the relevant settings.
FrameMaker does not alert you to specify these settings when you initiate the Publish action.
RoboHelp Project Specify the RoboHelp Project file (XPJ) that you have created.
ISF File Specify the Import Settings File (ISF) that contains the required conversion settings.
Master Page Specify the RoboHelp master page (HTT) that will be used for the Help pages.
Reviews
Your reviewers do not require Acrobat to participate in reviews. Create a PDF and use Acrobat to set up a review.
Reviewers can add annotations on the review PDF. Reviewers can use the free Adobe Reader to post annotations on a PDF.
Review types
Shared Review Automatic e-mail All commenting tools Yes Automatic Yes
using Acrobat.com
Shared review using Automatic e-mail All commenting tools Yes Automatic Yes
internal server
(WebDAV, Reviewers need read/write
Sharepoint, or access to shared location
shared folder)
Adobe Captivate Choose File > Collaborate > Send for Shared Review.
Collaboration
Use Collaborate Live to review a PDF with one or more remote users in an online session. In a Collaborate Live session,
the participants view a document with a live chat window. When a participant shares a document, the page number
and magnification are also shared, so that everyone sees the same part of a document.
To start a Collaborate Live session, you must have Acrobat X installed. Participants in a Collaborate Live session must
have Acrobat X or Adobe Reader® X.
ExtendScript toolkit
ExtendScript is based on JavaScript. Use ExtendScript ToolKit (ESTK) to develop and debug ExtendScript. ESTK
provides the following features that make scripting easy:
• A built-in syntax checker that verifies whether the syntax is correct and provides possible suggestions
• Support for Object Model Viewer that provides the information on different classes and methods
• Ability to run the script without saving the file
Adobe Technical Communication Suite provides ESTK support for the following components:
• FrameMaker 10
• Media Encoder
• Bridge CS5
• PhotoShop CS5
• RoboHelp 9
Accessing ESTK
Do the following to access ESTK:
1 Click Start > All Programs > Adobe Technical Communication Suite 3 > Adobe Extended Toolkit CS 5.
2 In the ESTK window’s top-left drop down-list, select the application for which you prepare the script.
3 Prepare the script using the editor.
4 Run the script using the Play button displayed at the top-right corner.
ESTK Window
Note: You can also access ESTK from a supported Technical Communication Suite component. Refer to the User's Guide
of the component for more details.
Preparing scripts
ExtendScript is similar to JavaScript. You can easily develop ExtendScript for any of the applications in Adobe
Technical Communication Suite if you are familiar with JavaScript.
The following sections provide examples for scripts that automates a specific activity in FrameMaker 10 and RoboHelp 9.
The script creates a text location using the new TextLoc()method. Assign the first page of the document as the text
location. Using the AddText() method, add a sample text. Set the AutoChangeBars property to 1 to enable the change bar.
The script creates the document’s main flow using the MainFlowInDoc method. Use the GetText(FTI_TblAnchor)
method to list all tables in the main flow. Using a for loop, for each table, use the TblLeftIndent()method to change
the left indentation.
Use the TblColWidths() method to change the width of the column. This method accepts the argument in a metric
form. So, create the arguments as a metric object using the new Metrics()method.
Note: By convention, there are 72 points per inch. Multiply the inch value with 65536 to get the correct value. 1 inch is
equal to 1 * 72 * 65536 points.
Using the doc variable, create a reference to the active FrameMaker window. Use the Doc.Name property to get the
path of the active FrameMaker window. Call the user-defined createScrip() function by passing the path variable.
In the function, create the following string: script="doc.importFrameMakerDoc (\""+path+"\",\"\",\"\",
\"\", false, \"\", \"\");";
doc.importFrameMakerDoc is a RoboHelp function that takes the following parameters to import a FrameMaker
document to RoboHelp:
• File path
• Folder name
• FrameMaker TOC file path
• TOC name
• Add index to topics
• Index name
• Glossary name
The example uses default settings to import the document to RoboHelp. Provide document’s path. Provide false for
the Add Index to Topics parameter. As a general JavaScript rule, the quotes in a string are provided inside the escape
character “\”. The user-defined sendRoboHelp() function invokes RoboHelp. Create a new BridgeTalk object which
is used to connect to a different application in Technical Communication Suite. Using the target property, provide
the name of the application on which you want to run the script. Use the body property to provide the script that you
want to run. The send()method sends the script to the target application and executes the script.
preferences.rulerUnits = Units.PIXELS
docRef = app.activeDocument
docRef.activeLayer.applyPinch(80)
docRef.save()
The script sets the ruler units in pixels. Then, selects the active Photoshop image. It applies the Photoshop effect,
applyPinch, in the active layer of the image. After applying the effect, it saves the file.
FAQ about SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1 for FrameMaker 10 and TCS 3.0
My editor reviews all the content. So how does SDL AuthorAssistant matter?
SDL AuthorAssistant helps you automate most of your style guide rule checks and linguistic checks. It reduces many
of the manual editorial tasks.
With a constant increase in the number of things an editor has to remember, it is tough to do an air-tight editorial in
shorter timelines. Especially, if you have a huge number of style checks and multiple word lists: some company-
specific, some product suite-specific, and some specific to the product.
SDL AuthorAssistant reduces the number of misses. It provides consistency across documentation sets, across cross-
geographical writer teams, and when you have multiple writers working on the same book or document.
I use SDL AuthorAssistant for FrameMaker 9. If I upgrade to FrameMaker 10, can I use the
same installation of SDL AuthorAssistant?
For FrameMaker 10, you require SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1 version. Even if you have an earlier version of SDL
AuthorAssistant (working with FrameMaker 9), you must download and upgrade to SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1.
On the same machine, if you have both FrameMaker 9 and FrameMaker 10, you can use the same installation of SDL
AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1 for both.
1 Install SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1 for either FrameMaker 9 or FrameMaker 10.
2 In the maker.ini file of the FrameMaker version for which you installed SDL AuthorAssistant (in step 1), copy the
entry related to SDL AuthorAssistant in the [APIClients] section.
3 In the maker.ini file of the FrameMaker version for which you want to extend the SDL AuthorAssistant service,
paste the content in the [APIClients] section.
For example, if you have installed SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 SP1 for FrameMaker 10, copy the following data from
maker.ini in C:\Program Files\Adobe\FrameMaker10 to maker.ini in C:\Program Files\Adobe\FrameMaker9:
SDLAuthorAssistant=Standard, SDLAuthorAssistant, C:\Program Files\SDL\SDL AuthorAssistant
2010\S42AA_Adobe.dll, all
Check documents against translation Translation Memory Does not apply unless you have a Translation Memory available. For
memories details, see SDL documentation.
Check documents against termbases Terminology Does not apply unless you have a Term Database available. For details,
see SDL documentation.
How do I ensure that all authors in my team use the same configuration?
After you configure SDL AuthorAssistant, export the settings into a profile and distribute it across your department,
for a consistent setup.
In the General tab of SDL AuthorAssistant Configuration dialog box (SDL AuthorAssistant > Configure),
• Click Export to export all the settings into a .pfl file.
• Click Import and specify the .pfl file that contains the settings to configure a new desktop with your rule check
settings.
• The concluding section of the report summarizes the settings that were enabled and disabled when the report was
run, details of translation memories, and termbases used.
Apart from providing information, reports provide a convenient option to perform checks. For details, see Check
documents from report in “How do I check documents?” on page 51
You can also import the results of a report into a spreadsheet for further analysis. SDL provides a sample report (Start
> All Programs > SDL > SDL AuthorAssistant 2010 > SDL Global AMS Report Analysis).
Open the report and select Load before data... to import the CSV file created when you ran the report. You can then
select Load after data... to import report data created after you have made corrections using the Check Text option, so
that you can see the impact of the changes that you have made.
A F
C D
Adobe Bridge workspace
A. Application bar B. Panels C. Selected item D. Thumbnail slider E. View buttons F. Search
Using Adobe Bridge you can view, search, sort, filter, and manage images. Adobe Bridge also lets you rename, move,
and delete files; edit metadata; rotate images; and run batch commands. You can also view files and data imported from
your digital still and video camera.
A C