Should I have FrameMaker or RoboHelp handle display of my conditional text?
Like so much of tech writing in general, we get the best answers when we ask the right questions. In this case, a better question is “When should I have FrameMaker handle the display of conditional text in my Help output?”
There are many cases where the context of your FM content will change based on conditional text settings. Like when you conditionalize all or part of a section title. Doing so necessarily changes your table of contents (no surprise), but creates unconditional content in the TOC itself. The result: Information passed in the TOC to RoboHelp that is not totally correct, and is not controllable via RoboHelp’s condition tags.
What to do?
There are a few options, each with pros and cons:
- Manually generate the TOC(s) in RoboHelp prior to publishing (requires regular post processing of the RH TOC)
- Rearrange your content to eliminate conditional headings (not generally desireable)
- Set RoboHelp to rely upon Frame’s conditional text settings (requires confirmation of Frame settings prior to updating
Personally, I like the last option. Sure, it flies in the face of automation and pushbutton efficiency, but I find that it is the least intrusive of the options listed above. Besides, as your Frame content gets more and more sophisticated, you may find that you require this method anyhow, due to text insets with cross references, or other edge cases.
Step 1
Set your RoboHelp project settings to use the current FrameMaker conditional text settings.
- Select File > Project Settings
- On the Import tab, choose Edit from the FrameMaker settings
- From the FrameMaker Settings column, choose Other Settings
- Select the Apply FrameMaker Conditional Text Build Expression checkbox, then click OK twice to save changes
Step 2
Verify that your FM book has appropriate conditional text settings for visibility and condition indicators. Update your book in FrameMaker, and verify that no book errors are present.
Step 3
Back in RoboHelp, Update all linked FM documents and publish appropriate Single Source Layouts
Step 4
Repeat for each set of conditions your Single Source Layouts require.
More info
Bill Swallow (@techcomdood) has written a great article on conditional expressions and whether you need them at http://techcommdood.com/?p=408
Related posts:
{ 1 trackback }