TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Word and WinHelp, was Re: Word up From:"Tim Altom" <taltom -at- simplywritten -dot- com> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Fri, 1 Dec 2000 19:24:15 -0500
Paul Hanson asked:
> Is anyone using Frame to create .hlp files because the last time I
> heard, people were saying Word was better to use. <see quote below>
And I responded:
Word is even inefficient for WinHelp, I think. ForeHelp is much more robust
than any Word-based tool, and far more flexible. Word documents are
inherently fragile and, if the tool saves as Word docs, that fragility
remains. For example, I once used Doc-to-Help, which purports to be a single
source tool. My experience with it, while educational, was disappointing. It
depends on include fields to link documents together, and those fields are
breakable. On the other hand, if the tool saves as RTF, the file grows
enormously, especially if graphics are embedded. In both cases, time is lost
either through having to reclaim or rebuild the file, or from wasted cycles
waiting for the display to refresh.
ForeHelp, by contrast, operates on a database, which is extremely hard to
corrupt and confers much more flexibility. It also grows into a single
source environment very nicely. I see a good many posts asking how to
interface Frame and RoboHelp, WordPerfect and RoboHelp, and so forth, when
ForeHelp interfaces with anything that will produce a tagged RTF, and does
so impeccably well.
Tim Altom
Simply Written, Inc.
Featuring FrameMaker and the Clustar(TM) System
"Better communication is a service to mankind."
317.562.9298
Check our Web site for the upcoming Clustar class info http://www.simplywritten.com
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver! (STC Discount.)
**NEW DATE/LOCATION!** January 16-17, 2001, New York, NY. http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.
Take XML and Tech Writing courses online! Our instructor-led courses
(4-6 hrs/wk) give you "hands on" experience at your convenience. STC members
get 20% off! http://www.online-learning.com/index.html.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
