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Subject:RE: Configuration Control of Help Files From:<laura_johnson -at- agilent -dot- com> To:<techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com> Date:Fri, 26 May 2006 13:05:59 -0600
I keep entire RoboHelp projects in VSS. This doesn't cause automatic instant corruption, but can be tricky, because RoboHelp assumes that it has total control of files and more-or-less assumes that all files are readable all the time.
If you're very careful about renaming and deletion operations, you can do it. It is easiest if you check everything out when you work on the project, though if you have multiple writers, this may not be possible. It is nice to have the topic files in source control; if the lab changes a feature & then changes it back, you can easily revert to the original version of the rewritten help ;->
regards,
Laura Johnson
Learning Products Engineer
Agilent Technologies
Loveland, Colorado
-----Original Message-----
From: Diana Ost [mailto:Diana -dot- Ost -at- msmcorp -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 7:34 AM
To: Helen Blakey; techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: RE: Configuration Control of Help Files
Hi:
Depending on the help authoring tool, I would be very careful about
putting anything other than the generated help file in Visual Source
Safe, unless the company that makes the authoring software says that it
is okay.
I had a really bad experience with RoboHelp project files in VSS a while
back, when the project manager (a developer) insisted that I place ALL
my files in VSS. (Told him that it was a baaadd idea.) Instant
corruption. Of course, I new that would happen, so I kept a copy :-)
This may no longer be true, but I would check with tech support for your
authoring tool before doing that. They will know if it is compatible.
If so, no problem.
Typically, I put all the help **output** in VSS (or whatever), after
compiling. The project files themselves are backed up on a LAN server.
Diana Ost
Technical Writer/Reporting Analyst
Production Administration
Market Street Mortgage Corporation
diana -dot- ost -at- msmcorp -dot- com
Phone (727) 431-7209
Fax (727) 724-9096
2650 McCormick Drive, Suite 200
Clearwater, Florida 33759
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-----Original Message-----
From: techwr-l-bounces+diana -dot- ost=msmcorp -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
[mailto:techwr-l-bounces+diana -dot- ost=msmcorp -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com] On
Behalf Of Helen Blakey
Sent: Wednesday, May 24, 2006 8:46 AM
To: techwr-l -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
Subject: Configuration Control of Help Files
In the process of evaluating new Help Authoring tools we were asked to
put the Help under Visual Source Safe. The application developers seem
to think that each topic should be a configuration item. That hasn't
been my past experience with either documents or online Help. What do
you think? Do I need to be able to identify the changes to each
topic/page? We will still archive and control the entire set.
Helen Blakey
Documentation and Training Specialist
XLHealth Corporation
The Warehouse at Camden Yards
351 West Camden Street, Suite 100
Baltimore, Maryland 21201
410.625.2200 (main)
443.872.3044 (direct)
410.625.2260 (fax)
www.xlhealth.com
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