Re: Creating new "files" in Blaze

[quills -at- airmail -dot- net]

Paradigm shift.

 From file based, to topic based. Flare and Blaze don't have a File 
creation. For someone who is searching how to make a new file, since 
that is how documents are made in 99.999999999% of other tools, is 
missing and won't be found. Your documentation glosses over that, and 
doesn't make it clear beyond a shadow of a doubt what the shift is.

Scott

Sharon Burton wrote:
> Not to sound argumentative, but On the Project menu, click New Topic seems
> pretty straightforward to me... ? Am I missing something with the time
> change?
>
> I've got Flare 4.2 open and just did a search on To Create A New File and
> got 777 results. We have a topic that explains creating a new topic and the
> See Also list has a topic about Topics that explains the concepts, shows you
> an example, and has a list of FAQs.
>
> We at MadCap have been talking about the paradigm shift in our products for
> at least 18 months - the time I've been here. We're holding free
> tools-neutral webinars about tech comm topics and talk about topic-based
> authoring all the time.
>
> Can we do better in the docs? Of course. As tech comm professionals, we all
> could do better and we all know that.
>
>
>
> sharon
>
> Sharon Burton
> 951-369-8590
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com
> [mailto:techwr-l-bounces+sharon=anthrobytes -dot- com -at- lists -dot- techwr-l -dot- com]On
> Behalf Of quills -at- airmail -dot- net
> Sent: Sunday, March 08, 2009 9:55 AM
> To: Geoff Hart
> Cc: Technical Writing
> Subject: Re: Creating new "files" in Blaze
>
>
> You know, considering that I'm an experienced tech writer, one who WILL
> use the documentation to learn a new tool, doesn't it seem as though
> there were several assumptions made by MadCap that "everyone
> understands" this? If it's hidden, if I couldn't find that piece of
> information clearly spelled out, if it didn't pop up in the search of
> the help files, perhaps it isn't well explained?
>
> Sometimes, especially with the conversion of a user -base to a new
> paradigm, you have to take baby steps and explain the obtuse and assumed
> procedures to newcomers that are used to a different paradigm.
>
> As in "To create a new file..." and explain the differences, and make it
> a searchable string in your help.
>
> Scott
>
> Geoff Hart wrote:
>   
>> Scott wondered: <<How do you create a new file in Blaze? When I looked
>> at it I couldn't create a new file. I had to import a file from some
>> other source.>>
>>
>> Depends what you mean by "file". If you're talking about the
>> collection of topics (a project) that will eventually be compiled into
>> one or more publications, you can do this right from the opening
>> screen, by specifying that you want to create a new project. If you're
>> talking about a topic within a project that's already open for
>> revision, open the Project menu and select "Add Topic".
>>
>> As I note in my review, Blaze is large and powerful, and therefore
>> complex -- but no more so than RoboX or any of the other big programs
>> we use. Part of the complexity is that they do things differently from
>> ways you might be more familiar with. Once you figure out where
>> everything's hidden, getting proficient with the software is a matter
>> of practicing until things become as reflexive as they already are
>> with familiar software.
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Geoff Hart (www.geoff-hart.com)
>> ghart -at- videotron -dot- ca / geoffhart -at- mac -dot- com
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Effective Onscreen Editing:
>> http://www.geoff-hart.com/books/eoe/onscreen-book.htm
>> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
>>
>>
>>     
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