Re: Frame --> WinHelp conversion

[Bill Bledsoe <bill -at- ENVISION -dot- COM>]

Yvonne,

Comments are below:

----------
From:   Yvonne DeGraw[SMTP:yvonne -at- SILCOM -dot- COM]
Sent:   Wednesday, August 21, 1996 11:26 AM
To:     Multiple recipients of list TECHWR-L
Subject:        Frame --> WinHelp conversion

What tools have people used to create Windows Help from FrameMaker files?
Do you just export .RTF files and then use something like RoboHelp or
Doc-to-Help? Any warnings about the limitations of this approach?

Yes, don't do it.  RTF from Frame is not the same as RTF from Word.  Plain
and simple,
if you are going to use a Word-Add-in tool like RoboHelp or Doc-2-Help,
then don't bother with Frame.  This is not the project to get started with
Frame on.

If however, you want to use a WHAT (WinHelp Authoring Tool) that has its
own editor (HDK, Help Breeze, ForeHelp) then you might consider Frame
because they read most anyone's rtf, and they will give you the opportunity
to clean up any mess Frame makes.

A client is looking for an excuse to try FrameMaker on a new project.
(Existing projects are in MS Word.) Of course, there are plenty of reasons
to switch to Frame. But, they want to be sure they can still create Windows
Help.

They will require Win95, but will probably release before Microsoft
releases tools for HTML-based help. Has anyone heard Microsoft's latest
release schedule on that?

My notes on the earliest time frame for this is with Windows 97 release (3q
97?).  And rumor has it they're having big problems with context sensitive
help.  I don't think you will have to worry about converting your help to
html.  By the time MS is ready, there will be a plethora of automated tools
out there to (pardon pun) help. As a matter of fact, Blue Sky Software
(makers of RoboHelp) already have one.  It works really well, and produces
some pretty standard HTML.

cheers,
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill Bledsoe            |
Technical Communicator  | "Junk moved on line is still junk.  You can
SQA MGR/Process Lead    | bet that if they didn't read the printed
Envision Solutions      | version, they won't read the online version
bill -at- envision -dot- com       | either."  Dr. Conrad Gottfredson, online
or                      | documentation guru-guy
intlidox -at- anet-stl -dot- net   |
----------------------------------------------------------------------

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