FW: Have QA compile the help project?

[Lynda Straus <Lynda_Straus -at- THEMONEYSTORE -dot- COM>]

Thanks, everyone, for such quick responses!  And was I surprised to
learn that having QA do the build is not a foreign concept.  I *assumed*
most folks handled it like I did . . . .

I'm forwarding a reply I sent to David Castro, which answers some of
your questions to me.  Like, the issue of a HAT, QA then getting what I
think of a *help author*-type training, etc.

Do all of you who have QA do the compiling still do your own
troubleshooting?  You've got to compile to have something to
troubleshoot.  So, wouldn't you just deliver the compiled help to QA?
Forgive my mindset, I'm in re-education mode, here.

Lynda Straus
lynda_straus -at- themoneystore -dot- com

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lynda Straus
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 12:57 PM
> To:   'techwrtr -at- crl -dot- com'
> Subject:      RE: Have QA compile the help project?
>
> Hi, David,
>
> Thanks for your response to my questions.
>
> My BIG left-out question (which I didn't include because I didn't
> *think* anyone was letting QA do their builds) is:
>
> How do they do this?
>
> I'm the only one with RoboHelp on my machine.  Does it then have to be
> loaded onto the network?  And then I'll need to teach QA how to do
> that part of the process?  And do they troubleshoot?
>
> Right now, development gets nothing from me except compiled,
> correctly-linked help.  I do maintain my own .hh (it's a 16-bit app,
> so I've had to stay with 3.1-compliant help) file, and the developers
> never change the mapping numbers we've agreed on.
>
> Thanks for any input on this - -
> Lynda
> lynda_straus -at- themoneystore -dot- com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: techwrtr -at- crl -dot- com [SMTP:techwrtr -at- crl -dot- com]
> Sent: Tuesday, November 11, 1997 12:35 PM
> To:   Lynda_Straus -at- themoneystore -dot- com
> Subject:      Re: Have QA compile the help project?
>
>
>
>
> > My development team uses PVCS for storage/tracking of the source
> files
> > for a Paradox-based application.  I create and maintain the online
> help
> > for this application on my hard drive, with backups to a network
> drive.
> As did mine at my last job (though they switched to Microsoft Visual
> Source Safe...boy was I a happy camper after that!!!).
> > I need reasons why the help author *only* should be doing the work
> up to
> > the point of delivery.  OR, if anyone is handing over a
> ready-to-compile
> > folder (mine's 480 files, 10MG before compiling, and one file, 780KB
> > after compiling) to the QA staff, please let me know, and how well
> does
> > it work?
> Well, we actually didn't have a problem having the Build Team handle
> the
> compilation. To avoid the problems you have heard about, make sure
> that
> you use the same drive and path on your machine as the Build Team uses
> when they compile. That way, you won't have to change .hpj settings
> before submitting to the archiving system.
> You may want to fight for the right to maintain your own .hm (or .hh)
> file, though. These tend to change with each build, and the
> programmers
> usually don't follow proper procedure, instead giving duplicate
> numbers
> to dialog boxes and other controls. This usually requires that you fix
> their .hm for them each and every time there's a build. We were given
> the
> right to maintain our own .hm file, which meant that we didn't have to
> fix it with every build. It *did* mean that we had to be told about
> all
> new dialog boxes, so that we could make sure that the dialog box's
> context number was added to our .hm file.
> If this doesn't make sense, let me know what part doesn't, and I'll
> see
> if I can't elaborate more cohesively.
> -David Castro
>  techwrtr -at- crl -dot- com
>

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