FrameMaker and single-sourcing HTML help and printed docs - summary

[Kandis Weiner <kandisw -at- POSITRON -dot- QC -dot- CA>]

Greetings listers!

All of these recent posts about using FrameMaker as a single-source for
Help and Printed docs has jarred me out of my reverie to finally compose
and post information I have uncovered about this very subject.This summary
is cross-posted to techwr-l and winhelp listeserves. I appologize to those
of you recieving double.

I posted a query to both lists some time ago regarding the implementation
of online help, HTML help in particular, where development is already being
done in FrameMaker + SGML.

When HTML Help is concerned, documents can be developed in FrameMaker +
SGML and Saved as HTML. The Save As HTML requires some setup including
mapping elements (SGML) or paragraph formats to HTML tags; this will
require some refinement and fiddling, but once it has been perfected, there
is no need to fiddle anymore.

As far as single sourcing is concerned, conditional text in FrameMaker can
be used to establish what text is outputted for printed and online formats.
It is also possible to use the HTML conversion utility to determine how
information will be converted to HTML by using Attributes (in SGML). Once
the HTML document is produced, it can be imported into the help authoring
tool (HAT) of your choice (in our case, we will use RoboHTML) where
formatting can be applied, pop-ups, hyper-links created.

This solution is still at the theoretical level, we have not implemented it
yet. It is not the most elegant, but it will not require substantial
efforts to get up and running or maintain. We can use FrameMaker's tools to
do most of the development and use the HAT to refine and add pop-ups,
links.

There are other options which may be worth exploring (depending on your
requirements and the ouput required). These are some of the other
single-sourcing tools/options. The strengths and weaknesses I discuss are
based purely on my opinion and consider my work situation.

WebWorks Publisher - Quadralay http:\\quadralay.com
Quadralay makes tools that convert FrameMaker files to other useful
formats. With WebWorks Publisher, FrameMaker .fm, .bk, and .mif files can
be converted to HTML Help, Dynamic HTML with CSS, and WinHelp. To create
HTML Help, documents created in FrameMaker would require special formatting
instructions particular to online help. Then, FrameMaker tags would be
mapped to styles in WebWorks Publisher. Conversion macros would also be
required to make the transition possible.
WebWorks Publisher is not a HAT; it is a conversion tool. While this tool
is designed to work with FrameMaker files, it just converts documents to
different formats. The converted documents cannot be edited and, pop-ups
and hypertext links cannot be created with WebWorks Publisher.

MIF2RTF - Omni Systems Inc. http:\\omsys.com
Omni Systems specializes in document conversion tools. With MIF2RTF, Omni
Systems claim that true single-sourcing can be achieved with FrameMaker
documents: .MIF files are converted to RTF files that can then be compiled
into WinHelp with the free WinHelp engine; the WinHelp file can then be
converted by HTML Help Workshop (free MS HTML Help compiler) into HTML
Help. Footnotes become pop-ups, references become hyperlinks, and index
entries become entries in the online help index.
MIF2RTF is not a HAT; it is a conversion tool. Online help documents
created in FrameMaker would require special formatting instructions to
enable hypertext links, an index, and pop-ups. Documents created for online
help in FrameMaker must be saved as .mif, converted to RTF, compiled into
WinHelp, and then converted into HTML Help. And the actual help file cannot
be edited using MIF2RTF (i.e, add pop-ups, links, change structure or
organization). In our case, the possibility of error increases with each
step required to get to HTML Help.
SGML Database
OmniMark Systems of Ottawa (http:\\www.omnimark.com) offers a single-source
solution to document development. OmniMark LE is a database application
that stores text that has been coded in SGML. This text stored in the
database can be used to generate printed documentation and HTML Help; HTML
is a subset of SGML, which enables the conversion between the SGML and HTML
file types.
This method is a true single-source solution because all information is
stored in a central location that is accessed by printed and online help
authoring tools. It is with these tools that the content is structurally
modified to reflect the requirements of both mediums. Although this method
offers true single-sourcing, the set up time and learning curve required to
establish this solution is rather long; the cost of this system is quite
substantial. This option seems the most ideal, but would require additional
research about its feasability.
Other Resources:
http:\\kware.com - information on HTML and Win Help
http://www.harlequin.com/education/books/frametohtml/ - Frame to HTML book
Hope this will help some of you out there. Any comments or suggestions are
welcomed!!!
Cheers!
Kandis Weiner
Technical Communicator - Product Integration
Positron Public Safety Systems Inc.
Montreal, Quebec Canada
mailto:kandisw -at- positron -dot- qc -dot- ca
http:\\www.positron911.com
Standard Disclaimer: My opinions are my own, but my brain is for rent.
Oh yeah, and by the way, I like techno http:\\www.sugarrush.com ...