Initially Michael wrote:
TCS (Technical Communication Suite) is an integrated suite NOT a bundle therefore the applications found in TCS are different than if you purchased the individual applications separately.
I was taken a bit off-guard by that statement and asked for clarification, which I received.
[O]nly the version of FM and RH are different than the "normal" versions (the ones you purchase separately). They are enhanced versions in the Suite. I "think" the version numbers are slightly different. For example FM 8 vs FM 8.0.1. The Suite is actually a Suite not just a bundle therefore it has different features, better integration and one product installer.
This was an interesting piece of information, but now the "integration" mentions in Adobe's literature thus far make a bit more sense. And it clarified these comments:
If you own TCS, you do not need to convert FrameMaker documents to .MIF for importing in RoboHelp? RoboHelp 7 can import .book, .mif and .fm files. In Adobe Technical Communication Suite, you can add FrameMaker files (.book, .fm and .mif) as live links to RoboHelp. Our evangelist will demonstrate this during our eseminar series
If you don’t own TCS and instead decide to purchase RoboHelp 7 separately, RoboHelp 7 can import .book, .mif and .fm files. You do not need to convert your docs to .MIF.
Which he then further explained:
RH7 (non TCS version)
-Multiple FM files can be imported at one time including .fm flies
-Conditional build tags or User defined variables can be applied prior to importing content or at time of publishing
-FM TOC, index and glossaries can be imported, added to existing TOX, index or glossary or a new one can be created
-Index can also be associated with a particular topic
-FM content can be re-purposed for HTML publishing at time of import
-Pagination settings can be define and naming patter for topic names selected
-Topic alias marketer for identifying Context Sensitive Help
-FM styles can be mapped to RH styles
TCS RH7 (TCS version) has all the RH7 features but with the enhanced FM integration
-FrameMaker files linked to a RoboHelp project:
As part of technical suite workflow, RoboHelp will allow FrameMaker files to be added as links. If there is any change in the linked FrameMaker files, the content in the RoboHelp project can be updated.
-Actions you can perform:
NEW FILE - RoboHelp will launch FrameMaker and a new file can be created by the author. The new file will be part of RoboHelp project files. The FrameMaker file can be added to RoboSourceControl as part of source control functionality in RoboHelp.
ADD BY COPYING- RoboHelp will copy an existing FrameMaker file as part of RoboHelp project files. The FrameMaker file can be added to RoboSourceControl as part of the source control functionality in RoboHelp.
ADD BY REFENENCE - FrameMaker files will be linked to a reference location.
On successful execution of the command a new folder will be created in the selected folder (as part of RoboHelp project) and all the generated files i.e. html, css, image, multimedia and supporting files will be placed inside this newly created folder for FrameMaker file. In the Project Manger Pod, the generated html topics should be displayed as child of the FrameMaker file.
When a FrameMaker file is deleted, it will be deleted from the RH project folder and if referenced then only the reference will be removed. Also all the children generated from this file will be deleted from the project. The Toc, Index and Glossary files for the corresponding FrameMaker file will also be removed.
EDIT LINKED FILES
-Double-clicking the file would open the linked file in FrameMaker for editing.
-When the linked FrameMaker File is modified The FrameMaker file's Icon will change to reflect that the file has been modified and its children are not up-to-date. The children can be updated by selecting the right-click menu-item "Update" or "Update all".
UPDATE
-Will re-parse the selected FrameMaker Document and Update all the children, TOC/Index/Glossary etc.
UPDATE ALL
-Will re-parse All FrameMaker Document and Update their respective children, TOC/Index/Glossary etc.
Special note: The project with linked FrameMaker files can be opened in the non-TCS RoboHelp 7. This is to ensure that team authoring workflows will not break. However, the commands for adding, deleting, editing and updating linked FrameMaker files will be available only in the Suite.
I'd like to personally thank Michael for the elaboration, as this does help greatly in understanding about the new offerings from Adobe. Michael also mentioned that he requested that the Adobe site be updated with more detailed information. Mega kudos, Michael!
Update: I was asked to also mention that the Adobe TechComm blog will have the latest info, so do check there if interested in following up on the TCS (or other product releases from Adobe).
9 comments:
So, let's say I have FM 8, and I do, and RH 7, and I don't, I have Adobe RH 6, but I bought them separately. There's no way to get the whole "slightly more" integrated thing, I'm stuck with the "slightly less" integrated thing and no easy way out, no shortcut home?
That sounds, unfriendly. Though, I am happy at the responsiveness of Adobe on this AND the fact that they are trying to integrate the products more .....
Cheers.
So, is it fair to say that you can maintain your content in FrameMaker and use RH 7 as an engine to transform your content into online help, etc.?
There's a bunch of words there, but how tight is this integration?
Is it just an import relationship, where I end up maintaining FrameMaker source and maintaining RH7 source separately?
Curiously yours ....
There's no way to get the whole "slightly more" integrated thing, I'm stuck with the "slightly less" integrated thing and no easy way out, no shortcut home?
Pay $999, and upgrade to TCS. It's really not a bad deal...provided you don't already have Acrobat 3D and Captivate (which are included in the Suite).
So, is it fair to say that you can maintain your content in FrameMaker and use RH 7 as an engine to transform your content into online help, etc.?
That's 100% correct.
...how tight is this integration?
I attended the demo/seminar yesterday, and can tell you it looks pretty tight. RoboHelp will divide long FM docs into individual files based on headings or other structural markers (you can manually adjust how it does so); you can tweak help formatting (removing auto-numbering in headings, for instance) through a gui; RoboHelp supports multiple TOCs (and will organize them hierarchically), so you can import multiple FM files into a single help system/KB, etc.
Most importantly, you don't have to maintain two sources. After revising a file in FM, you just hop over to RoboHelp, click Update, and it synchronizes.
Most importantly, you don't have to maintain two sources. After revising a file in FM, you just hop over to RoboHelp, click Update, and it synchronizes.
Yes but remember that this is the only direction you can work in. So if you are modifying content on the RH side, and then decide you want to being the content back into FM, you have to rewrite the FM content to match the RH content. The kicker is this (and it's a genuine question; I don't know the answer):
If you modify your content in RH for Help, and then think "oh man, this needs to go in print too" and then modify the content in FM, what happens in RH the next time you synchronize?
Great point. I didn't pick up on that either because a) my particular project won't present that problem, or b) the way Jacquez said, "We'll start in FM since that's how most of you will be working..." in his demo, led me to assume revision could happen in both directions.
I'm curious to see how, say, DHTML in RH will work. I write procedures that contain long passages of command line config code. It'd be great if our KB presented that stuff as expanding text that users don't have to look at unless they want to, but will RoboHelp maintain that formatting on update? I'm anxious to dig in and see what the suite is really capable of.
led me to assume revision could happen in both directions.
Beware the marketeers ....
So, why aren't you using WebWorks Publisher 9?
Bill has touched the point of the issue with a needle. It works one way, but not another?
If you declare that this is tightly integrated, that means your content is not bound; you can use it freely and updated it both ways.
In a workflow, this would mean that a RoboHelp trained writer and a FrameMaker trained writer could both work on the same content.
IF that's not possible (and I don't know whether it is or not) then it's not integrated. It's not single source. It's one-way transforming.
-- Charles
http://charlesjeter.com
You gotta watch that Bill guy. I mean, look at the vinyl Adobe logos on the sides of his company-sponsored Porsche 911 Turbo! I'm thinking, pay-o-LA! Big-time company-koolaid-o-rama kindo guy. Toes the Adobe marketing talking points memo a la Fox news--"fair and balanced"--if you know what I mean. Oh yeah. RoboGroupie! Big time.
And if it installs anything like CS3, don't expect to actually be able to use any of it.
I remember the days when I used to praise Adobe for "just working..."
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