2 questions on Word output (DOCX support and style support)

[mwright123]

Hi All,

I am currently evaluating Flare 2017, and right now I am exploring the Word output. I have 2 related questions for which feedback from this forum would be greatly appreciated!

I have generated a Word file with a DOCX extension (by specifying the .docx extension in the output file name in the target - per the Flare help). When I open that file in Word 2010, it opens in Compatibility Mode. Moreover, when I click File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Compatibility, in the Select versions to show dropdown, I see a checkmark beside "Word 97-2003." According to my research on the web, this indicates that the file is actually in DOC format, not DOCX format. This seems to be supported by the following forum thread:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=19766&p=103378&hil ... cx#p103378
...which basically says that all Flare does is change the file extension to .docx - the format of the file remains unchanged.

Given that Flare produces DOC files and not DOCX files, I believe my workaround will be to manually save the file as a 2010 DOCX file after it is generated by Flare. I would like to release DOCX to my customers because it seems regarded as more stable, reduces file size, etc.

These are my 2 related questions:

1. Does anyone have any guidance re: issues to watch (Flare features to avoid, for example) when generating Word output? I have read these 2 MS links below

Compatibility changes between versions
https://support.office.com/en-us/articl ... 3227A4C059

Use Word 2010 to open documents created in earlier versions of Word
https://support.office.com/en-us/articl ... 65971069bf

...and nothing causes me great concern. Still, I would like to ask this experienced Flare group just the same.

2. I have noticed that the PDF output and the Word output look different stylistically. This is puzzling me, and I would love some documentation on the subject. I did see this thread on the subject:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13287&p=74319&hili ... ent#p74319
Does anyone have any more guidance/information on the matter and/or pointers to information to assist in developing Word output specifically?

Thank you very much!
Mary

[SKamprowski]

Hi Mary,

I don't think that Flare only changes file extension . When you generate the same target with output file name probe.doc and then with file name probe.docx without any other modifications you will get completely different files which should look exactly the same in Word (2010). I suggest to produce and distribute the .doc file unless you are sure that all your users have a Word version to open the .docx file.

As for the differences in pdf vs word output, I suggest to work through
http://docs.madcapsoftware.com/Flare2017/FlarePrintedOutputGuide.pdf, even though I haven't yet managed to read it myself completely .

[devjoe]

Compatibility mode is not the same as file format. Compatibility mode limits which Word features are available (so that you can avoid using features that only became available in Word 2016 when collaborating with somebody using another version of Word). It also changes certain rules Word uses for formatting documents.

That said, when you are working with a .doc file in a modern version of Word, it will always be in compatibility mode because the file format doesn't support certain features. However, being in compatibility mode does not require .doc format.

[mwright123]

Thank you for the replies! I received confirmation today from MadCap Support that Flare 2017 Word targets do NOT generate DOCX files.

This is an active, open feature request - #93504.

If anyone has an information to share re: issues when creating Flare-source content that gets generated to a DOC...and then converted to a DOCX, that would be greatly appreciated!

I'm also interested in learning more about the differences in terms of representations of styles, something discussed a bit in this thread:
viewtopic.php?f=10&t=13287&p=74319&hili ... ent#p74319

Thanks!
Mary

[GregStenhouse]

Some things I've found that Word output doesn't support:

• Multiple columns
• Background images (in page layouts - I haven't found a way to replicate out title page with full image yet), and background images in CSS (for example, if doing note/tip images)
• float left/float right on styles (e.g. page number in footer)
• Autonumbered styles - I find they are output with a hard left margin instead of hanging margin (I'm sure there's a workaround but haven't looked too far into it yet) - and they are not converted as proper Word lists
• Headers or footers that span the entire width - in page layouts there is a Word Overlay you can use to see what you will (or won't) get when outputting to Word. For us this means we cannot use our standard header with a full width graphic.

[mwright123]

Hi Greg,

Many thanks for your reply!

By multiple columns, do you mean that Word output doesn't support more than one body frame per page? Or something else perhaps (multi-column tables?)? I've read on the net somewhere that the former is the case.

The other item you noted that made me pause was re: autonumbered styles - these are not converted as proper Word lists. How have you been working around this? Are there alternatives? I might be missing a big point here. I would be shocked if output of numbered lists wasn't supported. Are autonumbered styles something fancier? (I'm not a current Flare user - I'm doing an eval of Flare right now - so I'm not very familiar.)

Thanks!
Mary

[Paul Griffiths]

Mary

(1) I'm pretty sure Greg is referring to Word's Page Layout > Columns feature which, as far as I know, is not supported in Flare output (open to correction if I'm wrong).

(2) Auto-numbering. of for example nested headings (2, 2.1, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.2, 2.2.1 etc), is supported in Flare output but, crucially, does not result in a Word multilevel list. Instead, the numbers are simply hardcoded. (Some people also use auto-numbering for simple lists (1., 2., 3. etc) and I assume that these are also hardcoded, but I'm not sure because I always use ol lists in these cases.)

If it's important to you, and you are careful, you may be able to workaround the auto-numbering thing by post-processing the Flare output with a Word macro.

HTH

Paul

[mwright123]

Paul, many thanks for these clarifications!

Cheers,
Mary