MadCap Software Forums

Hello everyone!

This is my first time posting in the MadCap software forums, so apologies ahead of time if this was not posted in the correct place.

I have been looking for a solution to something I would like to do with web pages we create through Flare for a few weeks now, and I just can't seem to find a solution. I am just wanting to create interactive checkboxes for product documentation on our website that also translates to regular checkboxes when printed on PDFs.

The only thing I have been really able to do so far is use the typical HTML code for checkboxes and plug it in using the Text Editor like so:
However, this requires a lot of finagling, and on top of that, it does not translate well to PDFs. As in, the checkboxes do not appear at all in the PDF output when done like this.

We do currently use picture checkboxes on our site, but I would really like to do something a bit more intuitive and useful for users by making them interactive. I am still fairly new to a lot of this, so I know there's a lot of information that I'm unaware of and maybe haven't dug up just yet.

Any input is appreciated!

Firstly, welcome to the forums, I'm sure you'll find them very helpful.

As to your problem, how about using conditions? For your PDF, add the check box that works for you, and condition it as print only. For your web pages, use the thing you've found works for you (or any more useful suggestion that others may come up with) and condition it as web only. Then in your targets exclude the condition you don't want.

That sounds like a good idea that I might employ, but I still have the issue of having to manually input the code and it looking a little funky in Flare. It turns out fine in the output, but I'm not sure my team mates that would have to incorporate this into their own docs would like this because it's not a super simple process. Do you happen to know of any other way to put in interactive checkboxes without putting it into the code manually? Or some kind of workaround?

Soz, only just seen this.

How about adding your checkbox thingy to a snippet, then "all you have to do is"* add the snippet any time you want to use it, rather than having to do all of that faffing every time.

* I always worry when I see the weasel words "all you have to do is", "simply" or "just".

See I'm so new to all of this that I don't even know what a snippet is lulz. I will look into that, it sounds pretty useful! So I guess trying to use both a snippet and a condition for PDFs would work well?

Snippets are clearly explained in the helpso do read about them there, but in the meantime, here's what you do.

In an ordinary topic, in a new paragraph type both of the check box things.
Apply your screen only condition to the online bit that you showed us, and apply your print only condition to whatever you want to go in a PDF.
In the item bar on the left, right-click the paragraph block and on the menu click Create Snippet.

When you want to have a check box, insert your snippet. And that's it!

Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it in no time.