What output to use for Angular single-page application?

[EileenP]

Any tips on where I can start learning how to create and implement context sensitive help content for an Angular application?
Really hoping to use Flare for this...
Thanks!

[Nita Beck]

I'd start by reading Flare's documentation, starting here: https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... SH/CSH.htm.

I also suggest you discuss with your developers, and share with them the Help topic about making CSH calls. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... -Calls.htm

[EileenP]

Thank you, Nina, but I'm looking for advice that is specific to the type of application I mentioned. I have already searched the documentation and not found what I'm looking for. I also asked the developers, and they asked ME to look into it. None of us know where to start.

[NorthEast]

Perhaps explain what's different about your app, and how you want the help to be displayed from the app.

Normally, you'd have a CSH help link in your app that opens the HTML5 output in a browser window.
Presumably you're wanting to do something different to the normal?

[EileenP]

Thank you, Dave.

On the contrary, I'm asking what is normal output to generate for an Angular single-page application. I think you answered my question by saying "...opens the HTML5 output in a browser window". So thank you for that. I thought perhaps it was WebHelp or WebHelp Plus that was needed.

(FYI, I've been using Flare for many years and have always been asked to generate Microsoft compiled HTML Help (CHM files). This is the first web-based application I'm creating user assistance for.)

[Nita Beck]

WebHelp and WebHelp Plus are deprecated, so don't choose those. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... -Types.htm

The closest HTML5 output to CHM will be Side Nav, as it'll have a navigation at the left that is not unlike the TOC in CHM output. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... de-Nav.htm Tri-pane HTML5 output also has a side navigation panel, but I don't advise using it if Side Nav will suffice. Tri-pane is rather long in the tooth, and I wouldn't be surprised if MadCap sunsets it in a couple of years.

Also, be aware that there's at least one behavior in CHM output that you can't get in a non-compiled output, which is what HTML5 is: A user will not be able to print an entire "book" from the Help, which I recall CHM allowing.

You might want to go through a couple of the tutorials in the Flare Help that illustrate Side Nav. For example, there's a tutorial on CSH that features Side Nav output. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... torial.htm

Finally, I don't know what you mean by "single-page application" that you're looking to produce Help for. Dave's assumed that you'd want Help that launches in a browser. But instead, are your devs looking to embed your Help right in the application's UI? If that's the case, you might need to use "skinless" HTML5 output. https://help.madcapsoftware.com/flare20 ... utput1.htm

[EileenP]

Thank you, Nina!

The meaning of "single-page application" is described here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-page_application

They may very well want to embed the help in the application, so thank you for mentioning skinless HTML5. I will look into that.

[NorthEast]

It's probably worth noting that "skinless" just means it is a regular HTML5 output that has no skin navigation controls - so there's no top nav menu, or side nav menu.

In terms of integrating the HTML5 output with your web app, skinless doesn't make things any easier or different, as the behaviour of a skinless output is no different to a skinned output.
The question of using skinless is purely down to whether you want or don't want the skin navigation controls.

If you want the HTML5 output to appear to be inside your single page app (and not a separate browser tab), then you'd probably have to enclose it in its own frame.
HTML5 output expects to operate in its own container (a browser tab/window, or frame).