Flare 7, Analyzer 4 and the All-new MadCap Contributor

[David Ferriot]

MadCap Software is excited to announce the latest release of MadCap Flare, Analyzer and the all-new MadCap Contributor (formerly X-Edit).

Flare 7 now features:
• Direct SharePoint and Subversion integration
• External resources mapping (no source control required)
• Vector graphic support for EPS, PS and SVG files
• Built-in equation editor supporting Mathematical Markup Language (MathML)
• QR Code generation (bridge the gap between print and online/mobile documentation)
• Enhanced track changes workflow
• CHM Import and Remote CHM Linking
• Table row sorting and merging
• Improved review and contribution workflow with new MadCap Contributor
• Accessibility support for 508 Compliance and WCAG
• Plus much, much more!

MadCap Contributor makes it simple and easy for anyone in your organization to review and contribute content to your documentation.

New in MadCap Contributor 3:
• Direct SharePoint and Subversion integration
• Improved review with track changes workflow
• Built-in equation editor
• Redesigned table style editor
• And more!

Find critical issues immediately, such as missing content or broken links, and non-critical technical issues such as unused style sheets or images, using MadCap Analyzer.

MadCap Analyzer 4 now includes:

• Scanning and analysis for 508 Compliance
• Markup validation: scan and clean up issues in markup
• Improved usability and report generation
• Plus much more!

To learn more about MadCap Software, visit:
http://www.madcapsoftware.com/

To download a free trial, visit:
http://www.madcapsoftware.com/downloads/

[Paul Griffiths]

So is the free Review edition (of Contributor) retained? Or will SMEs require licensed software?

[David Ferriot]

Yes, SMEs and other users will now require a Contributor license. New features and functionality have been added to Contributor, making it much more than a simple review tool. As a result, there is no longer a free Review component.

So is the free Review edition (of Contributor) retained? Or will SMEs require licensed software?

[trainey]

No new output formats

[David Ferriot]

We were also finding that most reviewers wanted to have the ability to add content, so it seemed beneficial to include the functionality in a single tool.

Yes, SMEs and other users will now require a Contributor license. New features and functionality have been added to Contributor, making it much more than a simple review tool. As a result, there is no longer a free Review component.

So is the free Review edition (of Contributor) retained? Or will SMEs require licensed software?

[wndsfr]

No DITA enhancements? I thought native DITA authoring was planned for this release?

[TechnicalDisaster]

The new Text to Table enhancement is going to cut down WEEKS of Frame to Flare conversion. This release hits so many of my pain points in Flare. I'm incredibly impressed!!! There is so much stuff in there I want to implement immediately. Is it ok to geek out over Flare?

How soon are gold maintenance subscribers going to get new keys??

[David Ferriot]

Glad to hear it! Maintenance customers will be receiving their new license keys via email throughout the day. You should have it shortly.

The new Text to Table enhancement is going to cut down WEEKS of Frame to Flare conversion. This release hits so many of my pain points in Flare. I'm incredibly impressed!!! There is so much stuff in there I want to implement immediately. Is it ok to geek out over Flare?

How soon are gold maintenance subscribers going to get new keys??

[rlauriston]

Support for named destinations in PDFs?

[sarrants]

I am VERY HAPPY to see the Equation editor. We need to put in more than 75 equations in our documentation. We used to use GIFs of the equations. Now, I'm hoping we can use this tool to streamline the use of equations.

Also happy with the new Insert QR code. I am already starting to use the at the bottom of topics to link to a mailto: link or special mobile content.

And the Chrome cross-site scripting fix makes my developers very happy!

Checking to see if we can use non MSFT Open Type fonts now...

Now I gotta get them to buy me Analyzer 4. The upgrade request to 3 was "misplaced" in the office, it seems.

[rlauriston]

The installer has an opt-out for instant messaging. What's it used for?

[lacastle]

Talking to other Flare users on your network, for example, to tell them you're working on a particular topic and they shouldn't edit it at the same time.

from the flare help - http://webhelp.madcapsoftware.com/flare ... saging.htm

[whunter]

Is there a way to find out whether a particular bug was fixed in Flare 7? I was given a bug number by Flare support, so I'm wondering if there is a way to look it up by number.

[lauraj]

We were also finding that most reviewers wanted to have the ability to add content, so it seemed beneficial to include the functionality in a single tool.

I can believe most of them wanted that ability, but is it practical to outfit every SME with a $249 tool? (Depends on your budget, obviously. For me, it's not.)

How difficult is it to transfer a license from one person to another? I could get along with a small number of contributor licenses at any given time, but they're going to be different people at different times.

[DocuWil]

Yes, SMEs and other users will now require a Contributor license. New features and functionality have been added to Contributor, making it much more than a simple review tool. As a result, there is no longer a free Review component.

So is the free Review edition (of Contributor) retained? Or will SMEs require licensed software?

But ..... We can still use X-Edit?

[nickatwork]

This is a nice welcome surprise.

Does this require a full re-install of Flare? Or will it just update from existing Flare 6.1 'seemelssly' ?

Of course backsup etc will be made, but I need to provide IT with the details so they can do it for me. Zero admin rights here.

Thanks,
Look forward to getting into the new features.

[NorthEast]

Does this require a full re-install of Flare? Or will it just update from existing Flare 6.1 'seemelssly' ?

It's not an upgrade, it will install separately to v6 (you could run both if you want to).

[nickatwork]

OK brilliant, though I'm guessing we will need new reg codes for it?
Suppose an email will be coming through from flare with all the details, we only have a bronze plan, so maybe a little bit further down on the list I'd imagine.

[NorthEast]

OK brilliant, though I'm guessing we will need new reg codes for it?
Suppose an email will be coming through from flare with all the details, we only have a bronze plan, so maybe a little bit further down on the list I'd imagine.

I haven't got my codes either.

If you don't get yours, note that the codes are sent to the person who purchased Flare; nothing is emailed to the person who registers Flare, so it might be sitting in someone else's inbox.

[lacastle]

Is there a way to find out whether a particular bug was fixed in Flare 7? I was given a bug number by Flare support, so I'm wondering if there is a way to look it up by number.

This isn't sorted by number, but the release notes do show which fixes have been made.

http://kb.madcapsoftware.com/Content/Fl ... _Notes.htm

[DocuWil]

Is there a way to find out whether a particular bug was fixed in Flare 7? I was given a bug number by Flare support, so I'm wondering if there is a way to look it up by number.

From as far as I know from earlier you will get an email indicating that a request has been honoured, but most of the times a little bit later on.

[David Ferriot]

Licenses can be transferred very easily. You'll just need to email Customer Service and ask to clear a key out so it can be registered to another user.

We were also finding that most reviewers wanted to have the ability to add content, so it seemed beneficial to include the functionality in a single tool.

I can believe most of them wanted that ability, but is it practical to outfit every SME with a $249 tool? (Depends on your budget, obviously. For me, it's not.)

How difficult is it to transfer a license from one person to another? I could get along with a small number of contributor licenses at any given time, but they're going to be different people at different times.

[David Ferriot]

Getting back to you on this directly Colin. Thanks.

No DITA enhancements? I thought native DITA authoring was planned for this release?

[David Ferriot]

Unfortunately this was a feature that did not make V7. As much as we would like to get everything in a single release, it's just not possible.

Support for named destinations in PDFs?

[Ineffable]

Hi elephant in the room: Is it just me, but does anyone see $499 worth of upgrades?