I've been using Flare for years but am just now exploring Capture and if it would be suitable for my processes and workflows. I'm wondering how others use conditions with screen shots. Currently, I maintain multiple screen shots, but I'm not seeing how Capture/Flare conditions will really improve my workflow.
Imagine a screen shot with six fields. All six fields are displayed for screen shot version 1, but the text of field A has XXX. All six fields are displayed for screen shot version 2, but the text of field A has YYY. Only three of the six fields are displayed for screen shot version 3. More than half of my screen shots have variations like this. Anywhere from two to six variations.
I see that I could create layers for the XXX and YYY text areas and conditionalize them, but since they appear in the exact same location, it will be visually annoying to have to rearrange the layers when I want to view/modify the different versions. I think my bigger concern is what to do when I have only a subset of fields. I can't hide those parts of the screen shot because then I would end up with blank spots that would no longer match the UI. I had another idea of starting with the smallest common denominator and then layering up from there, but as I add fields, they may need to appear between fields of my smallest common denominator. So I think that idea is out. I am the point where I think Capture may be more trouble than it is worth and I'd be more efficient to just maintain multiple screen shots.
Does anyone else have screen captures with visual variations like that? If so, what process do you use?
Thanks
Kathleen
Conditions with screen shots
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KJohnsonDBTK
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ajturnersurrey
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Re: Conditions with screen shots
I do use conditions as you describe on some screenshots.
For instance, I have some screenshots which will be essentially the same for two products but I need a different top line (as this mentions the product name). For this use it is perfect.
So I have a screenshot which is right for product X and a text overlay set up to replace the top line which is needed for product Y. The text overlay is given a condition NotProductX and when I build the target for product X that excludes everything marked NotProductX. [I do everything with exclude conditions, becuase I get confused by a mixture of includes and excludes!]
As you rightly spot this method reduces image count and project file space neatly, but can quickly get out of hand, if there are more bits of text to use for different products:
Product Z is like product Y, but the IP address displayed is different, so I add a text overlay set up to replace the IP address just for product Z. The text overlay is given a condition NotProductX, Not Product Y.
Product Q doesn't show the last two parameters so I have a blank box, covering up those last two items, including my alternate IP address, given the conditions NotProductX, Not Product Y, NotProduct Z.
For a small number of conditions this saves me some time grabbing screenshots and is worth doing.
For me the disadvantages are:
- when you preview a topic in Flare you see the image with all of these overlays on top - the conditions flow through the the images in the pdf, but this makes it hard to build up confidence as you go that you have the right conditions set.
- it is hard to modify these images with overlays later - remembering that something is hidden below a blanked out portion, moving and repositioning things quickly becomes painful.
So, if I have any cases where the screenshot is substantially different from one product to another I will instead have 3 or 4 screenshots in a row in my topic, with the whole image for product Q conditioned as NotProductX, Not Product Y, NotProduct Z and so on. This adds to file size, and time spent setting up screen captures, but I can then preview a topic for confidence before building and save time there.
So I've come to the conclusion that one size does not fit all images even in one manual. I do use both methods in the same document. If I had to use just one I would choose more screenshots and no conditional overlays, because its easier to maintain with confidence ... this is a tanatlising short cut that can very easily go wrong if you have more than 3 or 4 overlays and don't have a brain the size of a planet!
For instance, I have some screenshots which will be essentially the same for two products but I need a different top line (as this mentions the product name). For this use it is perfect.
So I have a screenshot which is right for product X and a text overlay set up to replace the top line which is needed for product Y. The text overlay is given a condition NotProductX and when I build the target for product X that excludes everything marked NotProductX. [I do everything with exclude conditions, becuase I get confused by a mixture of includes and excludes!]
As you rightly spot this method reduces image count and project file space neatly, but can quickly get out of hand, if there are more bits of text to use for different products:
Product Z is like product Y, but the IP address displayed is different, so I add a text overlay set up to replace the IP address just for product Z. The text overlay is given a condition NotProductX, Not Product Y.
Product Q doesn't show the last two parameters so I have a blank box, covering up those last two items, including my alternate IP address, given the conditions NotProductX, Not Product Y, NotProduct Z.
For a small number of conditions this saves me some time grabbing screenshots and is worth doing.
For me the disadvantages are:
- when you preview a topic in Flare you see the image with all of these overlays on top - the conditions flow through the the images in the pdf, but this makes it hard to build up confidence as you go that you have the right conditions set.
- it is hard to modify these images with overlays later - remembering that something is hidden below a blanked out portion, moving and repositioning things quickly becomes painful.
So, if I have any cases where the screenshot is substantially different from one product to another I will instead have 3 or 4 screenshots in a row in my topic, with the whole image for product Q conditioned as NotProductX, Not Product Y, NotProduct Z and so on. This adds to file size, and time spent setting up screen captures, but I can then preview a topic for confidence before building and save time there.
So I've come to the conclusion that one size does not fit all images even in one manual. I do use both methods in the same document. If I had to use just one I would choose more screenshots and no conditional overlays, because its easier to maintain with confidence ... this is a tanatlising short cut that can very easily go wrong if you have more than 3 or 4 overlays and don't have a brain the size of a planet!