adding CSS properties

[subquark]

I'm new to Flare but our company is not. After a call with MadCap tech support, it seems that it is not possible to add additional properties to CSS objects. I can hand code CSS and have done so for our latest venture into mobile help, but that means that every new MadCap build also needs to be edited. It sure would be nice to add properties in Flare so that they are in a single-source.

Has anyone been able to do this?

Short of that, is it possible to create a skin from scratch? I don't mean editing an existing skin, but creating the skin to be used in Flare?

attached is an image illustrating what I'd love to be able to do in Flare directly.

[LTinker68]

I don't know about creating a skin from scratch, but for doing those types of CSS modifications, what I've done is build the output, then make a copy of the MadCap.css or Default.htm file in the output, or whichever file contains the code or styles I want to modify. I then make the modifications to the file and keep that copy stored outside the project. When I build the output, I then copy my version of the file back to the output file, overwriting the version that was just created.

I do the above because my outputs aren't uniform across projects. One project might have one look while another project has a different look, so I can't make a global modification. If you want to make the modification global across all projects, then you can modify the same file in the Flare program folder. (Make a copy of the original, just in case you inadvertently screw up the file and need to get back to a good version.) If you make that global modification, then you don't need to worry about it again until you reinstall or update or upgrade Flare, because those are program files and might be overwritten by an update or reinstall. For a major upgrade, you'd have to repeat the process of modifying the program file(s) in the new version.

Sorry, that's a bit convoluted, but hopefully it got you pointed in the right direction.

[subquark]

Thanks Lisa! hmm, that is what I am doing but it sure would be nice to have within Flare. Let me ask you about the global modification you mention. If I were to take a file, such as Header.css which I have modified, and ovewrite the one in the program files, would I be able to see that in Flare?

Like the image in the first post, would those "new" properties then show up in the Flare editor?

Our technical editor is the keeper of all our files, my task is to get a skin that looks like our mobile app - so I don't have access to the original files (she is remote). I have a trial version of Flare and will play around with it.

Your mention of global modification caught my attention, thanks!

edit: I do see XML files in MadCap Software\MadCap Flare V9\Flare.app\Resources\Stylesheets which are the CSS properties, maybe that's an option as well, add the additional properties to the XML files!

[subquark]

well double "derr" on me!

My question about your global mods seems to be answered here:

http://forums.madcapsoftware.com/viewto ... &sk=t&sd=a

And it was a thread I posted on but that was before I wondered about making the changes directly in Flare.

update: I see what you mean by global - our editor placed my CSS file in the program folder and subsequent outputs had my changes. However, those additional properties are not visible from within Flare (8 is her version).

[LTinker68]

update: I see what you mean by global - our editor placed my CSS file in the program folder and subsequent outputs had my changes. However, those additional properties are not visible from within Flare (8 is her version).

You might be able to trick Flare into doing that by adding and include reference in your topic stylesheet that points back to the header.css in the program files. I haven't tried that, so I'm not sure if an include will actually put it in so you see it in the Styles pane or if you only see the styles in the topic stylesheet. You could always give it a try. If it works, then you just have to remember to change the path in subsequent upgrades of Flare.

And keeps a copy of that modified Header.css file outside the project; if you later install an update to that version of Flare then it might or might not reinstall the original Header.css file, in which case, you'd need to overwrite it with your version.

[subquark]

Thank you Lisa, I will try adding those to the XML and see what happens - I would tend to think it will update it in Flare as the XML is probably what populates the editing window.

I'll update here when I do - thank you for the insight (and confidence). =)