Flare 2.5 & HTML5
Flare 2.5 & HTML5
Can you use Madcap Flare version 2.5 to create HTML5 documentation? If so, how do you set up the skin and target for HTML5?
Re: Flare 2.5 & HTML5
From what I understand, HTML5 as Flare defines it is not the same as HTML5 as the rest of the world uses it. So the question is whether you're talking about Flare's HTML5 (online output that's not in a frameset and has some other features), or the web standard HTML5?
If you're talking about Flare's HTML5, then no, you can't create it in Flare v2.5, at least not without a LOT of manual manipulation of the generated output and you're almost certainly going to miss something.
I haven't done an in-depth study of the HTML5 web standard, but based on some of the things the standard provides, I don't think you'll be able to do it, because older versions of Flare didn't support certain tags/attributes in the stylesheet that should have been supported. Comments and wildcard characters, for example, didn't work. Features like rounded corners it probably won't be able to handle either.
Long story short, there have been sooooooo many improvements between Flare 2.5 and Flare 10 that you'll be much better served to purchase the new version of Flare. Not just in relation to HTML5. Print output, for example, had a big change in Flare v4 when they introduced page layouts, and there have been a lot of changes and improvements since then.
If you're talking about Flare's HTML5, then no, you can't create it in Flare v2.5, at least not without a LOT of manual manipulation of the generated output and you're almost certainly going to miss something.
I haven't done an in-depth study of the HTML5 web standard, but based on some of the things the standard provides, I don't think you'll be able to do it, because older versions of Flare didn't support certain tags/attributes in the stylesheet that should have been supported. Comments and wildcard characters, for example, didn't work. Features like rounded corners it probably won't be able to handle either.
Long story short, there have been sooooooo many improvements between Flare 2.5 and Flare 10 that you'll be much better served to purchase the new version of Flare. Not just in relation to HTML5. Print output, for example, had a big change in Flare v4 when they introduced page layouts, and there have been a lot of changes and improvements since then.
Lisa
Eagles may soar, but weasels aren't sucked into jet engines.
Warning! Loose nut behind the keyboard.
Re: Flare 2.5 & HTML5
I'm assuming the question is can you build Flare's HTML5 output from v2.5 - and the the answer is a definite no.
You also wouldn't be able to recreate Flare's HTML5 output - you can't 'manipulate' WebHelp output into HTML5 help output.
If you just wanted to produce an output that includes HTML5-standards content, you'd need to find a way to add <!DOCTYPE html> to all the HTML pages in the output, in order for it to be rendered in browsers. Note that even Flare v10 doesn't actually support many of the new HTML5 tags and CSS3 standards anyway. By 'support', I mean you can't add certain HTML tags via the interface, add CSS3 properties in the stylesheet editor, and this content won't be rendered very well (or at all) in the XML editor. It's possible to include HTML5 content, but you'd have to insert the HTML/CSS in text mode, and put up with numerous CSS and build warnings.
You also wouldn't be able to recreate Flare's HTML5 output - you can't 'manipulate' WebHelp output into HTML5 help output.
If you just wanted to produce an output that includes HTML5-standards content, you'd need to find a way to add <!DOCTYPE html> to all the HTML pages in the output, in order for it to be rendered in browsers. Note that even Flare v10 doesn't actually support many of the new HTML5 tags and CSS3 standards anyway. By 'support', I mean you can't add certain HTML tags via the interface, add CSS3 properties in the stylesheet editor, and this content won't be rendered very well (or at all) in the XML editor. It's possible to include HTML5 content, but you'd have to insert the HTML/CSS in text mode, and put up with numerous CSS and build warnings.
Re: Flare 2.5 & HTML5
Ah, I see. Thank you both very much. That answers my question perfectly.