Converting MC Help Topic to PDF - not working?

[BL_N]

We are in process of ramping up for a DotNetHelp project and I'm trying to convert a few of your included topics to PDF to send to our developers. I right-click and, from the context menu, select 'Convert to Adobe PDF', and then.... nothing. I've looked all over (thinking perhaps it was one of those 'we did it, we just didn't tell you it was done' kind of things, but it does not seem to be working at all.

Am I missing something? A preference setting or some such? Or is this a bug that should be reported? (v3.1 of Flare)

[LTinker68]

In order to be able to generate PDF from Flare, you have to have either Framemaker or Word 2007 installed. You can't (currently) generate PDF files directly from Flare without going through one of those two programs. Do you have either of those programs?

[BL_N]

I have both, which is why I'm a tad puzzled.

Edit to add: I'm trying to convert a Flare Help Topic to PDF, not a topic from a project of my own creation (not that it should make a difference, I'd think).

[LTinker68]

I don't have either of those programs, so I can't generate PDF directly from Flare, so I haven't tried that context menu option. I wonder if you have to have a print target set up first with the PDF option enabled and that be your default target. Although you'd think it would give you some indication of that when you tried to run the create PDF option.

If you try it on one of your topics, does it work? Flare's help is integrated into its GUI, so something about that may prevent it from being generated as a PDF in that manner. If it doesn't work on one of your own topics, though, then either that option doesn't work or something else needs to be set up to make it work.

[KevinDAmery]

Assuming you have Acrobat or some other PDF writing software on the system that has Flare, have you tried printing the topic to PDF? (i.e. using the PDF Writer or Distiller as the target printer) If not, it may be worth a try.

[BL_N]

I have been able to print to PDF and this solves the issue for me, but the matter of 'Convert to PDF' not working from the context-menu remains. Actually, I did a bit more testing and it seems 'Append to existing PDF' does not work, and 'Export to Microsoft Excel' results in a series of error messages followed by a screen of gibberish in Excel. Screenshots attached of the Excel issue (there is nothing to show you for the other two; nothing happens).

excel-import-01.gif

excel-import-02.gif

excel-import-04.gif

[lacastle]

If I print to PDF from the context menu (with WebHelp), I get a PDF, but not like what I'm looking at. Printing to PDF is what i really want.

Untitled-2.jpg

Untitled-1.jpg

Untitled-3.jpg

I see your problem, but i don't know how to fix it. I don't use the Convert to PDF option too much, mainly because it's only in my IE7, and I don't like IE (so I don't use it).

If I were going to need the Print to PDF view, I might just do the Word/PDF output from Flare.

[NorthEast]

You know the options you're talking about here aren't actually part of Flare or DotNetHelp? The option 'Convert to Adobe PDF' is presumably an Acrobat feature, and 'Export to Microsoft Excel' is provided by IE/Office (you'll see it on any web page).

[BL_N]

I think it fairly obvious that it was unknown. (grin) I've never seen the options before this moment, so assumed they were part of Flare.

Thanks for the insight.

[lacastle]

Yeah, with IE and Acrobat/Excel, you get those options for any web page.

[QBF]

I'm trying to convert a few of your included topics to PDF to send to our developers.

I include a Print version of our online help launchable from a PDF button on the skin toolbar. This way if a customer wants a "print" version which many of our customers do, they can have both an online help version, and an acceptable print copy in one package.

To get this to work, I did need to create Masterpages for the print version (I use Framemaker), create "print" targets, and add a PDF button to the skin toolbar in the online help so people could open the PDF. It was a lot of work but our customers really like the options provided to them.

[BL_N]

I'm trying to convert a few of your included topics to PDF to send to our developers.

I include a Print version of our online help launchable from a PDF button on the skin toolbar. This way if a customer wants a "print" version which many of our customers do, they can have both an online help version, and an acceptable print copy in one package.

To get this to work, I did need to create Masterpages for the print version (I use Framemaker), create "print" targets, and add a PDF button to the skin toolbar in the online help so people could open the PDF. It was a lot of work but our customers really like the options provided to them.

An excellent idea! We'll be wearing Blaze out when it arrives and this is a nice bit of icing on what is expected to be pretty tasty cake. Thank you!

Aside: It would be downright nifty to have MadCap incorporate something like this into their help (i.e., save a pdf of the current topic to your drive).

[QBF]

To get this to work, I did need to create Masterpages for the print version (I use Framemaker), create "print" targets, and add a PDF button to the skin toolbar in the online help so people could open the PDF. It was a lot of work but our customers really like the options provided to them.

Here is the procedure for adding the PDF button:
1. First, open your skin as you must add a NEW button to the Taskbar.
2. Go to the Styles tab in the skin editor.
3. Selecting the ToolbarItem group and choosing Add Class.
4. Name the class you are creating (I named mine OpenPDF)
5. Choose "button" for the control type.
6. Assign the icons for the button's default, hover, and pressed states.
7. In the OnClick area, enter window.open("../Content/MyFrameMaker.pdf"). You should modify this script for your own Project.
8. Place your PDF in the top level of the Project "Content" directory (Not in Output > Content).
Note: If you put it in the Output > Content directory you will need to replace it every time you make a new build.