Hi everyone.
I've had Flare for a week and I'm boggled...
I'd love to get some advice on how to set up the work I have to do. I'm sorry this is so detailed but I can't get any help unless I fess up with the problems I'm having. So here goes...
-I currently have Word documents containing help on how to do specific features in our software (kind of like mini courses - one for each topic). So far 3 different agencies use our software and therefore each document must be 'branded' to look like each agency. So with the Word documents I created a 'main' set of docs and then copied them and created the other 2 sets of documents (each with their own pics). In future a multitude of additional agencies will start using the software, and they all need their own set of online help and printed documents. Just to add another monkey wrench to the works...there are also 3 different security accesses to the software (Manager, Worker, Guest). Each access displays different menus/screens etc., so each online help and printed help must be tailored to each one. They also want when the user clicks help that they only see help on the particular screen they are in. So a help 'book' of everything won't work here.
So...
-For each agency I need to do 3 levels of help (Manager/Worker/Guest) and each has to have it's own specifically tailored pics. Most of the text is the same between agencies but the pics are almost all tailored to each agency.
Now what...
-I'd love to get some opinions on how to tackle this project. It's only getting bigger and bigger and of course with all jobs, the pressure is on to produce something NOW.
-Do you think this would be best all in one gigantic project?
If so, how would you tell it to insert different pictures for each agency and for each security level? I've experimented with this and it boggles my mind how big this is now and how humungous it will get as more agencies come on board. Also when I imported all the word documents, my pics were all replaced with gigantic crazy images from other parts of the document (e.g. a screen pic would be replaced with a gigantic logo). Also the styles all went wonky.
-Do you think this would be best in separate little projects (as the Word documents are now)?
I tried this too and thought the Project|Import File|Add Flare Project Import File would be the answer to keeping everything consistent. In the source file for the import I got the master page, stylesheets, conditions, targets and some pics all working fairly well. Then I did the Import File procedure to bring those files into my 'child' project. It 'was' bringing in all the target files but now it's decided to leave the main target off in the import. I've even typed the name of the main target file in manually in the "Include Files" field. It just ignores me now.
My head is swimming with all this information overload. I'm just not sure at all about the best way to tackle these problems...mainly...one huge project...or many smaller projects.
Please help if you can.
Thanks
Debbie
One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
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enricosavazzi
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Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
One thing at a time ...
The DPI setting controls how big pictures are rendered in Word. You can change the DPI setting of a picture with graphic editors like Snagit, without changing the size in pixels of the image. In a digital image, DPI has nothing to do with resolution - it is just a number. It becomes relevant only when the picture has to be rendered on paper. The Flare XML editor does take DPI into account when displaying pictures in "print" Medium mode (not in "non-print" Medium). However, when Flare generates Word output, it will override the DPI setting and reduce a picture size to fit the page width if necessary. It does not do so when generating PDF output (pictures are allowed to be too big and to be clipped along the page margins).
...Or do you mean that Flare imports the wrong pictures in the wrong places in the documents? I don't know about this specifically, but I gave up very early on keeping the source of a project in Word format - doing so only bungled things up. If you use Flare, keep the source in Flare format. Generate Word files only as the final output stage.
Most software saves pictures at 96 DPI. Working with screen-dump of the GUI of software packages in Word output, I find that 144 DPI is better for me.DebB09 wrote: Also when I imported all the word documents, my pics were all replaced with gigantic crazy images from other parts of the document (e.g. a screen pic would be replaced with a gigantic logo).
The DPI setting controls how big pictures are rendered in Word. You can change the DPI setting of a picture with graphic editors like Snagit, without changing the size in pixels of the image. In a digital image, DPI has nothing to do with resolution - it is just a number. It becomes relevant only when the picture has to be rendered on paper. The Flare XML editor does take DPI into account when displaying pictures in "print" Medium mode (not in "non-print" Medium). However, when Flare generates Word output, it will override the DPI setting and reduce a picture size to fit the page width if necessary. It does not do so when generating PDF output (pictures are allowed to be too big and to be clipped along the page margins).
...Or do you mean that Flare imports the wrong pictures in the wrong places in the documents? I don't know about this specifically, but I gave up very early on keeping the source of a project in Word format - doing so only bungled things up. If you use Flare, keep the source in Flare format. Generate Word files only as the final output stage.
Last edited by enricosavazzi on Thu Sep 17, 2009 2:42 am, edited 2 times in total.
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enricosavazzi
- Propeller Head
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Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
It depends on how often the text needs to be updated. If the shared text is static or changes rarely but the target-specific text and illustrations change frequently, then it is better to have separate projects. If updates to the shared text are frequent, but target-specific text and figures change rarely, then it is better to have all versions in a single project and to use conditions. Define a condition for each target (e.g. manager of agency 1), and apply it to the elements that belong in this target version. Of course in this case the project will look odd in the Flare XML editor, with multiple pictures and colour-coded conditions all over.DebB09 wrote:So...
-For each agency I need to do 3 levels of help (Manager/Worker/Guest) and each has to have it's own specifically tailored pics. Most of the text is the same between agencies but the pics are almost all tailored to each agency.
-Do you think this would be best in separate little projects (as the Word documents are now)?
Remember that you can apply a condition to a topic or a paragraph, but not to a span. In other words, you cannot use conditions to just change the agency name in the middle of a sentence. You need a complete paragraph for each target (or set of targets that can share the same paragraph).
Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
Nope, that's wrong.enricosavazzi wrote:Remember that you can apply a condition to a topic or a paragraph, but not to a span. In other words, you cannot use conditions to just change the agency name in the middle of a sentence. You need a complete paragraph for each target (or set of targets that can share the same paragraph).
You can apply conditions to spans no problem, and also straight to individual bits of text (select the text, then use Format > Conditions).
Anyway, if you want to replace something like an agency name, I'd suggest using a variable for that - it'd be a lot simpler.
Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
If it were me, I'd probably create a single project that can be used to generate the 3 different outputs - one for each security level.
I'd then use that project as a basis to make a new project for each new agency, with any re-useable sections imported from the 'master' project (using global project linking).
It's too long a process to go into real depth, but my general approach would be this:
(1) Set up a project that you can use to generate a separate target for each security level.
- The project would include all the content for all security levels.
- Create 3 condition tags for the security levels (Manager/Worker/Guest), and use these to mark the content that is specific to each. So you may have to apply conditions to whole topics, text within a topic, TOC entries (or have a separate TOC for each level's target).
- Create 3 separate targets for the security levels (Manager/Worker/Guest), and in each target set the conditions to exclude the content from the other 2 levels.
(2) Examine the project to work out which parts can be re-used and which parts will need to be unique for each agency. This will be your master project.
- You can insert variables to replace individual words that will need to be customised, e.g. customer or product names.
- You can insert snippets for blocks of content in a page that will need to be customised.
This is probably the bit that will take time, but with some intelligent use of snippets, variables and maybe some conditions, you should be able to come up with a project that needs only a little bit of tweaking to update the parts that are unique for each agency.
(3) Make an agency project and link that to the master project.
- Make a copy of the master project (this is your agency project).
- In the agency project, add a 'Flare project import file' (also know as global project linking) and import your original master project.
- In the import settings, include any fixed content from the project that will be reused in your agency project, e.g. topics, targets. Do not include content you want to customise or replace, e.g. images you want to replace, variable files, any snippets or topics that you will need to edit.
I'd then use that project as a basis to make a new project for each new agency, with any re-useable sections imported from the 'master' project (using global project linking).
It's too long a process to go into real depth, but my general approach would be this:
(1) Set up a project that you can use to generate a separate target for each security level.
- The project would include all the content for all security levels.
- Create 3 condition tags for the security levels (Manager/Worker/Guest), and use these to mark the content that is specific to each. So you may have to apply conditions to whole topics, text within a topic, TOC entries (or have a separate TOC for each level's target).
- Create 3 separate targets for the security levels (Manager/Worker/Guest), and in each target set the conditions to exclude the content from the other 2 levels.
(2) Examine the project to work out which parts can be re-used and which parts will need to be unique for each agency. This will be your master project.
- You can insert variables to replace individual words that will need to be customised, e.g. customer or product names.
- You can insert snippets for blocks of content in a page that will need to be customised.
This is probably the bit that will take time, but with some intelligent use of snippets, variables and maybe some conditions, you should be able to come up with a project that needs only a little bit of tweaking to update the parts that are unique for each agency.
(3) Make an agency project and link that to the master project.
- Make a copy of the master project (this is your agency project).
- In the agency project, add a 'Flare project import file' (also know as global project linking) and import your original master project.
- In the import settings, include any fixed content from the project that will be reused in your agency project, e.g. topics, targets. Do not include content you want to customise or replace, e.g. images you want to replace, variable files, any snippets or topics that you will need to edit.
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pe_thiemann
- Propeller Head
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- Contact:
Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
Hi deb09,
as i understand, your main questions may be:
Concerning the content/functions of the software, is the feature set the same for each agency and is the feature set of a target group independent of the agency? If i assume, that a target group can use the same function set independent of the related agency, you need three conditions to determine the different information for the target groups.
So the next question: are the pictures tailored for the agencies or for the different target groups of the agencies?
In the first case you need three additional conditions, in the latter case you need more. If you really need more than 6 conditions, another solution to this problem might be helpful, because the more conditions you have, the more complex your project becomes.
In the best case, a typical topic may contain information, that is visible for all target groups and 3 different pieces of information visible only for a specific target group. If there is also a picture in the topic, it is there three times: once for each agency.
Different outputs are handled via different TOCs and targets, connecting layout information and content into the selected format. At this state, you might have at least 6 targets in your project, one for online and one for print for each agency.
For the Flare project structure: there are different ideas to this:
At the end, the layout information and the content needed for the printed output has to be in one project either directly or via GPL. If no printed output is needed, you can split up the content project into feature projects and link them together in the online TOC.
as i understand, your main questions may be:
- handling different layouts for different customers (agencies): currently three and growing
- handling content for different target groups (manager, worker, guest)
- handling different output (printed doc, help and context sensitive help)
- Flare project structure (your working environment)
- master page (online)
- skin (online)
- page layouts (print)
- stylesheet (both)
Concerning the content/functions of the software, is the feature set the same for each agency and is the feature set of a target group independent of the agency? If i assume, that a target group can use the same function set independent of the related agency, you need three conditions to determine the different information for the target groups.
So the next question: are the pictures tailored for the agencies or for the different target groups of the agencies?
In the first case you need three additional conditions, in the latter case you need more. If you really need more than 6 conditions, another solution to this problem might be helpful, because the more conditions you have, the more complex your project becomes.
In the best case, a typical topic may contain information, that is visible for all target groups and 3 different pieces of information visible only for a specific target group. If there is also a picture in the topic, it is there three times: once for each agency.
Different outputs are handled via different TOCs and targets, connecting layout information and content into the selected format. At this state, you might have at least 6 targets in your project, one for online and one for print for each agency.
For the Flare project structure: there are different ideas to this:
- You can handle everything in one project.
- As i understand Dave, he would set up one content project and a (layout+generate) project for each agency.
- You can do it the other way round: create one layout project and one content project.
At the end, the layout information and the content needed for the printed output has to be in one project either directly or via GPL. If no printed output is needed, you can split up the content project into feature projects and link them together in the online TOC.
Regards,
_______________________________
Petra Thiemann
cognitas GmbH
München
_______________________________
Petra Thiemann
cognitas GmbH
München
Re: One HUGE topic or umpteen smaller projects - what to do?
Thank you everyone SO MUCH for your suggestions. I'm going to follow your advice for sure. It's one thing to learn the features of software...it's a whole different thing to put them all together in a logical procedure and be able to visualize it all.
I think it's just great that you people are there to answer questions and provide advice.
I don't feel nearly so 'alone' as I did yesterday.
Thanks heaps
Debbie
I think it's just great that you people are there to answer questions and provide advice.
I don't feel nearly so 'alone' as I did yesterday.
Thanks heaps
Debbie