Background:
My department uses FrameMaker 11, unstructured, and RoboHelp 10.
We do user's manuals in FrameMaker (one version for the US and one version for
the UK) as separate books; minimal use of variables and/or conditional text.
These docs are made available to customers as PDFs. I've used FM for 15+ years
and consider myself an average FM user, not a power user. I used to use
variables at a previous job, but my current job/co-workers don't use
variables/conditional text.
We do help files in RoboHelp, one help project for the US and one help project
for the UK.
There are many smaller/ancillary documents done in FM, InDesign, and or Word.
These docs are made available to customers as PDFs. I consider myself a
beginner/basic RoboHelp user. I use RoboHelp, but it is mostly editing content
and applying pre-existing styles, etc.
The powers-that-be don't see that the information is the same (or mostly the
same) between the help and the docs (I am trying to convince them that this is
the way it is). One issue that is *always* raised is that the docs have
pictures/screenshots/images and the help doesn't. There are also discussions
about using MindTouch to deliver information to customers; I don't know if that
means that we would stop using FM and RH.
Questions:
1. I know that we could (possibly) have one set of FM files that could be used
to provide a US document and a UK document. I don't know *where* to start to
make this happen. I don't have any authority to spend money and there is no
budget to pay for consulting. I am looking for free advice/suggestions where to
find out how to do this.
2. I believe we could either use our FM files to create help, or use our help
files to create docs. As with #1, I want to know where to learn how to do
this.
I'm not looking for theory/big picture ideas. I need some nuts-and-bolts,
how-to advice. At the very least, I want to show that we could gain some
efficiency if we stop maintaining one set of FM source files for the US and
another set for the UK.
I hope this makes sense.
Thank you for any and all suggestions!
Terri
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