Hi Callie,
My team has been using Flare with FM 7.2 for some time now. One thing I like about Flare is that it is very easy to use after you tell Flare which FM files to use, how to map styles from FM to online help, and what you want your help to look like. I can switch from CHM to WebHelp at basically the click of a mouse. Also, publishing files is very easy. However, Flare does have some issues that we still haven't figured out how to solve (and neither has MadCap, we've contacted them). We've had a few images mysteriously fail to appear in CHM files without knowing why. We've also had a few instances where conditional text would appear in the online help when it shouldn't. These instances have been rare but they do happen. Overall, I won't rave about Flare because it does have some issues; but, I will say that it is pretty good for what we use it for. Jon Harvey Manager, Desktop Documentation CambridgeSoft Corporation 100 CambridgePark Drive Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 588-9354 -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com] On Behalf Of Callie Bertsche Sent: Thursday, October 23, 2008 11:43 AM To: framers at lists.frameusers.com Subject: MadCap Flare Hi Framers, Due to frustration using ePublisher Pro and the coding learning curve of Mif2Go, we are seriously considering switching help generation software to MadCap Flare. I know I've generated chatter about this before, so I'm sorry if this feels repetitive; but can I get any more input from anyone who uses Flare with FrameMaker (7.2) to generate extensive single-sourced material? More words of caution or advice? I've evaluated the software to a fair extent and it seems capable; I'm really excited that it can generate help from the command line. But because it's a younger product, I would really value any more input from others who have taken the plunge. I generate thousands of pages into about 22 manuals and 3 online help bundles. Currently ePP 9.1, Frame 7.2, WebWorks help output. My primary concern in upgrading to the newer ePP was the glitch where it randomly skips filename markers in the output, leaving me without random pages that I need (I've heard that they've fixed it, but I've also heard that it didn't work for at least one user), as well as the glee that producing help from the command line would give me. Cheers, Callie _______________________________________________ You are currently subscribed to Framers as jharvey at cambridgesoft.com. Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com. To unsubscribe send a blank email to framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com or visit http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/jharvey%40cambridges oft.com Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.
