Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM

2017-03-02 Thread Robert Lauriston 
Most developers expect API documentation in HTML format these days.

If you haven't done it before it may seem like a lot of overhead, but
in the long run putting API documentation in the code and generating
it automatically saves time and helps ensure accuracy.

Seriously, take a look at Document!X. It's mature, powerful, and easy
to use. http://www.innovasys.com/product/dx/features_vsnet

And it supports reuse: https://www.innovasys.com/help/dx/reusingcontent.html

On Thu, Mar 2, 2017 at 12:51 PM, cuc tu  wrote:
> Thank you for the suggestions.
>
>
> I looked at VSdocman with the developer. He has downloaded a trial version, 
> so it is not a product the company currently uses. It is also a plug-in to 
> VisualBasic IDE, which I do not have or use. His basic workflow is to click a 
> tool in VS provided by the installed plug-in, and then fill out a form with 
> fields for all of the content elements related to that one API. Much of this 
> is duplicate content or reused in various context, like creating a syntax 
> example. It looks quite cumbersome to use for anything extensive (estimating 
> ~1000 pg in PDF form, and ~250 pg developed so far).
>
>
> I will have to be looking at new tools as it seems the content revolution is 
> leaving FrameMaker. How are big companies really managing these workflows, 
> however? What is happening is the developers are finding tools to add user 
> content right into the source code, and then using utilities to provide full 
> content dumps to tech pubs to process into final deliverables. It's all 
> add-hoc and customized by each dev group. This is one developers solution to 
> supporting user documentation.
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Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM

2017-03-02 Thread cuc tu 
Thank you for the suggestions.


I looked at VSdocman with the developer. He has downloaded a trial version, so 
it is not a product the company currently uses. It is also a plug-in to 
VisualBasic IDE, which I do not have or use. His basic workflow is to click a 
tool in VS provided by the installed plug-in, and then fill out a form with 
fields for all of the content elements related to that one API. Much of this is 
duplicate content or reused in various context, like creating a syntax example. 
It looks quite cumbersome to use for anything extensive (estimating ~1000 pg in 
PDF form, and ~250 pg developed so far).


I will have to be looking at new tools as it seems the content revolution is 
leaving FrameMaker. How are big companies really managing these workflows, 
however? What is happening is the developers are finding tools to add user 
content right into the source code, and then using utilities to provide full 
content dumps to tech pubs to process into final deliverables. It's all add-hoc 
and customized by each dev group. This is one developers solution to supporting 
user documentation.


I should post my thoughts in another thread.


Thanks,

C

Message: 5
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2017 09:01:06 -0800
From: "Monique Semp" <monique.s...@earthlink.net>
To: <framers@lists.frameusers.com>
Subject: Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM
Message-ID: <5495A9F706E84A819133D344542E13AA@WQI1509Dell>
Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
reply-type=original

Just wondering why the need to convert to FrameMaker at all? Why not just
use VSdocman and create the appropriate output
(http://www.helixoft.com/vsdocman/examples.html)? It purports to create
Examples of Documentation Generated by 
VSdocman<http://www.helixoft.com/vsdocman/examples.html>
www.helixoft.com
Examples of Documentation Generated by VSdocman VSdocman is a Csharp and VB 
.NET code commenter and documentation generator. This is an example of a simple 
.NET class ...



HTML, CHM, PDF, XML, and more.

That would mean, of course, that the result would likely be strictly a
reference doc without much in the way of conceptual or task-focused info.
But it sounds like a reference is all that's being asked for.

-Monique

--

Message: 7
Date: Thu, 2 Mar 2017 11:20:05 -0800
From: Robert Lauriston <rob...@lauriston.com>
To: Monique Semp <monique.s...@earthlink.net>,   "An email list for
people using Adobe FrameMaker software."
    <framers@lists.frameusers.com>
Subject: Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM
Message-ID:
<can3yy4ascajdj5-nfg+cbsrhdtke9r3cafrgkx35drkdqm-...@mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8

I agree, if there's an API doc generator, using it would certainly be
my first choice. You might also take a look at Document!X.

That said, recent releases of FrameMaker reportedly do a much better
job of importing Word.


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Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM

2017-03-02 Thread Robert Lauriston 
I agree, if there's an API doc generator, using it would certainly be
my first choice. You might also take a look at Document!X.

That said, recent releases of FrameMaker reportedly do a much better
job of importing Word.


On Thu, Mar 2, 2017 at 9:01 AM, Monique Semp  wrote:
> Just wondering why the need to convert to FrameMaker at all? Why not just
> use VSdocman and create the appropriate output
> (http://www.helixoft.com/vsdocman/examples.html)? It purports to create
> HTML, CHM, PDF, XML, and more.
>
> That would mean, of course, that the result would likely be strictly a
> reference doc without much in the way of conceptual or task-focused info.
> But it sounds like a reference is all that's being asked for.
>
> -Monique
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>
> This message is from the Framers mailing list
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> Send messages to framers@lists.frameusers.com
> Visit the list's homepage at  http://www.frameusers.com
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Re: [Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM

2017-03-02 Thread Monique Semp 
Just wondering why the need to convert to FrameMaker at all? Why not just 
use VSdocman and create the appropriate output 
(http://www.helixoft.com/vsdocman/examples.html)? It purports to create 
HTML, CHM, PDF, XML, and more.


That would mean, of course, that the result would likely be strictly a 
reference doc without much in the way of conceptual or task-focused info. 
But it sounds like a reference is all that's being asked for.


-Monique 


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[Framers] VSdocman Outputs to FM

2017-03-02 Thread cuc tu 
Hi All,


A software team manager came to me asking for help creating an API manual. They 
had a specialized developer create about 200 API's and they need a manual in 
about a week. The developer has no time for documentation. My programming 
skills are very limited, but I have some light experience with VBA and 
programming microcontrollers in C ala the typical maker movement. I'm not a 
programmer, so the developer has to contribute something to the effort. He has 
used VSdocman to get a start and can give me Word, xml, or HTML.


Because of the situation, I expect I will have to invent content for these APIs 
(they all look like small void functions to me), so I need to find a way to 
minimize the time to get any of these output types into my unstructured Frame 
template. The only solution I can think of is to write a script to replace all 
of the XML or HTML tagging with MML markup and then import that into 
FrameMaker, embed, and carry on the old fashioned way.


I have not really learned structure, but the damn has burst I know... Note that 
I actually wrote my own structured application and set up a structured document 
once many years ago. I kept the folder and tried opening the book again and was 
presented with a dialog to select the structured app. Several new Frame 
installs and lots of fog ended that journey.


Thanks for any tips.


C
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