EmployMentality

Here is a great reference from Idratherbewriting.com regarding how to open a minimized help window in a Flare project. It requires tweaking the default.js file. I’m sure I’ll need this information sometime soon, so I thought I’d send out props and get this linked – http://www.idratherbewriting.com/2009/01/08/flare-context-sensitive-help-%e2%80%93-focusing-the-minimized-help-window-back-on-top/

Flare is an online help creation tool by MadCap Software. Flare web projects generate output in XML and HTML, which can be edited in any regular text or HTML editor. We will detail how to add, edit, and remove content from a web-based run book using a text editor.

To begin, it is a good idea to have a grasp on the output structure architecture that is generated by Flare. A typical Flare help output will contain an HTML file as its starting point titled ApplicationHelp.htm. A good example of a Flare help system is the System100 online help which is available at http://www.system100.com/demo/help/ApplicationHelp.htm (which I also happened to author).

The ApplicationHelp.htm file, when opened in a web browser, will open the help system and pull in the needed stylesheet, web pages, XML, etc. The ApplicationHelp.htm file is located in the parent directory for the help system. In addition to the parent directory, three main subdirectories are found inside the parent directory. These three subdirectories are:

• Content
• Data
• Skin

We will cover these subdirectories later and help you understand their usefulness. For now, we should mention additional support files that are also contained within the parent directory, which include:

• Default.js
• Default.mcwebhelp
• Default.xml
• Default_CSH.htm
• Default_Left.htm

Deafult.js
This JavaScript file contains instructions related to the starting point/default topic of the help system. It also contains notes (which have been commented out in the code of this file) pertaining to the ID, Skin Name, Search Query and First Pick of the run book.

NOTE: If you rename the default/starting point of the help system, you must revise a line item in the Default.js file to match the new name. The specific line in question in the Default.js file is line number 54, which displays as:

var gHelpSystemName = “Default.htm”;

So if you were to rename the default starting point of a help system from Default.htm to index.htm, you would need to edit line number 54 of Default.js to read as follows:

var gHelpSystemName = “index.htm”;

Save your changes to the Default.js file.

Default.mcwebhelp
This is a MadCap WebHelp file which should not be edited.

Default.xml
This XML file contains instructions for setting the starting/default topic whenever the run book is first launched. It also specifies the location and file name for the Table of Contents, Index, Concepts, Glossary, Search Database, Alias, Synonyms, and Skin.

Default_CSH.htm
HTML file containing settings that should not be edited.

Default_Left.htm
This HTML file contains the code for the TOC which appears on the left side of the online help system and is used to navigate from topic to topic by clicking on individual TOC listings.

Now that we have introduced the various files in the parent directory, let’s turn our attention to the three subdirectories that were mentioned earlier:

Content Folder
The Content folder contains the HTML files of each of the individual topics of the help system. In addition to these HTML files, the Content directory contains Resources (Images and Stylesheets), SkinSupport (editable JavaScript files which support the help systems skin, and a Glossary file.

Data Folder
The Data folder contains files related to the Data in the help system. This data is used to build and display the help in a usable fashion. One such file located in the Data folder which is of importance is the Toc.xml file. You can make changes to the TOC (Table of Contents) of a help system by altering the Toc.xml file. We will cover revisions to the TOC in later topics.

Skin Folder
The Skin folder contains the files which are used for the Skin of the help system. A Skin defines the colors, fonts, and graphics involved in the presentation of the help system. In addition to the Skin directory, there are Skin related files contained within the Data and Content folders.

Up until a couple of years ago, if you wanted to create an online help system, you were likely to use RoboHelp. That has all changed now thanks to MadCap Flare. One of the nice things about Flare is that the output it creates is XML based. This means that once you have a Flare project or help system built, you can make revisions in a simple text editor.

The implications of this are profound. All you need is a basic online help system that was created in Flare to use as a starting point or template. From there you can do many things to create an entirely new help system, all without owning a license of Flare. There are certain features and hacks that are so time intensive that it would be worth it to just purchase the Flare license at some point (such as indexing a help system for search). But for basic functions, such as adding new topics, adjusting/reording the TOC, and turning various features on and off in the Flare help system, you can do all of this if you know what you are looking for.

This series of topics will go into various MadCap Flare Hacks, which will enable you to build a help system of your own without owning Flare. These articles will be useful for those that have a legacy help system but do not have access to Flare, and simply want to make basic updates and revisions to a help system.