Frame vs. Flare for My Needs

Wed Feb 25 12:45:03 PST 2015

Have you given Mif2Go a try at converting your Frame docs to Word?You use it now for HTML, it will also handle Word conversions.
Dave Spreadbury 

     On Wednesday, February 25, 2015 2:23 PM, Kevin Ryan <kevin.ryan at systemsandsoftware.net> wrote:

Hi, I could use the advice of some Frame veterans on whether a switch from Frame to Flare might be a delusion-inspired wrong turn for me, or possibly the right way to go.   My company's primary documentation output is PDF user/training/reference guides authored on FrameMaker 7. Not the current Frame version, I know, but sufficient with our good templates to produce solid, professional-looking documents we're proud of. Other current deliverables include context-sensitive HTML topics produced via Mif2go and a limited number of "Process Assistance" MS Word topics.  These latter are a sort of MS-Word help equivalent that our customers can download from our application, edit if necessary, and even upload back into our application for others if they want to. I create Process Assistance MS-Word topics by cutting from Frame and pasting into Word, followed by manual reformatting (ouch).  Our customers (utilities) have been requesting another MS Word output:  Editable MS Word versions of our 20-300 page PDF manuals so that they can edit them for their own purposes (such as internal training).  Unfortunately, we've been unable to find a workable Frame-to-Word conversion process to this end.  I can do manual reformatting to Word in our short Process Assistance topics, but to do it on entire manuals would give me a nervous breakdown. So, with better MS-Word output generation as my primary goal, I've been considering a switch to Flare. Its capability to output in PDF, Word, and HTML seems as though it might ultimately streamline our processes. As I test Flare by my 30-day trial, though, I'm reminded of the many things FrameMaker does really well — things I might be losing if I made the switch:  For example, precise page layouts, complex graphics, robust tables. To its credit, Flare seems to offer output versatility, excellent documentation and support, and a lot of Marketing momentum.  Am I misguiding myself?  Barking up the wrong tree?   Thanks for any opinions or comments. Kevin RyanTechnical WriterSystems & Software, Inc.426 Industrial AvenueSuite 140Williston, VT 05495802.865.1170
 phone802.865.1171
 fax  
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