[Framers] Slightly OT: Standalone Robohelp 2017?

[tammyvb at spectrumwritingllc.com]

Hi All,

 

I have a new client who is currently developing .chm help using RH 7. They
want to go to HTML5 and get w/ the times. I have several questions about
this:

 

1.	Can projects that were .chms in RH7 somehow be brought in to RH 2017
to be updated?
2.	Is standalone Robohelp still as viable for producing OLH as it was
in the early 00s?
3.	Is file compare possible in RH 2017? I know it once was in older
versions but now?

 

I personally am pushing for either Flare or Adobe/ePub (and even less so
Adobe FM to RH output either with the built-in function in Adobe fM 12+, or
FM to integrated RH).  

 

Right now, the current writer is the RDS in the whole process where she
produces the OLH files, takes screen shots of the files that need editing,
manually marks up the files w/ stickies for her editors, and then
incorporates these edits, and then passes off the edited material again
marked up manually to her counterpart in Japan and they both produce their
OLH based on the edited/approved material and then pass of the .chms to the
developers to incorporate in to the Software project and then finally
release the SW. Yep . . .take a breath.

 

At a minimum, I want to be able to somehow get the old .chm projects in to a
new tool so that I don't have to retype everything and I want to be able to
have a way to visually mark where files have changed for both the SMEs and
my Japanese counterpart. (Yes, I want to suggest just going w/ a translation
company, but that is not an option as that would basically put the Japanese
author out of work and that would be an uncool thing to suggest as a new
consultant.)

 

For soooooooooooooooo many reasons, I am pushing Flare or Adobe/ePub (my
first choice), but as is my client's prerogative, they want to investigate
standalone RH 2017 first and go from there.

 

I am just really open to opinions, suggestions, comments, etc. about
standalone RH vs. another tool, keeping in mind all the issues that I want
to solve - not being the RDS in the project (with HTML5 the SW can go out
even before the OLH is done), the ability to provide hard-copy for edits (as
in a PDF to my SMEs and NOT sticky notes attached to screen grabs), the
ability to compare files (as w/ change bars in FM which can be carried over
in to the PDFs for editing), having a truly controllable development
interface (as in Flare's almost WYSIWYG or Adobe FM's true WYSIWYG to ePub
approach). . . 

 

I know standalone RH >>USED<< to own the market, but from what I have seen
over these past 5 years or more is not nearly as much - either Flare or
Adobe/ePub. The number of inquiries/recommendations I have seen for RH have
just plummeted.

 

Thank and TGIF,

 

TVB

 

 

Tammy Van Boening

Tammy dot vanboening at spectrumwritingllc dot com

www.spectrumwritingllc.com