[Framers] Fwd: Managing Versions of documentation simultaneously

[Keith Soltys]

I think it would depend on how many simultaneous versions you have to
manage. I've done something similar in Frame where I had to keep three
different versions of a document from one set of source files - there were
different features for different roles, not versions per se, but the
problem was the same. I did it with conditions - the tricky part was where
I had overlapping information; for example, something applies to A and B
but not C and something else applies to B and C but not A. If memory
serves, I ended up with 14 separate conditionals because I also had
separate print an online formats to manage. It was doable, but very
finicky, and I wouldn't do it again if there were more than three major
variants. (This was before Frame came out with conditional expressions,
which might have simplified things a little, but it would still be
finicky).

I have not used it, but I have been told that DITA is a better solution
here; but I couldn't say whether structured Frame or something like Oxygen
with a back-end CMS would be better.

Regards
Keith

--
Keith Soltys
Senior Technical Writer
Architecture / Global Technology Services

T +1 416 947-4397


TMX | www.tmx.com <http://tmx.com/>


On Wed, May 2, 2018 at 12:54 PM, Robert Lauriston <robert at lauriston.com>
wrote:

> I switched to Paligo in part because it's very good at maintaining
> multiple versions and handling reuse across versions. It has an
> integrated CMS that handles that stuff.
>
> I presume that structured FrameMaker with a compatible CMS that
> supports reuse can do what I do with Paligo, but switching from
> structured to unstructured might be more work than migrating to
> Paligo, Author-it, or some other integrated system.
>
> Trying to do that with conditional text in unstructured FrameMaker
> would be a nightmare. What happens in a few years when you've
> accumulated five or ten versions?
>
> On Tue, May 1, 2018 at 10:52 PM, Caroline Tabach
> <caroline.tabach at gmail.com> wrote:
> > I have been asked what SW writing tool can manage versions.
> >
> > At first I thought "version control" like you have in Software, but I
> found
> > they meant maintaining multiple versions of the User guides at the same
> > time.
> >
> > For instance, even when SW version 4 is released we will still have to
> > update and maintain SW version 3, as features are added and developed.
> >
> > Some things in these versions are totally different, and some are the
> same
> > and need to be updated in the same way in both guides.
> >
> > I was asked if there is a magic writing tool that does this.
> >
> > I think we could use conditional text in FrameMaker to do this, but in
> the
> > end it is the writer who must set it up and manage it.
> >
> > Do other people encounter this scenario?
> > What do you do?
> _______________________________________________
>
> This message is from the Framers mailing list
>
> Send messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com
> Visit the list's homepage at  http://www.frameusers.com
> Archives located at http://www.mail-archive.com/
> framers%40lists.frameusers.com/
> Subscribe and unsubscribe at http://lists.frameusers.com/
> listinfo.cgi/framers-frameusers.com
> Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com
>

-- 

NOTICE OF CONFIDENTIALITYThis e-mail, including all materials contained in 
or attached to this e-mail, contains proprietary and confidential 
information solely for the internal use of the intended recipient. If you 
have received this email in error, please notify us immediately by return 
e-mail or otherwise and ensure that it is permanently deleted from your 
systems, and do not print, copy, distribute or read its contents.
AVIS DE 
CONFIDENTIALITÉLe présent courriel, y compris tous les documents qu'il 
contient ou qui y sont joints, renferme des renseignements exclusifs et 
confidentiels destinés uniquement à l'usage interne du destinataire prévu. 
Si vous avez reçu le présent courriel par erreur, veuillez nous aviser 
immédiatement, notamment par retour de courriel, et vous assurer qu'il est 
supprimé de façon permanente de vos systèmes; veuillez également vous 
abstenir d'imprimer, de copier, de distribuer ou de lire son contenu.