[Framers] [WTF ramemaker] Best Practices for HTML Online help

[Robert Lauriston]

Caroline said via email that FrameMaker does generate the map file
automatically. Is that true? The documentation explicitly says you
must create it with a text editor:

https://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/2019/using/using-framemaker-2019/WS2d2a17056e2191986533fc06144fd9afdc4-8000.html

On Tue, May 14, 2019 at 12:13 PM Robert Lauriston <robert at lauriston.com> wrote:
>
> Sure, it's technically possible, but automatically generating the map
> file is a basic feature of help authoring tools. Doing it manually in
> a text editor invites human error.
>
> The FrameMaker doc itself points to the RoboHelp "Information for
> Developers" section. That's the correct way to write help calls in
> applications.
>
> The help  calls you described in
> https://forums.adobe.com/thread/2314670 are a kludge and I would
> strongly recommend not doing that. At a previous job I had to rewrite
> hundreds of help calls in the source code because developers used a
> similar kludge, which by the time I took over the project a few years
> later had resulted in many broken links.
>
> On Tue, May 14, 2019 at 11:48 AM Caroline Tabach
> <caroline.tabach at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > I have made context sensitive help without RoboHelp. ...
> >
> > On Tue, 14 May 2019, 20:58 Robert Lauriston, <robert at lauriston.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Looks like having both FrameMaker and RoboHelp (i.e. Adobe Technical
> > > Communication Suite) is essential for publishing context-sensitive
> > > help.
> > >
> > > RoboHelp can generate the map file from the TopicAlias markers:
> > >
> > >
> > > https://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/2017/robohtml/#t=book%2Frob_createhelp_ch%2FManaging_map_files-.htm%23TOC_Export_a_map_filebc-3&rhtocid=_10_2_1_2
> > >
> > > FrameMaker multi-channel publishing requires you to maintain the map
> > > file manually in a text editor, which is insane:
> > >
> > >
> > > https://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/2019/using/using-framemaker-2019/WS2d2a17056e2191986533fc06144fd9afdc4-8000.html
> > >
> > > On Tue, May 14, 2019 at 9:58 AM Robert Lauriston <robert at lauriston.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Since you're posting this on the Framers list, I presume you're using
> > > > FrameMaker.
> > > >
> > > > Its "multi-channel publishing" feature is a subset of RoboHelp. You
> > > > probably want to choose Responsive HTML. Do not choose Microsoft HTML
> > > > Help.
> > > >
> > > > Alternatively, link the FrameMaker source to RoboHelp, and you'll have
> > > > the full RoboHelp feature set. In that case, you might choose WebHelp
> > > > over Responsive HTML. Look at both.
> > > >
> > > > On the FrameMaker side, define the target topics using TopicAlias
> > > > markers. That's covered in the FrameMaker user guide.
> > > >
> > > > On the app side, you can find detailed information on CSH calls in the
> > > > "Information for Developers" section of "Context-sensitive help"
> > > > chapger of the RoboHelp user guide.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > https://help.adobe.com/en_US/robohelp/2017/robohtml/#t=book%2Frob_createhelp_ch%2FInformation_for_developers-.htm
> > > >
> > > > *** You want to create and maintain the map file and provide it to the
> > > > developers, not vice-versa. ***
> > > >
> > > > You do not need a separate target topic for every application context.
> > > > Many application contexts can point to the same help topic.
> > > >
> > > > Be sure that the developers implement a default help topic to open
> > > > when a context is unmapped or the map is wrong.
> > > >
> > > > On Tue, May 14, 2019 at 7:44 AM Art Campbell <art.campbell at gmail.com>
> > > wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > My company is developing a new browser-based software package that is
> > > specced to include screen-level context sensitive help.
> > > > >
> > > > > The coders haven't done this before and are asking for
> > > help/assistance/advice on developing the coding standard for this and other
> > > products going forward.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'm thinking the basics are the basics -- a call in the program goes
> > > to a mapping table that invokes the HTML help screen in a new tab/window or
> > > a popup.
> > > > >
> > > > > What I'm looking for feedback / ideas on are a good method to call
> > > Help from the application (icon/keystroke/widget), and any Best Practices
> > > that people are already using, either on the coding or information
> > > development side.