An introduction to Adobe RoboHelp, Adobe Captivate and Adobe FrameMaker... and how these three powerhouse applications integrate during this step-by-step workbook...

"Introduction to Adobe's Technical Communication Suite Version 2" Workbook

The Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2 (TCS2) is a complete solution for authoring, managing and publishing technical information and training content in multiple formats and languages. The suite combines several powerful programs:

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FrameMaker 9
RoboHelp 8
Captivate 4
Photoshop CS4
Acrobat 9 Pro Extended
Presenter 7

This book will introduce you to what I consider to be the top 3 programs in the suite: FrameMaker, RoboHelp and Captivate and teach you how they work together.

Why is the Technical Communication Suite so cool? You can author your technical content in Adobe FrameMaker (instead of Microsoft Word) and, rather than import the FrameMaker content into Adobe RoboHelp, you can link the FrameMaker content into a RoboHelp project by reference. Once linked together, the RoboHelp project and FrameMaker document(s) communicate with each other. All you’d need to do to update both your FrameMaker and RoboHelp content is make changes in FrameMaker and, back in RoboHelp, perform an Update.

You can also import Adobe Captivate projects into the FrameMaker document. If you create a PDF out of the print document, the interactivity is retained, making your PDF highly interactive. And of course, since the suite applications are integrated, you can edit the imported Captivate project from within FrameMaker, make changes in Captivate and, when you exit Captivate, the edited project is republished and updated in FrameMaker.

Note: To complete the lessons presented in this book, you will need the following software and hardware: Adobe Technical Communication Suite, Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, Microsoft® Windows Vista® or Windows® XP with Service Pack 2 or higher, 1GB of RAM (2GB recommended), 3.4GB of available hard-disk space, DVD-ROM drive, 1,024x768 screen resolution and for some 3D features in Adobe® Acrobat® 9 Pro Extended: a video card with pixel shader support and Microsoft DirectX 8.1 or 9 for video hardware acceleration (recommended for optimal performance).

The versions of FrameMaker 9 and RoboHelp 8 in the Technical Communication Suite 2 are enhanced versions that can only be found in the Suite. The enhanced versions facilitate deeper integration between FrameMaker 9 and RoboHelp 8. Adobe's Technical Communication Suite 2 does not come with this book. The suite can be purchased directly from Adobe.

This book includes the following lessons:

Introducing the Adobe Technical Communication Suite

What Is the Technical Communication Suite?
The Technical Production Lines
Redundancy: A Major Frustration
The Technical Communication Suite Workflow

Adobe RoboHelp 8

Generate FlashHelp
Create a Blank Project
Import an HTML File
Import a Word Document
Import a FrameMaker File
Rename Topic Titles
Project Structure
Create Project Folders
Auto-Create a TOC

RoboHelp and Cascading Style Sheets

Apply a Style Sheet to a Topic
Apply Styles to Selected Paragraphs
Create a New Style Sheet
Create a Font Set
Use Spell Check
Find and Replace Text

Adobe Captivate 4

Introducing Captivate
Resolution and Recording Size
The Development Process
Rehearse a Script
Set Recording Prefs and Keys
Record a Demonstration
Record a Custom Simulation
Insert and Edit Text Captions
Change Text Caption Properties
View the Timeline
Change a Slide’s Display Time
Change Timeline View Settings
Use the Timeline to Set Text Caption Display Times
Edit a Slide and Object Display Times
Insert a Text Button
Set a Button’s Options
Apply a Skin
Edit and Save a Skin
Delete a Skin
Add a Loading Screen
Publish a Flash (SWF)

Adobe FrameMaker 9

Set the FrameMaker Interface
Load Workspaces
Customize a Workspace
Explore a FrameMaker Book
Explore FrameMaker’s Numbering Power
Update and Generate a Book
Create a New FrameMaker Document
Import Text
Change Document Layout Settings
Edit an Existing Format
Change the Side Head Pagination
Create an Autonumber Format
Create a Series Label
Add Text to a Master Page Header
Add Running Headers
Add Graphics to a Master
Working With Word Documents

FrameMaker Books and Indexes

Create a New Book
Add a File to a Book
Rearrange Book Files
Update Book File Numbering
Create a Table of Contents
Import File Formats
Update Reference Pages
Indexes
Mark Words for the Index
Add an Index File

Integration

Publish a Captivate Project
Import a SWF Into FrameMaker
Edit a Captivate Project Via FrameMaker
Create an Interactive PDF
Create a New RoboHelp Project
Attach a CSS to a Topic
Link a FrameMaker Book Into a RoboHelp Project
Edit the FrameMaker Conversion Settings
Exclude Content
Edit FrameMaker Content
Add an Associated TOC and Index
Assign a TOC and Index to a RoboHelp Layout
Create Cross-References

Note: This book covers Adobe’s Technical Communication Suite 2, not TCS version 1. If you have the older Technical Communication Suite, this book will not work for you. Instead, you should use our Integrating Adobe's Technical Communication Suite book which was published back in 2007.

Book Specifications:

ISBN: 1932733329 | Spiral Bound | 196 pages | Page Size, 8 1/2 x 11 inches
Retail Price: $35.00