Mike HamiltonV.P. Product EvangelismMadCap Softwaremhamilton@madcapsoftware.com

MadCap Flare Overview

MadCap Software Concepts:

Topic-based Authoring

Multiple Source Publishing Limitations

Original DraftEmployee

Manual

Hourly Employee

Manual

Management Employee Manual

Management Manual London

Management Manual Paris

Hourly Manual London

Hourly Manual ParisX

Concepts

Topic-based authoringFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Topic-based authoring is a modular content creation approach (popular in the technical publications and documentation arenas) that supports XML content reuse, content management, and makes the dynamic assembly of personalized information possible.

A topic is a discrete piece of content that is about a specific subject, has an identifiable purpose, and can stand alone (does not need to be presented in context for the end-user to make sense of the content). Topics are also reusable. They can, when constructed properly (without reliance on other content for its meaning), be reused in any context anywhere needed.

Definitions

Topic-based authoringFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A topic is:• A discrete piece of content

• About a specific subject

• Has an identifiable purpose

• Can stand alone

Topics are reusable. They can be reused in any context anywhere needed.

Remember – Think Topics

Printing Reports

Using Container Objects

Saving reports

Creating Reports

About Schedule

s

Adding Users

Setting Permissi

ons

Deleting Users

Placing Objects About

Objects

About Users

Exporting

Objects

About Contain

ment

Customizing

Objects

About Program

ming

Objects and

Inheritance

Editing Reports

Containing Objects

Relating Objects

Importing

Reports

Setting Schedul

es

About Reports

Project

MadCap Software Concepts:

Single-source Publishing

Single Sourcing: Work FlowCreate Master

Source Files(Content)

Add Conditional

Tags/Variables(Customize)

Define Publishing

Targets(Output)

Generate 3

different Outputs

Target – Enterprise Mobile• Include: Enterprise info• Exclude: Standard info

Print Info• Define other specific attributes

Target – Standard Print • Include: Standard info Print info• Exclude: Enterprise info• Define other specific attributes

Target – Standard Browser Help • Include: Standard info• Exclude: Enterprise info

Print Info• Define other specific attributes

Standard

Enterprise

Print Only

MadCap Flare Workflow

Import

DITA

Microsoft Word

Adobe FrameMaker

HTML files

XHTML files

RoboHelp and other Help Projects

.CHM files

PublishPrint

PDFMicrosoft WordAdobe FrameMakerMicrosoft XPSMicrosoft DOCX

Web BrowserHTML5WebHelp

Mobile EPUBWebHelp Mobile (iPhone, Android, Windows Mobile, Blackberry)

Windows DesktopDotNet HelpHTML Help (.CHM)

OtherDITAXHTML Book

Create/Edit

Modularity

TopicsTopicsTopicsTopics

Target(The rules that

make a document unique)

CSS(Content look/feel)

Page Template

TOC(Topic

Organization)

PublishingUI Template

(for Web)

Questions?

Mike HamiltonV.P. Product EvangelismMadCap Softwaremhamilton@madcapsoftware.com

Thank you

Mike HamiltonV.P. Product EvangelismMadCap Softwaremhamilton@madcapsoftware.com

MadCap Flare

Live Demonstration

MadCap Software• Founded: 2005

• Location: La Jolla, CA

• Profitable

• Double digit YOY growth

• MadCap is the leading technical communication software firm specializing in content development, delivery and management

Industry Standard

• Largest Technical Writing Universities around the world now educate with MadCap Flare:

– Princeton University– San Francisco State University– Carnegie Mellon University– University of Washington– University of California San Francisco– University of Massachusetts– Karlsruhe University (Germany)– University of California Los Angeles– Towson University– Swinburne University (Australia) – And many more…

Thousands of Customers Worldwide…

Three Phases of Content

Source

Control

Source Content/ Topics

SharePoint

Review Content

SharePoint

Published Content

Storage on Local Machine

Advantages• Best performance

• Files always available

Disadvantages

• Difficult to share common files (logos, style sheets, etc.)

• Back up plan needs to be defined

Local Machine with Ext. ResourcesShared External Resources:• Flare projects on local machine

• Shared files/content on network

GraphicsGraphics TopicsTopics TemplatesTemplates

Storage on the Network

Network / Intranet

Storage in Source Control

Production (Authoring and Review)

SourceControl

SharePoint / NetworkGraphicsGraphics Build

Machine

Thank you

Thank you

• Top speed: 220 miles/hour• Annual budget: $470 Million Dollars• Staff: 500• Car designed/engineered by team

Formula 1 Racing

Thank you

Thank you

• Top speed: 220 miles/hour• Annual budget: $15 Million Dollars• Staff: 25• Car purchased by team

Indy Car Racing

Comparison

Formula 1• 20 x Larger Staff• 31 x More

Expensive• 1-2% Higher

Performance

Indy Car• Smaller Staff• Cost Effective• High Performance

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