Adobe Community Help Client (CHC) is the Help viewer that comes with Adobe products. When you press F1 from an Adobe product or launch Help from the Help menu, Help topics are displayed in CHC. CHC provides powerful search capabilities, in both online mode and offline mode. However, if you’re used to searching using browsers when online and in PDFs when offline, you might find the unified online/offline experience of CHC a little overwhelming.

Tip: Make sure you click the arrow button to the left of Search Options to view and configure the search options.

Online and Local are the two top-level search locations that CHC provides. The default is Online. After selecting Online or Local, you have the option to filter results further.

*Needless to say that you need to be connected to the Internet to search online*

When you search online, the search need not be limited to the product Help. For example, if you select All or Adobe.com, you will likely find relevant content created by experts from the Adobe community.

Search all content

To search all relevant content posted on adobe.com and curated from outside adobe.com:

1. Select the product in CHC.
2. Set Search Location as Online.
3. Select Filter Results as All.
4. Enter the search term in the search box, and press Enter to view the results.

CHC then searches not only the product’s Help pages, but also knowledgebase articles, Developer Center articles as well as the most relevant content created by experts from the Adobe user community, and then displays the results.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term Using Templates, searched using the product selected as FrameMaker and the Filter Results drop-down option set to All.

To exclude content from outside adobe.com, select Adobe.com from the Filter Results drop-down list. The results include Help pages, Developer Center articles, knowledgebase articles, videos, and other relevant content pieces posted on adobe.com.

Info: The content posted on adobe.com includes valuable user contributions.

Search within a product’s documentation

CHC provides easy ways of restricting search to a product’s Help in both online and offline (Local or PDF) modes.

Search within a product’s documentation in online mode

Searching in online mode helps you automatically search within the latest copy of the product’s documentation.

1. In CHC, select the product. For example, FrameMaker 10.
2. Set Search Location as Online.
3. Select the Adobe reference only option.
4. Enter your search term in the search box and press Enter.

CHC then searches within the product’s Help pages and displays the results.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term – Display Master Pages, searched using the Adobe reference only option.

The disadvantage of using the Adobe reference only option is that it searches only within the product’s Help pages. Knowledgebase articles, Developer Center articles as well as the valuable content contributed by experts from the Adobe user community are NOT searched.

Search within a product’s documentation in offline mode

1. In CHC, select the product for which the documentation needs to be searched. For example, FrameMaker 10.
2. To search within FrameMaker 10 Help, you can do one of the following:

• a. Set the Search Location as Local and select the appropriate document to be searched from the Filter Results drop down. Enter the search term in the search box, and press Enter to view the results.
• b. Open the product’s Help by clicking the View Help PDF link. When the PDF is open, you can search using the search capabilities of Adobe Reader.

The following screenshot displays the search results for the search term Display Master Pages with Search Location set to Local and the Using FrameMaker 10 guide selected from the Filter Results drop-down list (method (a)):

The disadvantage of method (a) is that you may not have the latest copy of the documentation on your system.

By default, CHC is set to notify you when updates are available, and gives you a chance to install those updates.

Updating the local copy of the documentation

To manually update your local copy of the documentation:

1. Click Edit > Preferences
2. Click Updater Settings and then click Manage Now. CHC displays the latest updates.
3. Select an update from the list and click Update.
4. Click Done to close the updater when updates have finished installing.

Related article: Search capabilities in the Adobe Community Help Client.

Since long, authors have faced the dilemma of whether to focus on extensive keyword research or create killer content that benefits users.

Keyword research helps identify the most relevant user queries about your subject. However, to create unique content you must focus on user needs and think up ways to present relevant content in a unique fashion. Keyword research can at best provide a framework to devise content strategy.

There is no prescribed formula to create unique content. You should be a subject specialist. You should also have the ability to astutely understand user needs and write great content.

Notwithstanding these abilities, adopting specific content strategies may help create unique content.

Here are some strategies that might be useful:

• Provide new information or concept that is important to readers: Provide a brand-new piece of information that never existed before. For example, talk about new product features, for example the cool new Adobe Illustrator feature that lets you trace artwork. Talk of a revolutionary concept that redefined your product roadmap. For example, talk about the concept of Clipping Masks in Adobe Illustrator.
• Suggest a unique approach to address a burning user issue: Guide readers through a new technique, approach, or workaround that hasn’t been explored before. Suggest a new workflow that solves a longstanding user problem, for example a workflow to adjust path segments in Adobe Illustrator.
• Augment pre-existing information by adding more value and personal flavor: Add value to a piece of information that is already available. Provide your own inputs based on your subject knowledge and experience. For example, describe how Adobe® RoboHelp® report titles map with the latest RoboHelp report titles.
• Provide your perspective on a controversial or complicated topic: Introduce a thought provoking dimension to the topic. However, avoid getting too involved into a debate (for obvious reasons).   
• Broach a controversial topic to spark a debate: Write a blog or article on a controversial topic that provides the platform for other people to debate amongst themselves. In this way, you can steer clear from the controversy. However, you can still be a neutral observer and moderate when specific comments get acerbic. 
• Describe your unique experiences: Narrate your unique experiences with a product or feature. Describe capabilities/pitfalls in the product or feature you discovered when trying to accomplish a task using the product. For example, explain how users can manage Adobe® RoboHelp® Server contexts for different documentation sets.
• Present your own analysis of a subject or data: Present your unique analysis of data that commonly available about a subject or event. Highlight insightful details to create maximum impact.
• Answer frequently asked questions: Prepare a list of frequently asked questions about a product or feature. Provide answers in your own words to best satisfy user queries. Effective query resolution helps you gain the confidence of users who might later refer your content to others.    

Above all, the key to creating unique content is the genuine intent to help users without expecting anything in return. If you continue to create original content that is of substantial value to users, they will become your loyal followers. They will recommend your content to others, which helps you build an impressive reputation.

Many users, especially new users trying to get up-to-speed with RoboHelp, find it easy to learn by watching videos. Those users now have a reason to cheer. We now have a RoboHelp channel on Adobe TV. Currently, 12 videos created by David Rivers for lynda.com are available on that page. Topics covered are for two commonly used workflows: creating and generating webHelp and generating printed documentation.

To help you watch these videos from within RoboHelp online Help, we have embedded them on the relevant Help pages. Some videos found on youtube have also been embedded in related Help topics. Let us know if you find the videos useful.

Adobe FrameMaker help now has embedded videos. How do you like these videos in the help pages? Do they add value to the content? Please give your feedback in the help pages.

1. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WSb614a57911cb716533d97de012934e18ada-7ff8.html
2. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/using/WSD1708FB3-2FAB-4230-864A-9F00E2B6BD2F.html
3. http://help.adobe.com/en_US/FrameMaker/9.0/Using/WS2526FE8F-4A7F-4f1a-A4EE-6491DD4D47C4.html

How to give feedback:

You can give feedback either by selecting a radio button and entering an anonymous comment (under the topic title):

Or you can sign in to rate the page and leave feedback with your name/contact details (link located at the bottom of the page):

Your feedback helps us deliver you better help.

The much-awaited FrameMaker ExtendScript documentation set is now available. The documentation set is enhanced using the value-add feedback from the Adobe customers and partners, including Michael Mueller-Hillebrand and Ian Proudfoot.

1. OMV.xml:  The latest OMV.xml file and directions on how to install it on your system are available at: http://www.adobe.com/devnet/framemaker/articles/10.html
2. PDF documentation:  The PDF documentation is available at: http://help.adobe.com/en_US/framemaker/scripting/framemaker_10_scripting.pdf

What is ExtendScript?

ExtendScript is an extended implementation of JavaScript that provides a scripting interface for FrameMaker and many other Adobe applications. For more information on ExtendScript, see JavaScript Tools Guide.

Is ExtendScript difficult to learn?

ExtendScript is easy to learn. If you are familiar with FDK or a scripting language, especially JavaScript, you can immediately use ExtendScript.

What are some of the highlights of the ExtendScript Documentation?

1. A comparison of FDK and ExtendScript to help people with prior FDK experience to learn ExtendScript faster
2. Single source help information that replicates the ExtendScript data model and presents information in the same structure
3. Explains properties in a class and provides links to all the methods in the class

What does the latest ExtendScript documentation include?

The ExtendScript documentation release includes enhancements based on the valuable feedback from the customers and partners. The documentation is single-sourced into two outputs:

1. The Object Model Viewer replicates the object hierarchy of ExtendScript and presents the information in the same structure with clickable classes, properties, and methods. When you select a class, OMV displays the properties and methods. You can click the property and method names to display their details.
2. The PDF document of ExtendScript has the following structure and information:

In RoboHelp 9, the WebHelp and FlashHelp SSLs got a new general setting called Title Bar. Predictably, the setting lets you specify the title you want to display in the title bar. What is not so predictable is the power of this small setting (unless, of course, you’re a real-life RoboHelp user generating multiple Help systems from the same source day in and day out).

I realized the power of the Title Bar field when I came across this post on the RoboHelp forum:

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/670266

Let’s see the problem user kmaddox1 was facing:

I’m trying to generate several WebHelp systems from a single RH8 project. So far it’s working okay, but I can’t figure out how to control the titles used for the browser tabs (see below, which shows the same title being used for two different help systems). It appears that the text defaults to the name of my project, which means that all of my WebHelp systems share the same title, regardless of which conditional build expression and variable set I specify when generating the output.

Is there a way to use customize the title used here? (For example, is there a way to simply use the name of my WebHelp single source output here instead of the project name?)

This is the snapshot the user posted (highlighters added by me):

Multiple Help systems generated from a project have the same text in the title bar (project title) in RoboHelp 8

Now look at the solutions proposed by the moderator (these are the solutions that are possible in RoboHelp 8):

Unfortunately any way you slice it you are in for an extra task or two. That’s why I strongly recommend that you complete the Wish Form to remind Adobe this is a needed feature. (link for visiting the Wish Form is in my sig line)

Well, you could repeatedly click File > Project Settings and always change what you see there.

But that’s a bit icky and prone to forgetting to do it.

Probably your best bet is to simply amend the WebHelp start page once you finish generating. Just edit the page using something like Windows Notepad. Amend the line you see below:

Once you amend the line, close and save the file. You should then find the tab reads what you want.

Note: I removed the snapshots from the moderator response. RoboHelp 8 users: Please see the forum thread if you need more help with the solution.

Solution in RoboHelp 9: New Title Bar option in WebHelp and FlashHelp SSL properties

Simple: If you need to generate several WebHelp or FlashHelp systems from a single project, create the SSLs for each system and specify a unique title in the Title Bar option:

Specify a title for each Help system in the Title Bar field | RoboHelp 9

If you’re planning to create PDFs for review using RoboHelp 9, here’s a quick tip that will help you control the order of topics in the PDF. By default, RoboHelp uses the order of topics in the Project Files folder while creating the PDF. This is the same order that you see in the Create PDF for Review dialog box.

Topic order is as per the order in Project Files and not the TOC

The important point to remember here is that RoboHelp does not use the order of topics in the TOC. So before you create a PDF for review, make sure that the Project Files folder displays the topics in the order in which you want reviewers to view or read the topics. If required, rearrange the topics by drag-and-drop. An extra step but worth the trouble as the results are exactly what you want.

Prolog

The guided-tour like authoring experience of FrameMaker just got even better. In addition to the structured view, element catalog, and view elements as tags, FrameMaker 10 displays element descriptions next to the element names in the element catalog. This article introduces Element Descriptions and illustrates how you can port additional text/help that appears next to the elements in FrameMaker for writers, resulting in savings in the cost and effort involved in training new writers.

Element Descriptions

FrameMaker 10 further simplifies structured authoring by displaying description of the various elements next to the elements.

You can edit the element descriptions to provide contextual, element-level help to your authors. A good, thorough implementation of these descriptions can save you time, effort, and money and will be especially useful for the new authors in the team. You can do this with a fraction of the cost and effort of having to train new writers about the vocabulary (i.e. elements) of your structured applications.

The process to insert/edit element descriptions

Using the DITA 1.2 task template as example, the following steps illustrate how you can augment the textual descriptions of your templates to simplify the task of using structure even further.

Step 1: Export the element definitions of your template as an EDD.

1.       Open the relevant structured template .fm file and select StrutureTools > Export Element Catalog as EDD. (See structapps.fm for the name and location of the template file.)

FrameMaker creates a new document as an EDD that includes the structure and the elements of the template.

2.       Save this document.

Step 2: Add/Edit the Descriptive Text element in the EDD.

1.       In the EDD, locate the element tag in the EDD that you want to edit.

2.       After the “Container” tag in the relevant element tag, insert the DescriptiveTag element and type in a description relevant to the element. If the DescriptiveTag element is already present, you can edit the description.

Step 3: Import element definitions to the template from the EDD.

• In the structured template, select File > Import > Element Definitions.

The element descriptions you typed into the EDD are now in template. Now when you create a new document based on the updated template, you see the element descriptions next to the elements in the Element Catalog. The figure below displays the edited descriptions of the elements prolog, related-links, shortdesc, task, and taskbody.

Over time, edit the descriptions recursively to address the doubts and frequently asked questions of your writers for various elements.

If you haven’t already caught the wind, Adobe Captivate Getting Started is a multimedia series of articles, tutorials, and instructional videos that put you on the path to accelerated Cp learning. The series includes:

• 100 short articles/tutorials that would help you get started with Adobe Captivate features
• 30+ videos and demonstration that explain the procedures to perform the tasks

Yup, we didn’t mistype those numbers — 100 and 30!

The Getting Started series is workflow-based. You, the user, are guided step-by-step to create and publish projects using Cp. The workflows are categorized as Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced, keeping in mind users at different skill levels.

For example, a Basic user is presented with a simple workflow with four quick steps to create a sample demo. An Advanced user begins a notch higher — learning how to design and set-up a video-publication process, and then creating final, professional-quality video output.

Wondering where to begin? Use the table below to determine your existing expertise level and jump right in.

So, get started right away!

If you know other resources that will help, add the links as comments below.

If you want to:

• Remove options to edit template components, from an author’s FrameMaker installation.

• Personalize the existing FrameMaker menus by rearranging commands on menus or moving out a sub-menu command that you use frequently.

• Shorten FrameMaker menus by removing distracting (for you) options.

… then read on.

Let’s add menus first and then understand how to create them. Here’s something that you can try out:

Caution: Settings (flags) in the maker.ini file impact how your FrameMaker works. Be sure of what you edit, lest your destabilize your FrameMaker environment. Make a copy of the maker.ini file. Restore it back, if need be.

1. Download and extract this zip file containing the configuration file.
2. Place the configuration file (cc.cfg) in the path ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\AdobeFrameMaker10\fminit\configui\’ or a similar path in your Program Files folder.
3. Open in Notepad, the maker.ini file from the path ‘C:\Program Files (x86)\Adobe\AdobeFrameMaker10\’ or a similar path in your Program Files folder.
4. Change the value of the parameter ‘ConfigCustomUIFile’ to ‘fminit\configui\cc.cfg’.
5. Save and close the maker.ini file. Restart FrameMaker.
6. Notice the drop-down menus called CC and Paratags appear in the main menu bar (as seen below). They contain common commands (hence the name CC) and all the paragraph tags available in an open document.

My custom menus in FrameMaker

Open the configuration (cc.cfg) file in Notepad and read through the instructions, comparing them to what you see in FrameMaker UI.

Want to know about how to write the configuration file? Read this (PDF) document about customizing FrameMaker.

Do share your use cases and experience in the comments section below.