Webworks TOC doesn't generate from Frame 7.2

Why is this thread ongoing if the issue was resolved?

See post 21. This has been resolved for a long time. The poster solved the problem by using the TOC column on the mappings page. WWP 8 does not require a FrameMaker TOC. WWP 7 did. WWP 8 in WWP 7 mode does.

For WW 8 STD version-
1. If the TOC is not below Source+Generated Files, add it. T
2. Then do a Generate all.
3. Next right click on Source+generated Files and select mapping and click on the Output tab. The first entry is ...TOC.html. Under Current mapping click to gain access to dropdown options, select Frames TOC.

SIMPLE!

Hi,

FWIW, Quadralay's help for v6 was getting better, for v7 Pro was good, for v8 and 9 has been downhill. SE? I don't know. That is supported by Adobe, I am not sure what was invested in the documentation.

WWP SE, as I have said lots of times before, is for HTML export only. Really. Save As HTML has not been developed since 5.5 and it's only still around because a couple of big customers use it.

If you are creating online help from FM, WWP SE is not a great solution, really, truly, you need to get the full version of WWP. It might seem like a more costly adventure than the freebie version, but honestly it will save you money ON THE FIRST PROJECT.

Regards,

Sean

Alice:

More than one user of WebWorks Publisher Pro has observed that it sometimes seemed that Quadralay had intentionally crippled (or at least obscured) WWP's out-of-the-box usability and artificially limited its documentation as a way of persuading the less determined user to purchase pricey follow-on "custom" templates.

The same "custom" templates were also frequently recommended as the "solution" for non-trivial support issues, even (especially?) if a given issue was not one of product malfunction, per se, but rather one of simply getting the product to do useful work.

For what it's worth, for a bit longer than one month I've been transitioning my existing online help projects from the WWP format to the newer ePublisher Pro format.

The first piece of good news is that ePublisher Pro is a bit easier to decipher (at least for the straightforward HTML-based WebWorks Help projects I typically create) insofar as ePublisher uses standards-based concepts like CSS. This enables one to use knowledge from non-proprietary third-party sources when unraveling ePublisher problems.

The second piece of good news is that many of the user interface areas that were clumsily (or at least idiosyncratically) implemented in successive versions of WWP have been eliminated or at least streamlined in ePublisher Pro.

The bad news is that ePublisher Pro's documentation remains scanty, obliging the user to do some amount of spelunking either with the product itself or on available forums.

Long story short, ePublisher, like WWP before it, is a great way to export FrameMaker based source content in a variety of online formats. But like the early days of motoring or aviation, one must be willing to serve as one's own mechanic as well as driver or pilot

Cheers & hope this helps,
Riley

I'm glad someone else agrees. It's really annoying that they didn't bother to fully update their documentation. This is my first project with this product...I'm not overly thrilled with it.

When you read through the documentation for Webworks Standard Edition 7 and then 8, one sees that WebWorks did a poor job of online documentation. Some of the changes in 8 are missing in the help, things that are called out in 7 that have changed are still in 8, and editing user macros that WebWorks explains in both versions still can not be edited. For anyone first starting out using Webworks Standard Edition 8 better start looking for a friend.

Nice. So it is fixed! Very cool.

You are using WWP 8 SE, correct?

And, you were able to changet he values in the "In TOC" column on the mapping page?

WWP's GUI has always been a little obscure, and their documentation--even when appropriate for the version of the product--has also been a little less than it needs be.

Cheers,

Sean

Thank you!!! Sometimes you look at something so long you can't see what's in front of your face. I was missing the TOC column on the mappings page. I'd like to add that they should make it a little more obvious that that column is a drop down list. I now have a TOC page in my frame. Thanks!!!

Relax. No worries.

> Sean-WWeP Pro 9.0 for FrameMaker was released in late October 2005 and this date is from their Sales manager from an email directly to me

I said WWP 9 was a year old. Why do you take issue with this and focus on challenging it for a discrepancy of a month and a half? I beta tested WWeP Pro and that it was released earlier for Word than for FrameMaker. I brought this up to inform those interested in going to a WWP-specific list that because WWP 2003 (aka WWP8) is old and discontinued, discussion focuses mostly on WWP 9 now. If you can't get over the month-and-a-half discrepancy, consider focusing instead on the intent of my message, which is to say the WWP-Users list is a good resource for WWP users but be aware that SE and older versions of WWP are not so much the focus of the list.

>If you re-read my comments, I never talked about the full version of webworks 8 TOC mapping.

You said you had a subscription and received all the versions since 6. I was helping you out because it sounded as though you were unaware that WWP 2003 (aka WWP8) did not need the FM Toc file.

>So, who is this "Sharon" you keep talking about? How easy it is to forget Alice, she is the one we are trying to help.

Yeah, I misspoke. I tried to get the thread back to helping Alice. Checkout http://www.adobeforums.com/cgi-bin/webx?224@@ee6b2e1@.3bc1279f/17. Don't know where Sharon came from. But, it's okay. No worries.

>Also you said "to a contractor who has WWP 8 SE, the full version, so the mappings for the TOC are set up correctly." Which one are you suggesting?

I meant the full version. Hire someone with the full version to set up the DHTML template. Then, with SE, you can create content. I can see how this was confusing in context of the discussion, I hope this clarifies things for you.

>Qudralay does support the Standard Edition only when Adobe requests help.

If you, the customer, want support for WWP SE, you cannot go directly to Quadralay. Adobe supports WWP SE for the customer. Does that help clarify your understanding?

>Yes the freebe version of webworks is not context sensitive based on markers used in FrameMaker, however, if a programmer knows the html name of the file, and that file never is updated or rebuild (name may change), it will act as context sensitive help.

I don't know what you are referring to here. Yes, you can call HTML files by their name from an application. You can even use ANames. You can set this up with WWP SE, WWP Pro, Notepad, etc. This has nothing specifically do with WebWorks Help, if that's what you're on about. You can use this method with HTML-based help, including DHTML, Simple HTML, and WebWorks Help. WWP SE is also limited in the customizations you can do and the kinds of online help deliverable you can create. Using the full version of WWP will save you time, effort, and energy over using SE. I hope this helps clarify the issue for you.

>Yes, seems that each release of Webworks has had issues with previous templates what is the final help generated. One of the plus side to the new WWeP 9 is the ability to do online help from either a FrameMaker book or MS Word as long as you are willing to pay for the license. Like all software updates, there is a learning curve and incompatable issues.

Absolutely agreed. The best way to migrate to a new version of WWP has always been to start from scratch by developing your template and not by migrating old versions. Note that WWP 2003 (aka WWP8) was available for Microsoft Word as well as FrameMaker, provided you paid for the license, of course. Agreed, learning curves come with new software.

So, we agree. Let's now ignore each other and get back to the issues Alice asked about, sound fair?

Do we know what kind of help Alice is trying to create and whether she's using the Framestoc.asp?

Cheers,

Sean