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A
Anonymous
October 26, 2011
Answered

Can RoboHelp produce decent 508-compliant online help? When I try, TOC, IX, and Search look bad.

  • October 26, 2011
  • 2 replies
  • 2588 views

I have Windows 7 and RoboHelp 9. I take a large Word document and convert it to online help. The TOC, IX, and Search look bad. I contacted Adobe Support and so far they say that that's just what 508-compliant help is supposed to look like, although I keep going back to try to get different opinions. Specifically, the TOC entries are not expandable and collapsible, it just shows the whole thing. They don't show tabs. The index builds entries from heading numbers, like 2_1_1_Add_a_New_Outcome.htm. Search shows symbols and numbers, starting with ! 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11, and has no search box to enter a word to search for. Does anyone know if this is really the only 508-compliant help I can get from RoboHelp, please?

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Correct answer Captiv8r

Hi Tom

Sorry, I've had an incredibly taxing last couple of days and I overlooked your last question asking about WebWorks.

Unfortunately, I have no clue how WebWorks operates. Additionally, I'm not any sort of expert on Section 508 compliance. I have the "college level" understanding of it but no real life use to back that up. And seeing as how I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I can't claim to be an expert.

Perhaps another person here has knowledge of WebWorks and may speak to that. Or, you might ask in a different venue. Maybe WebWorks has their own forums? Or you could try asking on TECHWR-L or HATT.

http://www.techwr-l.com/archives/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HATT/

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

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2 replies

A
Anonymous
October 27, 2011

I'm new to online forums like this, so I hope I don't break the rules by citing another post, including the text of it, saying who posted, mentioning another company's software, or anything else. If so, please let me know.

Rick (Captiv8r), thanks very much for your excellent response. I now finally understand, and am almost ready to

mark it as answered, however I have another related question about Webworks, which I put at the bottom of this post.

The following other post I found by Rick (Captiv8r) was so informative that I include it all here:

http://forums.adobe.com/message/754356#754356

Hi marjoriem

First off, this option only applies to WebHelp output. HTML help (.CHM) output is not 508 compliant. FlashHelp isn't either.

Basically, you flag RoboHelp to generate a plainer version of WebHelp. No fancy Dynamic HTML used for the Table of Contents, Index, Search. No skins. All elements should be presented in a way that screen readers may more easily read to the visually impaired user which element is available or being moused over.

Some folks whine a bit and ask "Why does my help have to look 'ugly' in order to be 508 compliant?". And when you think about it, would the fancy visuals really be needed for a person that is blind or visually impaired?

You *can* sort of have your cake and eat it too. Basically, you generate WebHelp TWICE. You have one output that is 508 compliant and a second output that is skinned. Then you may either point the user to the appropriate output from the beginning, or offer a link within your skinned WebHelp that would open the 508 WebHelp.

Hope this helps a bit... Rick

It helps tremendously. Now my other question:

Is online help produced by Webworks truly 508-compliant? (That is, online help produced by Quadralay Webworks ePublisher Pro?) I believe they claim it is 508-compliant, but it has all the nice Index, Search, collapsible TOC, etc., that Adobe RoboHelp says is non-compliant. So Adobe RoboHelp and Quadralay Webworks appear to be contradicting each other. Who is right? I guess to simplify it down to one question:

Is online help produced by Webworks truly 508-compliant? Please let me know. Thanks! Tom


A
Anonymous
October 27, 2011

Maybe it's wrong to ask about Webworks in this Adobe Forum. Maybe what I want is really a cross-HAT (Help Authoring Tool) forum for Tech Writers.

It looks to me like RoboHelp and Webworks have two different philosophies of 508 compliance. RoboHelp might claim that Webworks is non-compliant because they have fancy: TOC, IX, Search, Skins, etc., the fanciness of which is not readable by a screen reader. Webworks might claim RoboHelp isn't 508 compliant because they don't test every image and table to make sure it has Alt text. So the whole question seems really quite complicated. Thanks for your very clear explanation of RoboHelp 508 compliance, because as a new user to RoboHelp it looked to me like it just wasn't working, and now I understand that it was.

Tom

Captiv8r
Captiv8rCorrect answer
Legend
October 28, 2011

Hi Tom

Sorry, I've had an incredibly taxing last couple of days and I overlooked your last question asking about WebWorks.

Unfortunately, I have no clue how WebWorks operates. Additionally, I'm not any sort of expert on Section 508 compliance. I have the "college level" understanding of it but no real life use to back that up. And seeing as how I didn't stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night, I can't claim to be an expert.

Perhaps another person here has knowledge of WebWorks and may speak to that. Or, you might ask in a different venue. Maybe WebWorks has their own forums? Or you could try asking on TECHWR-L or HATT.

http://www.techwr-l.com/archives/

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HATT/

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day!

Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training

SorcerStone Blog

RoboHelp eBooks

Captiv8r
Captiv8r
Legend
October 27, 2011

Welcome to our community

Sorry, but Section 508 help isn't pretty. It's not intended to be. It's designed to be compatible for folks that are visually impaired and using a Screen Reading application to interact with things. That's why the Index and Search are presented using an alphabet list. That way users may mouse over these areas and hear the Screen Reading application tell them what they are mousing over.

Cheers... Rick

Helpful and Handy Links

RoboHelp Wish Form/Bug Reporting Form

Begin learning RoboHelp HTML 7, 8 or 9 within the day!

Adobe Certified RoboHelp HTML Training

SorcerStone Blog

RoboHelp eBooks

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