Creating User Manuals for software and websites

[satiesh1186]

Hi,

I'm new to Framemaker. I was tasked to create user manuals, process documents, guides, SOPs for my company and they want to use framemaker to assist. I never used this software but I have most my documentations in Ms Word, Excel and Powerpoint, etc.

There are soooooo many features in framemaker and I dont know where to start, can someone please tell me the most frequently used features to assist me in these documentations? I am on a tight deadline, please help.

Thanks.

Satiesh

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

First thing is to get Publishing Fundamentals – Unstructured FM by Matt R. Sullivan & read through that “bible” of FM.

BTW – why would they want to use FM if you have no experience with it? Wouldn’t they expect you to get trained first?

[Art_Campbell1]

You're going to be more productive, more quickly, if you go to some

classes...

Art Campbell

art.campbell@gmail.com

"... In my opinion, there's nothing in this world beats a '52 Vincent and

a redheaded girl." -- Richard Thompson

No disclaimers apply.

DoD 358

I support www.TheGrotonLine.com, hyperlocal news for Groton MA.

On Fri, May 8, 2015 at 11:20 AM, Jeff_Coatsworth <forums_noreply@adobe.com>

[satiesh1186]

Hi Jeff,

Thank you for the suggestion, will get that book.

A consultant recommended that we use a flexible, world class software and recommended Framemaker. Training will start soon but the course outline seems like a lot of things you have to know and it might just confuse me, thats why I am asking from persons that created manuals,etc on Framemaker, what is the most frequent features they use, so I can research and apply that and begin creating the manuals.

Thanks.

Satiesh

[Jeff_Coatsworth]

That’s why I’d recommend buying & reading that book first – you can get it electronically too.

[FieryPantone]

There is no Normal style – style everything correctly, and do not use local overrides

Import graphics by reference – do not just paste them in and resize them (en passant, it's always good practice to resize graphics in a graphics editor rather than your publishing tool)

Autonumbering works – but knocking paragraphs down a level doesn't, unless you really jump in at the deep end and start with structured FM

Reusing chunks of information between documents works

Books (what Word has failed to imitate with the notorious 'Master Document') work – use small chapters and assemble/re-use them as required

Don't copy/paste from Word into FM unless you want to spend hours tidying up the results – paste special so you get just the text

Get the book, and have a lot of fun discovering an environment where you can concentrate on writing instead of worrying about the tool. Feel free to come back with any questions the book doesn't answer.