Documentation for RoboHelp Server 8

[Guest]

The site is behind a version. Is it the same as 7? I know there is one accompanying the exe installation, but I do not have access to a server yet. I am trying to write a business case and to show a proof of concept in a sandbox environment.

Thank you.

JC

[Peter Grainge]

Can you clarify what you are asking?

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge

[Guest]

User Guide, Installation Guide, Configuration Guide, Feature Guide, Administration Guide for  RoboHelp Server 8.  I would like to review the documentation to see if it meets the needs I am looking for.

Thank you.

JCoria

[RoboColum_n_]

Try googling "RoboHelp 8 Server". You'll find loads of documentation. You could also look through my RoboColum(n) blog.

[Guest]

There is a unclear statement on the RoboHelp Server 8 page..or it is misleading..does it or does it not support the browser based AIR format?  Or is it just flash help pro/web help pro?

I am trying to work with these tools..but coming from Flare/Feedback Server..I may push for the conversion to madcap...

jC

[johndaigle]

Hi. jCoria.

I just looked at the main product page you are referring to. There is a separate heading titled, "Did you know?" This section is meant to introduce other products including Adobe's Technical Communication Suite of which RoboHelp Server 8 is not a part. I agree that the inclusion of Adobe AIR on that page is confusing, though I would not say misleading, if you follow the links provided. From that same page it is mentioned that RH Server 8 supports both WebHelp Pro and FlashHelp Pro as output. It does not support the browser-based AIR Help at this time as I understand it.

I am not an Adobe employee but I can say that as an instructor/consultant I have taught three RoboHelp classes in the past four weeks for major firms where we also installed Adobe RoboHelp Server 8. Two of those clients had previously used the old RoboEngine (the old eHelp/Macromedia version of the server.) The installations went smoothly and the IT people were very happy to see that the new RH Server 8 does not require the IIS server and .NET Framework as in the past (though it is supported if that is desired). I don't use Madcap's Feedback Server, but my understanding is that it  does require IIS.

The new Java-based RoboHelp Server 8 uses the free and open-source Apache Tomcat Server with Apache's powerful Lucene Search engine. I found it to be very easy to install and configure. This is the first iteration of the Java-based application and at first I found the documentation to be limited. This is because there are many network architectures and platform technologies that are used around the world. The initial  documentation did not cover all combinations. However, there have been many  improvements since the initial release. I also found Adobe engineers were most helpful in answering my questions where I hit a gap in the documentation. For example, there has been valuable information on this forum offered by Adobe engineer Tulika Garg along with our peers on this forum including the excellent blog offered by Colum McAndrew.

Another major benefit of this new version is enormous flexibility in restricting access to content. So the author can set up what are called "Areas" which can either be unprotected as normal or set up as protected which requires authentication. It's like having separate websites on the same server without having to buy licenses for each.

Regarding your comment about coming from a Flare environment, I would mention that I have a Flare-to-RoboHelp project converter which you may find useful. It is free and available on my website.

Thanks

John

John Daigle
Adobe Certified RoboHelp and Captivate Instructor
Evergreen, Colorado
http://www.showmethedemo.com

[Peter Grainge]

It is not a case of RH Server 8 supporting browser based AIR Help. Like WebHelp and FlashHelp, you simply do not need RH Server for browser based AIR Help.

This is a user to user forum so you are not talking to Adobe.

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See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge