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Importing a RoboHelp Project

The first step in developing a project after you launch Flare is to start a project. You can start a project in one of several ways:

• Create a new project from scratch
• Import a RoboHelp project
• Import an HTML Help project
• Create a project by importing Microsoft Word documents
• Create a project by importing Adobe FrameMaker documents
• Import a Flare project from source control
• Open an existing project

Following are the steps for creating a project by importing a RoboHelp project.

Note: For additional information, you can download the Transition from RoboHelp Guide:

madcapsoftware.com/support/files/documentation/FlareV4/FlareTransitionRHGuide.pdf

You can also work through the video tutorial Flare Compared with RoboHelp.

How to import a RoboHelp project

1. Select File>Import Project>Import (Non-Flare) Project.

   The Import Project Wizard opens.

2. Next to the Project file field, click to browse for and select the RoboHelp project file (MPJ or XPJ file) to be imported.
3. Click Next.
4. In the Project name field, type a name for the new Flare project that will be created after you import the RoboHelp project.
5. In the Project folder field, either accept the default location for the new project or click to browse for and select a folder.
6. Click Next.

7. (Optional) Select Convert all topics at once if you want Flare to immediately convert all of your topic files to XHTML.

   If you remove the check mark from the box, Flare imports the topic files as they are. When you try to open an imported topic in Flare, a message asks if you want to convert it to XML. Also, if this option is not selected, Flare will not import index keywords from the source files.

8. (Optional) Select Convert inline formatting to CSS styles if you want Flare to create new styles based on any "local" formatting that exists in the RoboHelp project files.

   example

   If you have applied bold and italic formatting to some text (without using a style), Flare will create a new style based on that formatting.

   Note: This may result in dozens of new style classes being generated in your project.

9. Click Next.
10. Select a language for the project, which is used for features such as spell checking.
11. Click Finish. A message tells you that the project was converted successfully and will be opened.
12. Click OK.

Note: If you create more than one Flare project and need to share some of the same files or content in those projects, it is useful to import linked files from a global project. This is called "Global Project Linking." See Global Project Linking—Importing Files from Other Projects.

  Best Practice: Use Global Project Linking.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The project is imported and a new Flare project is created. Now you can move on to any of the other basic steps:

• Step 2 - Add "Stuff" to the Project

• Step 3 - Make It Look Good

• Step 4 - Develop One or More Outputs

• Step 5 - Build the Final Output

• Step 6 - Distribute the Output to End Users

Note: You do not necessarily need to follow all of the above steps (and their substeps) in the exact order given. For example, as you add topics to a project (Step 2), you may want to start applying styles and formatting to them right away (Step 3), before adding other "stuff" to the project, such as a glossary (Step 2). However, the above sequence probably makes the most overall logical sense. For example, you must start a project before adding "stuff" (topics, content, cross-references, etc.) to it. And of course, you cannot distribute output to your end users (Step 6) until you build the final output (Step 5).

See Also

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