MadCap Flare

Authoring and Publishing for Print, Online, Desktop and Mobile Documentation

MadCap Flare is the professional content authoring tool used by technical writers and documentation specialists to create, manage, and publish content for both print and online documentation. Whether used to create content for complex digital print publishing (PDF) or online Help systems (WebHelp and WebHelp Mobile).

Product Demo Video

Why Flare?

Key Features

What's New

  • Leverage Existing Content

    Like many authors and organizations, you need to leverage hundreds and even thousands of existing documents created using other products. Flare's import process makes it easy to migrate a wide range of file types into your new XML-based authoring environment. Migrate legacy content from Adobe® RoboHelp™, Adobe® FrameMaker®, Microsoft® Word™, .CHM, DITA and many more. No coding knowledge or special skills required.

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    To get the most out of your existing content and to make the transition as smooth as possible, MadCap has created support guides to help users get started.

    Understanding the Difference: Topic-based Authoring with MadCap Flare

    MadCap Flare utilizes topic-based authoring, rather than the chapter-based format of FrameMaker®. A Flare project typically will have more topics than chapters -- and understanding this difference should help you during import. If you are working with legacy files you did not author, it will be worth it to spend some time to familiarize yourself with the project.

    Importing Best Practices

    More than 30 best-practice conversion topics are discussed in the support guide -- covering everything from TOCs to graphics to style sheets. Of course, should you encounter any difficulties during your transition, you can contact one of our award-winning MadCap Technical Support team members to walk you through the process.

  • Authoring and Content Reuse

    Using Flare’s patented, visual XML editor, authors can enjoy the benefits of XML (extensible markup language) without any need for XML knowledge. With XML, content is separate from formatting and therefore allows the author to focus on content creation. The authoring process is further enhanced and streamlined using advanced topic-based authoring features that further allow for maximum content reuse and publishing to multiple deliverables and outputs.

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    • Content changes are made universally from a single source and updated across projects for consistent, accurate documentation
    • Authors can focus on creating content instead of constantly formatting and reformatting
    • Projects and content are accurate and consistent across multiple deliverables and completed faster with far less content duplication
    • Create and design content efficiently using Flare's unique structure bars
    • Drag and drop content for quick and easy editing
    • Easy SME content contribution and review with MadCap Contributor

    Edit content in Flare in two different layout modes — Web for traditional layout for online use, and Print for page layout with margins, headers, footers, etc. used for print.

  • Multi-channel Publishing

    Publish content to a variety of formats including cross-browser, cross-platform online Help, printed documents such as PDF and Word™, and online Help optimized for mobile devices.

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    Print Online Desktop Mobile
    PDF WebHelp HTML Help iPhone
    XPS WebHelp Plus DotNet Help iPad
    Adobe® FrameMaker® Adobe® FrameMaker® Microsoft® Mobile
    Microsoft® Word™ DITA PALM Web OS
    DOCX Adobe® AIR Blackberry
    XHTML Android

    QR Code Use your mobile device to scan this QR code and visit our Mobile WebHelp for Flare.

  • Project Management and Collaboration

    Flare makes it easier to manage complex projects with advanced tracking and reporting tools. File Tagging allows you to assign tags to topics, files, even folders, within Flare. Assign tags for authors or milestones and generate reports based on the assigned tags.

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    Enjoy close collaboration between authors, subject matter experts and other content contributors with Flare's built-in topic review and contribution features.

    SMEs can utilize MadCap Contributor to make changes and annotations:SMEs can utilize MadCap Contributor to make changes and annotations:

    • Reviews: Email topics for feedback and changes directly from within Flare or leverage Flare and Contributor's external resources and SharePoint integration to send review packages.
    • Contributions: SMEs and other content contributors can create new documents and files for inclusion into your documentation

  • Content Management

    Flare allows for full content management capabilities with direct integration and access to Microsoft SharePoint. In addition, Subversion, Microsoft Team Foundation and Visual Source Safe are directly integrated and accessed from Flare, enabling built-in source control for efficient team authoring and collaboration. Not using source control? Flare's external resources feature allows files and folders to be mapped and shared among any number of projects or users.

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    • Microsoft SharePoint Integration: Connect directly to SharePoint servers within Flare to access and edit files from any of your projects.
    • Native Source Control Integration for Apache Subversion, Team Foundation Server and Visual SourceSafe: Native source control support means you no longer need any third-party plug-in to take advantage of integrated source control within Flare.
    • External Resources: Don’t have any content management or source control. No problem- A new external resources window allows you to maintain groups of external files that you want to share among Flare projects and authors.
    • Mappings can be made to any local, network, or SharePoint resource
    • Plus, integration with all industry source control systems that use the MS SCC API interface

  • Cross-product Integration

    Tight product integration across the entire MadCap Software suite of products allows for efficient content creation and streamlined workflow.

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    • Content contribution and review by subject matter experts and managers with MadCap Contributor
    • User feedback and analytics within your online and desktop-based documentation with MadCap Feedback
    • Scanning and analysis to improve your projects with MadCap Analyzer
    • Translation and localization with MadCap Lingo
    • Fully interactive demos, tutorials and software simulations with MadCap Mimic
    • Screen capturing and editing with MadCap Capture

  • Translation and Localization

    Language support in Flare is unmatched. Not only does it support Unicode language characters, but also double-byte Asian languages and Eastern European languages.

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    Plus, advanced single-sourcing features make translation more seamless in Flare, such as easy access to content, snippets, variables and more.

    Plus, localized interface for DotNet Help, WebHelp, WebHelp Plus, WebHelp AIR, and WebHelp Mobile outputs.

    • Unicode support for all left-to-right languages
    • Integration with the translation environment tool, MadCap Lingo
    • Multiple interface languages in one product

  • Accessibility

    Flare PDF and WebHelp outputs have been improved to help you make your documentation more accessible to users who have visual and hearing impairments, and is therefore compliant with standards such as Section 508 and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).

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    A new Warnings tab appears in the Target Editor where you can enable error messages to appear when your output fails to include information that makes it accessible.

    You can receive warnings when:

    • Image elements are missing alternate text
    • Equation elements are missing alternate text
    • QR code elements are missing alternate text
    • Tables are missing captions and summaries
    • Tables are missing header elements
    • Form elements are missing labels
    • Frame elements are missing titles and names

  • Contribution and Review

    Tight integration with Flare and MadCap Contributor make the content contribution and review process easy and efficient. Authors can utilize the expertise of Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) and content contributors outside the document management team that can edit and review topics, track changes, make annotations, and update content with a simple, easy-to-use interface. Track changes in Flare and MadCap Contributor now make is easier to manage the contribution and review process.

  • SharePoint, Subversion and External Resources

    With Flare 7, Subversion and SharePoint users can enjoy tight integration with their MadCap Flare projects. Simply open the SharePoint Explorer to map external resources to your project; native Subversion support means there is no need for a third-party plug-in. For those not utilizing content management systems, Flare's new External Resources feature lets you maintain groups of files, any local or network files that you have access to, and allows them to be shared among any number of Flare projects or users.

    Click Image to Play Video | Sharepoint, Subversion and ShareResources

  • Collaboration and Review with MadCap Contributor

    MadCap Software's powerful contribution and review tool offers tighter integration, a dramatically improved workflow, and dozens of new features to expedite the content creation process. Subject matter experts and content contributors outside the document management team can edit and review topics, make annotations, and update content with a simple, easy-to-use interface. Track changes in Flare and MadCap Contributor now make is easier to manage the contribution and review process.

    Click Image to Play Video | Track Changes and Review

  • QR Codes: Bridge the Gap Between Print and Interactive Online Content

    In an online and searchable document, it is easy to include hyperlinks, URLs, etc., for users to access more information, but how do you enable this from a print document? With QR codes, authors can empower their users in ways never before possible, by giving them access to more relevant, actionable and up to date content wherever and whenever they need it, directly from any print document.

    Click Image to Play Video | Using QR Codes in Your Documentation
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    • Short for "quick reference", generate codes to embed URLs, email addresses and VCards
    • Users simply scan the code with their mobile device to access links, email or VCards
    • Bridge the gap between print and online documentation by giving users access to more relevant, actionable and up to date content wherever and whenever they need it
    1. Instead of creating a large manual with hundreds of pages, create a Quick Start guide with fewer pages. At the bottom of each page, step, topic, or procedure, add a QR code that allows users to access more detailed information online.
    2. For users out in the field that need access to updated information, include codes in printed manuals that direct them to the needed content in your Help system.
    3. You have a printed procedures manual with QR codes that, when scanned, link to movies showing the procedures in action.
    4. For external communication, include a QR code at the bottom of a document that takes them straight to a website where they can purchase a particular part or product.

  • Improved Accessibility

    Comply with accessibility standards such as Section 508 and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and make your content accessible to users with visual and hearing impairments. A new Warnings tab in the Target Editor for WebHelp identifies content missing the required accessibility information.

    Click Image to Play Video | Accessibility Improvements in Flare

  • Built-in Equation Editor

    Easily incorporate equations into your documentation with Flare’s built-in equation editor. Create, edit and embed mathematical equations with Mathematical Markup Language (MathML) support.

    Click Image to Play Video | Authoring Equations into Flare

  • Vector Graphic Support

    Support for vector graphics allows for crisp, high-resolution graphics and images in printed documents (.EPS, .PS and .SVG file formats).

    Click Image to Play Video | Vector Graphic Support in Flare

  • Tables: New Table Style Editor, Table Merging, Sorting and More

    A number of new enhancements have been made to tables in Flare, providing greater control and improved functionality. Flare’s enhanced table style editor allows you to apply table styles, such as color and height, to multiple tables in a project with only a few clicks, while the new table merging and sorting functionalities makes it easier to edit table content within your project.

    Click Image to Play Video | Table Improvements

Full Feature List

MadCap Flare™ is packed with features and has been designed to give technical writers, content authors and documentation specialists a versatile XML-based authoring and publishing solution. Flare’s intuitive user interface allows users to easily create and manage content, import legacy authoring projects, and publish to a wide variety of sources, all from a single source document. MadCap Software is passionate about its users, and strives to provide all of the features you have come to expect in a high-end authoring and publishing system, including:

Topic-based Content Development

  • Author in structured, topic-based content development for powerful, sophisticated, information delivery

Maximum Content Reuse

  • Easily create, manage and reuse content with conditional text, variables, snippets, TOCs, style sheets, and more

XML Flexibility And CSS Design

  • Enjoy flexibility with XML (extensible markup language) and control the look and style of your content with CSS (cascading style sheets)

Global Project Linking and External Resources

  • Share and update common elements across multiple projects
  • Direct Microsoft SharePoint integration

Product Integration

  • MadCap Flare allows for seamless integration across MadCap Software’s entire line of software applications.
  • MadCap Feedback Server provides user feedback and reporting
  • MadCap Analyzer scans and analyzes your project for suggestions to improve your project efficiency and consistency
  • MadCap Mimic and Capture provide powerful multimedia publishing integration for your projects
  • MadCap Lingo enables translation and localization
  • MadCap Contributor makes it simple and easy for anyone in your organization to review and contribute content to your documentation

Source Control

Native source control integration, including:

  • Apache Subversion
  • Microsoft® Team Foundation Server
  • Microsoft® Visual SourceSafe

Plus, integration with all industry source control systems that use the Microsoft SCC API interface

Import Existing Content

  • Adobe® FrameMaker® (.fm, .mif, .book)
  • Microsoft® Word™
  • HTML/XHTML
  • RoboHelp® projects
  • HTML Help projects
  • CHM
  • DITA

Generate Multiple Outputs

  • Cross-browser, cross-platform Help (WebHelp or WebHelp Plus)
  • Microsoft® HTML Help (.chm)
  • Help for .NET applications (DotNet Help)
  • Adobe® FrameMaker® (.fm, .mif, .book)
  • Direct PDF (no need for Adobe® Distiller or Word™)
  • Microsoft® Word™ (.xml, .doc, .docx)
  • Direct XPS
  • WebHelp AIR (Direct Adobe® AIR integration)
  • Pure XHTML
  • DITA
  • Mobile (iPhone, Microsoft Mobile, Palm Web OS, BlackBerry and Android)

Server

  • Integration with industry source control systems that use the MS SCC API interface
  • Faster server-side search
  • Searching of non-XHTML content (Word™ documents, PDF files, etc.)
  • Automatic runtime merging of projects without any in-project work

Other New Authoring and Usability Enhancements

  • Auto Suggestion (formerly Intellisense) for variables, snippets, and more
  • Copy and paste from other applications into WYSIWYG
  • Enhanced table style editor
  • New text-to-table/table-to-text functionality
  • Enhanced track changes workflow
  • New table row sorting and merging
  • True CHM Import and Remote CHM Linking
  • Google Chrome Support
  • Preview of Web Output in multiple browsers

Print-Based Output Features

  • Choose between Print and Web layout views
  • Page layouts
  • Context-sensitive cross-references
  • Footnotes
  • Topic preview for print-based output types
  • Generate headings in output based on TOC structure
  • Heading variables (automatically generate page headers for content, generated glossaries and generated indices)
  • Hyphenation control
  • Mini-TOC for a single chapter or section
  • Short line elimination
  • Widow and orphan control
  • Zoom/scale pages
  • Page breaks on table rows
  • Image resizing with aspect ratio maintained

Power and Flexibility

  • Advanced reporting with Analyzer (over 70 project-specific reports)
  • ASPX, HTML, and other custom file extensions for WebHelp output
  • Enhanced Indexing (including index links and auto-indexes, which let you automatically generate index terms based on words or phrases used throughout your project)
  • Supports both raster and vector graphic formats including .xps, .xaml, .wmf, .emf, .ps, .eps, and .svg
  • Context-sensitive Help testing (now available for DotNet Help)
  • Wildcard search support for DotNet Help

Team Collaboration

  • Incorporate document contributions from others
  • Send topics out for review and accept or reject changes
  • Incorporate/transfer review comments (annotations) into topics
  • Contribution templates (contributors use elements and formatting you want)
  • Locks (choose areas of content that reviewers can and cannot edit)

Multi-Language Support

  • Fully Unicode enabled
  • Double-byte and Asian language support
  • Language support for Eastern European languages
  • Seamless integration with MadCap Lingo for easy localization

Single-Sourcing Features

  • Generate multiple targets from one project
  • Variables and Snippets (re-usable text and content)
  • Single-sourcing of images
  • Conditional text (at all levels)
  • Style sheets for topics and tables
  • Easily synchronize with Word™ or FrameMaker® documents
  • Global Project Linking — share and update common elements across multiple projects
  • Master style sheets
  • Master TOC at project level

Ease of Use

  • Auto-numbering
  • Visual document structure display
  • View and edit multiple docs simultaneously
  • Command line compiling
  • Drag-and-drop table columns and rows
  • View, filter, and access all files from a single list
  • Disable styles that you do not use
  • Auto-suggestion for approved phrases, variables, and snippets
  • Zip and email projects
  • Project toolbar for easy access to common tasks
  • Style pick window (quick way to apply styles)
  • Open files by dragging from Windows to Flare
  • Insert snippets by dragging from Content Explorer
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"I have been a Technical Writer for over 20 years now, and Flare is the best Help Authoring Tool that I have used."
Greg Birkenbeuel | TENG
"Flare 7 is fabulous! Our transition from FrameMaker to Flare has improved our productivity and quality more than I can measure. My team loves Flare!"
Kelly Shortt | Technical Communication Corptax
"The mobile target is styled like an iPhone app, and is a great way for me to deliver content to our customers who are on the go, but who need access to our Help content"
Paul Pehrson | Doc Guy Training
"Thank God for the developers at MadCap for providing the most agile XML-based authoring tool on the planet."
Jim Corbin | BIO-key
"MadCap Flare is giving us state-of-the-art capabilities while offering the lowest cost of ownership of any authoring software we've seen on the market"
Harold Gross | Microsoft Health Solutions Group
"Flare V7 is easily the most versatile and capable authoring tool that I've used. MadCap clearly listens to their customers, and their support is second to none."
David Lee | Sage (UK) Ltd.
"Flare 7 is one step closer to being the ultimate tech writer tool."
Mette Nyberg | 7-Technologies
"With change tracking and enhanced table functionality among its many new features, we see Flare 7 as further vindication of our decision to migrate from Adobe FrameMaker."
Dr. Adrian Morse | Picis, Inc.
"I really love the interface improvements in Flare 7. It just keeps getting better and better. I cringe at the thought of having to use a different authoring tool!"
Diana Beebe | Convergys Corp.
"Flare is already the best information development tool out there, and now it's the leader of the pack in accessibility."
Eddie VanArsdall | VanArsdall InfoDesign

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