CASE: Fast, Multi-Channel Content Delivery
The initial release of CASE consisted of approximately 700 screens with 3,500 fields that all required documentation. However, the ARC team had an opportunity to design a new documentation structure while also leveraging content and experience from the legacy ARCVAL system.
With the future in mind, ARC’s writers set up the Flare project, designing an information architecture for the documentation set and creating an initial outline for each deliverable. Planning and configuring the backend structure of the Flare project included defining the folder structure, establishing file naming conventions, and creating a logical architecture for implementing context-sensitivity at the screen level.
In implementing the project, the writers followed structured authoring guidelines and created topics using the “concept/task/reference” topic-based authoring model. They also took advantage of several features in MadCap Flare to support content reuse and single sourcing, including variables, snippets and conditional text. Using Flare, they created page layouts for PDF output that replicated the look and feel of existing corporate templates. Additionally, the writers integrated Flare with Microsoft® Team Foundation Server® (TFS) to provide the documentation files the same level of protection and recoverability as the CASE source code.
The resulting documentation for the initial release of CASE features online Help and five guides delivered as PDF files. The online Help contains 1,000-plus topics, provides definitions for the fields displayed on all screens, and supports screen-level context sensitivity. Delivered as an HTML Help file, the online Help system also takes advantage of Flare’s single-sourcing capabilities and contains a variety of topics from the PDF guides. The PDFs include:
- A 123-page Installation Guide for network and database administrators.
- A 128-page User’s Guide describing essential tasks for using the CASE application.
- A 30-page Operations Guide covering advanced-level tasks for operating and maintaining CASE.
- A 176-page Financial Projections (GAAP) Guide with procedural and reference information.
- A 13-page CheckPFD Guide describing the utility required for legacy ARCVAL users preparing to upgrade to CASE.
“We were creating an entirely new set of documentation for CASE, so the initial project took a year and half to build,” Danda recalls. “However, the maintenance is very easy. Now we can build the online Help file in Flare, check the Help file into the CASE source code using TFS®, and build the five PDF guides using the Batch Target in Flare, and the entire process can be completed in under an hour.”
Equally important is the modern, user-friendly experience that the CASE online Help provides. One of the popular features with ARC customers is the context-sensitive online Help available for more than 700 unique screens in the CASE platform, which was enabled by MadCap Flare.
Danda notes, “The CASE interface includes a Help button on every screen, and users have expressed to us that they’re very impressed with how they can simply click the Help button, and it sends them to the right page even though we have hundreds of topics.”