atw: Re: managing, storing and distributing internal documentation

Thanks Paul.
I currently use RoboHelp X5 Office, but I'm still
finding my feet.

To follow your advice, do I need to upgrade to the
Enterprise package?

Regards
Nigel

P.S. While on the topic of RoboHelp, can you suggest
any appropriate reading I might find useful?



-----Original Message-----
From: austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:austechwriter-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of
Paul Birkwood
Sent: Tuesday, 1 February 2005 11:23 AM
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: atw: Re: managing, storing and distributing
internal
documentation


Hi Nigel,
I used RoboHelp to build an Intranet web site. Together
with a carefully
structured directory system to store documents under
products/projects
titles, it is a simple system for facilitating user
access to
documentation. Each document directory, for example,
has subdirectories
for holding drafts, published copies, source material,
and zipped backups.
Using http: addresses, I can build read-only links to
the directories.

This system suits me because I'm the only one creating
user documentation.
If you are also including development documentation
written by other
authors (which I also must accommodate), you will need
to control the way
in which documents enter the directory system. Ideally,
if you have a
document numbering system, then the number becomes a
subdirectory name.

Sample hierarchy

../Intranet
.../Intranet/ProjectX
.../Intranet/ProjectX/<Document No.>
.../Intranet/ProjectX/<Document No.>/Drafts
.../Intranet/ProjectX/<Document No.>/Published
.../Intranet/ProjectX/<Document No.>/ZippedRevisions
.../Intranet/ProjectX/<Document No.>/WebHelp

In this system, you can also include revision numbers
or letters to
maintain major revisions. 

You then can keep PDFs in Drafts, finally placing the
final published copy
in the /Published subdirectory. You can just allow
users to browse the
hyperlinked directories or you can set up web pages
with hyperlinks to the
files.

Hope this helps.

Cheers

> -----Original Message-----
> From: nigeldawes [mailto:nigel@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
> Sent: 01 February 2005 09:41
> To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Subject: atw: managing, storing and distributing
internal documentation
> 
> 
> Dear Austechies
> 
> I've been tasked with developing and implementing a
> strategy for managing, storing and distributing our
> internal documentation using the Intranet Web server,
> which I access using use Timbuktu.
> 
> Currently, navigating the document pages is quite
ugly,
> as the interface uses basic hyperlink menus and is
> rather disorganised. I don't have the resources to
buy
> fancy new software, so must develop a strategy for
> organising, managing and controlling all this
disparate
> documentation using the current resources.
> 
> Currently, each department maintains its own
directory,
> which has resulted in the directory structures being
> very dissimilar. I thought the obvious answer is to
> declare a single point of contact (I guess that's
going
> to be me!), who would be responsible for posting all
> docs.
> 
> I'm sure plenty of you have been through this before
> and would love to hear about your success, failures,
> suggestions etc... etc.
> 
> Friendly Regards
> Nigel
> 
> ___________
> Nigel Dawes
> Technical Writer
> 
> Quickcut Limited
> Adv. Development Group
> 15-17 Old Pittwater Rd
> Brookvale   NSW   2100
> T: +61 (0) 2 9938 7558
> F: +61 (0) 2 9938 7555
> 
> 
> 
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