Print-to-Web Conversions

Other Conversion Questions

Q: Are conversions hard?

A: No! But they can be painful if your source document contains rich formatting and if your conversion tool doesn't let you control the conversion.

Q: Does it take long?

A: Most tools let you convert dozens of files in less than fifteen minutes. It's the pre- and post-conversion process that takes a long time.

A Methodology for Pulling It All Together

Phase 1: Defining

Phase 2: Prototyping

Phase 3: Planning

Phase 4: Developing - CONVERT!

Phase 5: Testing

Phase 6: Publishing

Phase 7: Maintaining

Understanding Design Philosophy

Tips for Converting

BEFORE you convert:

• Create a storyboard of your web cluster.
• Simplify your existing stylesheets.
• Break up your documents into modules or chunks that correspond to your storyboard.
• Plan your directory structure.
• Create filenaming conventions.
• Create a library of templates

AFTER you convert:

• Maintain a project page that lets you find conversion tools and templates quickly.
• Make your HTML readable! Apply a tagging style.
• Have frequent meetings with other authors and discuss formatting style to ensure consistency.
• Spend lots of time thinking about navigation issues.

Developing Web Content from Scratch

• Use templates.
• Think modularly.
• Reuse information by linking to it.
• Apply style guidelines.
• Apply a tagging style to make HTML files readable.

Choosing Conversion Tools

1. What is your source document file format?
2. What is your computing platform?
3. What is your budget?
4. How many files do you need to convert and how often will you need to do conversions?
5. Do you want to maintain the printed version?
6. What other tools features do you need?
   

Some Popular Tools

Large-Scale Conversion Engines

• HTML Transit (InfoAccess)
• Cyberleaf (Interleaf)
• WebMaker (Harlequin)

Low Budget Tools

• Text Editor
• WWW Browser
• Freeware or Shareware for specific conversions

Authoring Environments

• FrontPage (Microsoft)
• Netscape Gold (Netscape)
• PageMill (Adobe)
• HotDog Pro (Sausage)
• HotMetal Pro (SoftQuad)
• Internet Assistant (Microsoft)
• WebPorter (Xyvision)

Supporting Print Publishing Simultaneously

CAVEAT: Online documentation is not printed documentation

• Create long Web pages
• Write a script that supports the creation of dynamic booklets
• Create a documentation cycle that maintains both worlds
• Use multiple publishing platforms

Internal and External Webs

Internal

• Technology tends to be more predictable
• Response time is often better
• Security isn't as much of an issue
• Economic solution to communication problems

External

• Technology is completely unpredictable
• Response time is unpredictable
• Security is always an issue
• Not everyone has access to the WWW