Training and consulting
on user assistance
in the UK and Europe
Available courses on MadCap Flare
Choose from the following courses on MadCap Flare:
Basic/Intermediate Course
Who is it for?
This course is for authors starting out with Flare who wish to use the full range of features. No previous experience of working with Flare or any other Help authoring tool is required, though familiarity with Help authoring concepts is an advantage.
How will I benefit?
After taking the course, you will be equipped to work effectively with all aspects of Flare.
Course duration
Three days.
Course outline
- Creating a new project
- Importing content (including existing RoboHelp projects if required)
- Creating and editing topics
- Working with images and video
- Creating navigation, including links, Table of Contents, and Index
- Managing styles, skins, and other appearance features
- Efficient single-sourcing, including variables and conditional tags
- Publishing content to web and print
Detailed outline of Basic/Intermediate course
How is this training delivered?
This course can be presented in any of the following ways:
- Individual face-to-face coaching at your own place of work
- Individual Web-based coaching as a series of 90-minute instructor-led interactive sessions
- Classroom-based training for groups of two to six students at your organisation's site
Advanced Course
Who is it for?
This course is for Flare users who wish to have an in-depth understanding of Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) and the way in which Flare uses this technology for formatting information.
How will I benefit?
After taking the course, you will be able to exploit the full richness of CSS for formatting your information within Flare. As a result, your Help topics will look more professional and will be easier to maintain.
Course duration
One-day on-site or two half-days web-based.
Course outline
- CSS Overview
- Creating, importing and modifying stylesheets
- Text Styles
- List Styles
- Link and Dynamic Content Styles
- Table Styles
- Print Styles
- Testing Styles
Detailed outline of Advanced course
How is this training delivered?
This course can be presented in any of the following ways:
- Individual face-to-face coaching at your own place of work
- Individual Web-based coaching as four 90-minute instructor-led interactive sessions
- Classroom-based training for groups of two to six students at your organisation's site
Migrating from RoboHelp to MadCap Flare
Who is it for?
This course is designed specifically for existing users of RoboHelp who are planning to switch to the new Flare authoring tool from MadCap Software. No previous experience of working with Flare is required—however, familiarity with RoboHelp (2002 or later) is a prerequisite.
How will I benefit?
After taking the course, you will be equipped to migrate your existing projects and workflows from RoboHelp to MadCap Flare in a smooth and well-planned way. You'll be able to avoid the potential pitfalls, and to work more efficiently and effectively with this XML-based Help development tool.
Course duration
One to two days, depending on your objectives and previous experience.
Course outline
- A feature-by-feature comparison of RoboHelp and MadCap Flare
- A guided tour of the MadCap Flare user interface
- A five-point plan for migrating your projects from RoboHelp to MadCap Flare
- What you'll need to know about XHTML and CSS to get the most from MadCap Flare
- How you may need to adapt your workflow and authoring practices for MadCap Flare
- Preparing for future Help technologies with MadCap Flare
How is this training delivered?
This course can be presented in any of the following ways:
- Individual face-to-face coaching at your own place of work
- Individual Web-based coaching as a series of 90-minute instructor-led interactive sessions
- Classroom-based training for groups of two to six students at your organisation's site
Introducing your trainer
Matthew Ellison has 20 years of experience as a user assistance professional in the software industry and has trained more than 800 authors how to develop online Help. He is a qualified teacher (PGCE), a Certified Flare Instructor, and a part-time lecturer on Portsmouth University's Technical Communication MA course. Matthew presented an introduction to MadCap Flare at the 2006 WritersUA Conference in Palm Springs, and is a regular speaker at Help Conferences in the US, Europe and Australia.
