When you have an element with absolute positioning, you can control its look and behavior as you normally would, using any number of available properties (e.g., border, font, background), depending on the type of element. However, you will find that there are a handful of properties and options that are related to and particularly important for absolute positioning, whether they are set on styles or locally.

Absolute Position, Z-Index, and Text Wrap Options

The most important property for this feature is "position" with a value of "absolute." As already mentioned, this property removes the element from the main flow of the document content. If you are using a style to control absolute positioning, you can set this property in your stylesheet.

In conjunction with the absolute position setting, the z-index property is used to control the stacking order of elements. When you use absolute positioning, you will find that there are three primary ways that absolutely positioned elements are displayed with the other content: Square, Behind Text, and In Front of Text.

If you are using a stylesheet, you can set the z-index property in the Positioning property group.

If you are editing a topic locally, you can right-click on the element (in the case of objects such as images or QR codes) or right-click on the structure bar (in the case of paragraphs, lists, and other content), and from the context menu select Text Wrap. Then from the submenu, select one of the three options: Square, Behind Text, or In Front of Text. After you select an option, the absolute and z-index settings are automatically placed on the element locally.

• Square Wraps text around the absolutely positioned element on any or all sides.

  

  By default, this effect uses a z-index of 0.

  

  Note: You can select this option when you are working in either Web Layout mode or Print Layout mode in the XML Editor. However, online output does not support content wrapping all around the element. Therefore, when you select this option in Web Layout mode, it actually floats the element to the left of content. And that is how it is displayed in the online output . So if you are generating both print and online output from the same topic where you've used this feature, the PDF or XPS output will display the element with content wrapping all around it, while the same topic in online output will display the element on the left side of content.

• Behind Text Places the absolutely positioned element behind text.

  

  By default, this effect uses a z-index of -1.

  

  The tricky thing about this setting is that you might need a way to select the object, but it's behind text. You can try hovering the mouse over the object until the cursor changes to an arrow, then click it. But perhaps an easier method is to triple click on the content where the absolutely positioned object exists. This selects that block of content. Then click on the object twice slowly to select it.

• In Front of Text Places the absolutely positioned element in front of text.

  

  By default, this effect uses a z-index of 1.

  

In addition, you might have situations where absolutely positioned elements overlap. You can adjust the z-index values to determine which element appears on top, in the middle, and on the bottom. A simple way to think about the z-index is that the higher number a style has on the z-index, the closer to the top it will appear in the order.

Example

Let's say you have four different images, and you're using the "In Front of Text" text wrap option on each of them. Therefore, each one has a z-index of 1 by default. However, because they are overlapping, the one that appears first in the code (Washington) is in back, and the one that appears last in the code (Roosevelt) appears on top.

Suppose you want Washington to be on top, then Jefferson, then Lincoln, and finally Roosevelt on the bottom. To do this, you could either change the order that they occur in the code (Roosevelt first, followed in order by Lincoln, Jefferson, and Washington). Alternatively, you can change the z-index value in the HTML code (or in custom style classes) for the images (Washington=4, Jefferson=3, Lincoln=2, Roosevelt=1). This changes the order in which the images are stacked on one another.

However, there are other facets to the z-index that can make things a bit more complicated than that. For more information about this property, see http://www.w3.org/TR/CSS2/visuren.html#propdef-z-index.

You might have noticed that there is a fourth option available from the Text Wrap submenu when working locally in a topic.

• In Line with Text This integrates the element into the text so that it becomes part of the line where it was inserted. If the element is taller than the line of text, this results in extra space between that line of text and the one above it. This option is actually the default method used when inserting an image. It does not have absolute positioning or a specific z-index setting applied to it. The option is included in the context submenu simply so that you can change from one of the absolute position options back to the default inline setting.

  

Left and Top

These properties control where the element is displayed in the document (i.e., distance from the left and top). You can set these on a style. Alternatively, if you drag an element around in a topic or snippet, these settings are automatically placed on the element locally.

Margins or Padding

If you plan to use absolute positioning to wrap text around elements, you will likely want to adjust the margins or padding around the element in order to create space between it and the text.

Styles are almost always recommended over local formatting when controlling the look of content. In the case of absolute positioning for elements, there may be times when you will actually find local formatting preferable.

• Styles If you place absolute position settings on style classes, you can easily control the look of those kinds of elements from one place, your stylesheet. It might be a good idea to use this method if you plan to have many elements throughout your project with absolute positioning. In most cases, you'll want to create one or more style classes to meet your needs (e.g., classes of the img style for images) and adjust the settings for those classes (usually in the Positioning and Box property groups).
• Local Formatting If absolute positioning is a rare occurrence in your project, you might just want to use local settings. It's often faster and easier.

You might even end up using a hybrid of the two methods. For example, you might want to apply the absolute position, z-index, and margin in the style, but drag the inserted element in the topic to determine its final location.

How to Create Absolute Positioning Using Styles

1. From the Content Explorer, open the stylesheet that you want to modify.

2. Make sure the proper medium is selected in the Stylesheet Editor before you begin (you can do this from the Medium drop-down list). If you are not using stylesheet mediums for your different outputs or if you want all mediums to have the same settings, just leave the medium set to "default" and continue.

   Mediums can be used if you want to use one group of settings for online output types and another group of settings for print-based output types. For example, you might use the "default" medium for your online outputs and you might use the "print" medium for your print outputs. See About Stylesheet Mediums.

   Please note that Flare remembers the last medium that you used when working in the stylesheet, so it may or may not be the one that you want to use the next time around.

   

3. In the local toolbar, make sure the first button displays . If the button displays instead, then click it.
4. In the upper-left of the editor, make sure the Show Styles field is set to .

5. From the area below, select the appropriate style. If you want to use a class of the style, select it instead. For example:

   For images, select the img style or a class below it.

   For paragraphs, select the p style or a class below it.

   For QR codes, select the MadCap|qrCode style or a class below it.

6. From the Show drop-down list on the upper-right side of the editor, select .

7. In the Properties section, expand the Positioning group.

   The property name is shown in the left column. The right column is used for selecting and entering values for the property.

8. Click in the cell to the right of the position property and select absolute.

9. Click in the cell to the right of the z-index property and type one of the following values, depending on the kind of effect you want:

   • 0 Wraps text around the absolutely positioned element on any or all sides.

     

     Note: This option is supported only in PDF and XPS outputs . In online outputs the element will float to the left of content.

   • -1 Places the absolutely positioned element behind text.

     

   • 1 Places the absolutely positioned element in front of text.

     

10. (Optional) You can click in the cell to the right of the left and top properties and use the small popup to enter the amount of distance the element should be placed from the left and top. You might complete this step if you know you always want absolutely positioned elements to be positioned in the same spot in each topic. Otherwise, you can leave these fields blank and manually drag the element in the topic when you insert it, changing its location at that point.

    Note: If you use these settings and apply the style to an element, that element will be positioned accordingly. If you then manually drag the element somewhere else, that will overrule the location set on the style. The easiest way to revert back to the style location is to select the element, then in the Home ribbon click to remove the local formatting.

11. (Optional) If you want to provide extra space between the edges of the absolutely positioned element and the content around it, expand the Box property group. Then locate the margin or padding property that you want to change. Each side (bottom, left, right, top) has separate properties that you can set (e.g., margin-top, padding-bottom). If you plan to have the same settings for all four sides, you can simply use the margin or padding property.
12. Click to save your work.

Whenever you apply the style to an element, it is absolutely positioned as you have specified. If you are working with an element such as an image or QR code, it is temporarily repositioned until you make further changes to it. Other elements, such as paragraphs, are placed into a container that has handles around the edges.

Example

Let's say you want to apply absolute positioning to the italicized paragraph in this topic.

First, you apply your special paragraph style class to it. As a result, the paragraph changes, displaying inside a container with handles around the edges. That container can be resized and/or dragged where you want to place it.

How to Create Absolute Positioning Using Local Formatting

1. In a topic, right-click on the structure bar associated with the element (see About Structure Bars). For elements such as images and QR codes, you can right-click directly on the element.
2. From the context menu, select Text Wrap. Then choose one of the following three options:

   • Square Wraps text around the absolutely positioned element on any or all sides.

     

     Note: This option is supported only in PDF and XPS outputs. In online outputs the element will float to the left of content.

   • Behind Text Places the absolutely positioned element behind text.

     

   • In Front of Text Places the absolutely positioned element in front of text.

     

   If you are working with an element such as an image or QR code, it is temporarily repositioned until you make further changes to it. Other elements, such as paragraphs, are placed into a container that has handles around the edges.

   Example

   Example

   Let's say you want to apply absolute positioning to the italicized paragraph in this topic. Rather than right-clicking on the paragraph itself, you need to right-click on the paragraph structure bar associated with it.

   

   From the context menu, you can select Text Wrap and then one of the options in the submenu.

   

   As a result, the paragraph changes, displaying inside a container with handles around the edges. That container can be resized and/or dragged where you want to place it.

   

   Note

   Note: The option "In Line with Text" shown in the menu does not apply absolute positioning to the element. Rather, it is available if you want to return an element from one of the other options back to the standard inline mode that is used by default for inserting images and other objects into text.

3. (Optional) You can perform any of the following common tasks to adjust the element:

   • Move You can move an element where you want it in the topic. For elements such as images, you can click in the middle of the element, then drag and drop it. For absolutely positioned elements that are placed into containers (such as paragraphs), you need to hover over the edge of the container until you see a "move" cursor. Then click and drag the container.

     

   • Resize You can use the standard methods to resize images that have absolute positioning (see Resizing Images). For other elements, such as paragraphs, that are placed into containers, you can click and drag the handles on the edges to resize it.

     

   • Margins or Padding You can add margins or padding around the element to create extra space between it and the main flow of text. This is particularly useful if you've selected the "Square" text wrap option. See Adding Margins to Images and Adding Padding to Images.

4. Click to save your work.

Following is an example where styles were used for most steps, but local formatting was also used to complete the process:

Example

Let's say you want to use absolute positioning for many images throughout your project. What should you set on a style, and what should you set locally?

First, you ask yourself, Do I always want the same kind of effect on these images (i.e., Square, In Front of Text, Behind Text)? You decide that you usually want images to use the "Square" (text wraparound) effect, where text can flow around it on any side. In most situations, you decide you don't want to put images behind or in front of text. Therefore, you open your stylesheet and create a class of the img style. Maybe you name this class "AbsoluteTextFlowAround."

In the stylesheet you set the position property to absolute, and you set the z-index to 0.

Next, you ask yourself, Do I want margins or padding around those images? You decide that you want to use some margins so that there is space around each of those images, separating it from the wraparound text. So you set the margin property to 10 px (you only need to set margin; the same value is automatically used for margin-bottom, margin-left, margin-right, and margin-top, unless you override one of those).

Finally, you ask yourself, Do I want the image to be placed at the same location everywhere it's used? If you wanted each image to be placed in the exact same location of each topic, you might decide to set the left and top properties on that style class. But in this case, you decide that the location of each image is going to be different in each topic. Therefore, you decide to set the location for each image locally after it is inserted in the topic, rather than setting it ahead of time in the stylesheet.

In the topic, you make sure the Print Layout mode is selected (because the Square wraparound effect is displayed only in print-based output). You click anywhere in the topic and insert the image. Then you apply the img.AbsoluteTextFlowAround style class to it. As soon as this style class is applied to the image, it is immediately separated from the main flow of content (because it has the absolute position setting), and it has a margin around it. Initially, the image is displayed in the upper-left corner of the topic (because you have not told Flare in the stylesheet where to locate this absolutely positioned image).

So you click in the middle of the image and drag it to the location in the topic where you want it. When you do this, the top and left values are automatically set locally on the image in the HTML code.

Absolute positioning is supported in PDF, XPS, and all online outputs. But due to some differences between these outputs and the viewing modes in the XML editor, there are some important things to consider.

• No Square Text Wrap in Web Layout Mode and Online Outputs The Square wraparound text option is available only in PDF and XPS outputs. For online output, absolute positioning is limited to placing elements either in front of or behind content. Browsers require floats in order to position elements next to text (see Using Floats for Positioning Elements), but you cannot wrap text all around the element like you can in print-based outputs. So if you select the Square wraparound text option in Web Layout mode, it will float the element to the left text and that's how it will be shown in the online output as well.

  Example

  In Web Layout mode, you can do this:

  

  But you can't do this:

  

  If you use the Square wraparound option to position an image, in print output it might look like this:

  

  But when you generate online output, it would automatically be adjusted to look something like this:

  

• Content May Shift in Output Third, you will notice that content can shift in output, but absolutely positioned elements do not move along with that content because they are not anchored to it. Rather, elements with absolute positioning are simply freed from the main flow of content, so if the main content shifts, the absolutely positioned element stays in place as the rest of the content is adjusted. This is especially noticeable in online outputs, where end users can resize the browser window.

  Example

  

  

  Also, an absolutely positioned element in Print Layout mode will usually display in a different location than in Web Layout mode. That's because Print Layout mode is based on specific page sizes that do not change, so the positioned element doesn't shift when you resize the XML Editor in Flare, unlike Web Layout mode. However, if you use conditions to exclude some content, you might see content shifting in print output while absolutely positioned elements stay in place.

  Example

  Let's say you have a topic with absolutely positioned images in three successive paragraphs.

  

  If you decide to condition the second image so that it is excluded from the output, the text below shifts up to compensate for the space no longer used by that picture. But the image in the third paragraph does not move up with that text.

  

• Use Conditions to Separate Online Elements from Print Elements If you want to position an element and have it look a certain way in online output and a different way in print-based outputs, we suggest you insert the element twice (one for online output and one for print output) and use conditions to separate them accordingly. In the XML Editor you can use the condition preview button in the upper-left corner to display only the appropriate one while you are editing, depending on the layout mode (Web or Print).

  Example

  Let's say you want to position an image so that text flows all around it in PDF output. You realize that this same image will automatically be floated to the left of content in HTML5 output. But suppose you would prefer the image to be floated to the right in the HTML5 output. Therefore, you decide to have a second copy of the picture positioned to the right, with content flowing to the left of it. So you insert both images, using absolute positioning for the PDF version and a float for the HTML5 version.

  

  Next, you apply an online condition tag to the image using the float and a print condition tag to the image using absolute positioning.

  

  Because the topic is currently being displayed in Print Layout mode, you only want to see the image to be used for print outputs while you are editing. So on the left side of the top local toolbar, you click the condition preview button . This opens the Conditional Text dialog. In this dialog, you can select which conditions to include or exclude from view while you are editing. The quickest way to do this is to click the Target Expressions drop-down and select a target that already has these conditions properly set for inclusion and exclusion.

  

  After clicking OK in the dialog, the correct image is shown in the XML Editor while the other one is hidden.

  

  Now you click the toggle button to switch to Web Layout mode with the default style medium. But the preview conditions are still as you last set them, so the image for print is still shown. Also, because that image is set with the "Square" wraparound option, it is automatically floated left because that is the default behavior when that option is viewed for online outputs (and therefore in Web Layout mode).

  

  So once again you click the condition preview button . This time in the Conditional Text dialog, you select a target designed for online output.

  

  After clicking OK in the dialog, the image for online output is shown in the XML Editor, correctly floated to the right, while the image for print output is hidden.

  

On the Build tab of the Options dialog, you can limit the number of targets that can be generated at the same time. This can be done by changing the number in the Maximum Concurrent Builds field. If you are concerned about Flare slowing down during builds, you may want to make sure this number is not too high.

Example

Let's say you have three targets in your project and you have the Maximum Concurrent Builds field set at 2.

You generate Target 1, and then shortly after, you also generate Target 2. These targets compile simultaneously.

Then you tell Flare to generate Target 3. But because your maximum number is 2, Target 3 is queued for the moment.

Let's say Target 2 finishes building. At that point, Target 3 begins its build process while Target 1 also continues its generation.

Flare now supports Universal 3D (U3D) files in PDF and web outputs. With 3D modeling, you can create outputs with realistic, interactive images.

You can add 3D models to your Flare outputs using the same workflow you would use to add other multimedia types (Insert>Multimedia>3D Model). You can embed a 3D model in a topic or snippet, or you can link to the model using a hyperlink.

Example

Below is an example of an embedded 3D model. Click the model and drag your mouse to manipulate it. (Depending on your browser, you may need to first right-click on the object and enable the plug-in.)

When you insert a 3D model in your topic, you can specify how you want the model to appear in the output. You can set options for activation state, toolbar visibility, rendering mode, rendering lighting, and background color. When viewing the model in the output, you can use the model toolbar or context menu to view the model with different rendering mode or rendering lighting settings.

For more details about these features, see Inserting 3D Models.

Note: 3D models will not display if Mark of the Web is enabled. See Adding Mark of the Web.

If conflicts are found, they are all listed in a grid. By default, check marks appear in the Project column for all files. If you leave the check marks in this column, the files that are already in the project will be used while the contribution files will be ignored.

You can sort the columns by clicking on the heading. Also, you can readjust the width of a column to display all of its content by double-clicking the header.

For any contribution files that you prefer to keep over the existing project file, you can click the appropriate check box in the Contribution column. The contribution file will then overwrite the project file.

If you want to use all of the files in the Project or Contribution column, you can click the check box in the appropriate column heading.

If you're not sure which file you want to use, you can compare the project and contribution files. To do this, either double-click the row in the grid or select the row and click .

When you do this, a comparison dialog opens, showing the existing project file on the left and the new contribution file on the right. Within this dialog, you can select options to choose which file to keep. You can also select an option to view the source code.

In previous versions, when you dragged a topic file from the Content Explorer, File List window pane, or TOC Editor to the XML Editor, a text hyperlink was created as a result. This feature has been changed so that a cross-reference is created as a result instead. The reason for this is that the best practice for internal links (i.e., those from one file to another within the same project) is to create cross-references, which are updated dynamically if the target information changes. On the other hand, text hyperlinks are preferred for external links (e.g., a link from a topic to a website), because the link text is static and does not change dynamically.

In previous versions, Flare supported only project-level custom dictionaries for spell checking purposes. By "project-level," we mean that the dictionaries you created were tied to specific projects and located in the Advanced folder of the Project Organizer. These types of dictionaries are still supported. But now you also have the option of creating global dictionaries. See About Dictionaries.

A global dictionary means that any Flare project you open on your computer can use it for spell checking. This is a convenient way to ensure that all of your projects are using the same spellings for terms.

By default, a new global dictionary is stored in your AppData folder, like all of your built-in dictionaries.

However, you can use the Options dialog to choose another location for your global dictionary. For example, you might be working with a team of writers and want to make sure you are all using the same spellings for certain terms. By choosing a network directory, your entire team can use the same global dictionary. See Choosing the Location for Global Dictionaries.

You can even use a global dictionary as well a project dictionary. If this is the case, the Spell Check window pane combines and displays suggested spellings from both dictionaries, as well as from the built-in dictionary for that language.

The Font Properties dialog has been rearranged to allow more space for a larger Font selection list box. In this box, we have also added expandable groups for pinned fonts, recently used fonts, defined font sets, and all system fonts. You can expand and collapse these groups as a way to limit the list of fonts to those that you use the most and hide from view those that you do not use. In the Font selection list box, you can also pin your favorite fonts and font sets to move them to the top of the font list for quick access at any time.

In the rearranged Font Properties dialog, the Pick button from previous versions has been replaced by the new Font Sets button. This button opens a dialog where you can create, edit, and delete font sets.

You can access the Font Properties dialog by highlighting text and pressing CTRL+SHIFT+B on your keyboard, selecting the Format>Font menu, or by clicking in the Fonts section of the Home ribbon.

Font groups organize fonts and font sets. These groups are available in both the Font Properties dialog and the Font Family field. Font groups are available for pinned fonts, recently used fonts, defined font sets, and all system fonts. You can collapse or expand any font group. This is a way to limit the list of fonts to those that you use the most and hide from view those that you do not use.

example

Let's say that you have pinned Arial, Tahoma, and Garamond. You have also created three font sets and recently used several other random fonts. In the font list in the Font Properties dialog, you will see the Pinned Fonts, Recently Used Fonts, Defined Font Sets, and All Fonts groups.

In the Font Family field on the Home ribbon or Text Format toolbar, you will see the same groups.

A font set is just what it sounds like—a collection of fonts or font families. You can create a font set in order to designate the substitute fonts to use when the preferred font is not available on the user's computer. If the first (i.e., preferred) font family in the set is not found on the user's computer, the second font family in the set is used. If the second font family is not found, the third font family is used, and so on.

Editing font sets is new to this version. In previous versions, you had to create a new font set based on your existing font set, but you could not modify the existing set. Now, you can update a font set you already have without having to make a new font set.

example

Let's say your original font set used Arial as its primary font. However, your company has decided to redesign its documentation, so you need to change your primary font to Calibri. The other fonts in the set should remain the same.

Instead of creating an entirely new font set, you can edit the existing font set. You open the Font Properties dialog and click Font Sets to open the Font Set Manager.

In the Font Set Manager, select your original font set, then click to open the Define Font Set dialog. Here, you can make changes to the font set to change Arial to Calibri.

In the Define Font Set dialog, edit the fonts in the set. On the right side of the dialog, select Arial and click to move it out of the font set. Then select Calibri from the font list on the left side of the dialog and click to add it to the set.

Use the and buttons under the list on the right side of the dialog to rearrange the fonts. Since Calibri is going to be the new primary font, that should be first in the list.

Click OK when you are finished, and close the other dialogs. You will notice that your original font set—with Arial in the primary position—now shows Calibri in the primary spot.

When you use the font set in the future, it will now use the new fonts.

The Edit Image dialog has been renamed Image Properties dialog.

Also, when you right-click an image file in the XML Editor, the context menu option for opening this dialog is now Image Properties instead of Edit Image.

Image maps are now supported in PDF output. For more about this change, see the section on Print-based Enhancements.

In addition, the Image Map Editor has been modified with a new streamlined look. See Creating Image Maps.

Following are the changes you might notice in the Image Map Editor:

• The three link property fields have been moved to the bottom of the editor and renamed.
• The File and View menus have been removed, leaving only the Edit menu.
• The OK and Cancel buttons have been moved to the bottom of the editor.
• The arrow buttons for positioning objects have been removed from the toolbar.

You can insert pages from PDFs as images. When you select a PDF file, you can choose the specific page from it to be inserted as an image.

PDF images are supported in all outputs. However, the way these files are treated depends on the output format:

• PDF If you generate PDF output, the page you inserted is kept as a PDF. So it's sort of like a one-page PDF within a big PDF. You'll find that you can select text in that PDF image, just like you can in the larger PDF.

  

  Also, any vector-based information is retained, therefore retaining the quality and clarity you expect. This is especially useful if you inserted a PDF that contains Microsoft Visio diagrams or vector drawings from CAD (computer-aided design) software.

  

• All Other Outputs If you generate any output other than PDF, the PDF page you inserted is converted to a PNG file, even if it contains vector-based drawings. That's largely due to the fact that browser-based output types do not support vector images. Because the image displays in a raster format, you will find that it is not as crisp as its vector counterpart in PDF output.

  

In the XML Editor, when you are viewing a topic or snippet that contains a thumbnail image, you can right-click on that thumbnail and select Preview Image from the context menu. This enlarges the thumbnail image within the editor so that you can more easily see it and read any callouts within it. You can then click on the full-size image to return it to a thumbnail. Previously, if you wanted to see the image in its full size while editing, you had to open it in a separate window (e.g., right-click on the thumbnail and select Open Link).

This feature can be used when you are authoring in the XML Editor, as well as when you are reviewing files sent from others. See Viewing Files Sent for Review.

Example

Let's say you receive a topic for review from another author. The topic includes a thumbnail image with a text callout. Without enlarging the image you cannot see the details of the image, let alone read the callout.

Therefore, you right-click on the thumbnail and select Preview Image.

You can now see all of the image details and read the callout.

To return the image to the thumbnail size, you click on it.

Example

Let's say you frequently create drop-down text in your topics. Every time you create a drop-down, you must select content to be included in it and then perform the following four steps:

1. Select the Insert ribbon.
2. Select Drop-Down Text.
3. In the Insert Drop-Down dialog, select the drop-down heading.
4. Click OK.

Instead of doing this every time you want to make a drop-down, you decide to record a macro to combine the four steps into a single step.

So after selecting some content to be part of the drop-down, you select the Tools ribbon. Then you select Record. You name the macro and click Start to begin the recording. Then you perform the four steps to create a drop-down. Flare captures each of the steps to create the macro.

During the recording process, the Record button in the Tools ribbon changes to Stop. Click it after you are finished creating the drop-down.

Your macro is ready to use, so you can play it back from the Tools ribbon.

Another option is to assign a keyboard shortcut to the macro so you can play it using a single keystroke. To do this, open the options dialog (File>Options). Select the Keyboard Shortcuts tab, and in the Command section, select XML Editor (because the macro is related to the editor, not to other parts of Flare). Then in the section below, find the macro you created, which starts with the word "Playback," followed by the name you gave it (in this case, "Drop-Down"). You can click the Option or Shortcut column headings to sort the columns alphabetically. For example, you might first click Option to find and select the Playback: Drop-Down macro. Then you might click Shortcut to more easily see which shortcut keys are free to use.

In the following example, we discovered that the F2 key was unused so we selected it in the Key Assignment area to apply it to the macro.

The next time you want to create a drop-down, you select the text you want to format and play the macro back.

Alternatively, we could just press F2 on the keyboard, because we applied that shortcut to the drop-down macro.

This applies the macro to the text you selected.

Image maps are now supported in PDF output (see Creating Image Maps). However, PDFs are limited to rectangular-shaped image map objects. Therefore, if you have an image map with circle or polygon objects, those will be redrawn as rectangles in the PDF output. If this occurs, Flare will include a compile warning. Also, keep in mind that if objects overlap one another, the one on the top layer (usually the last one drawn) takes precedence.

Example

Let's say you have an image of the Olympic circles inserted into a topic:

You create an image map, drawing round objects around each of the five circles, and you link each of these objects to a different website. For the purposes of this example, we're showing dark green circles to represent each image map object:

Notice that the circles overlap in some places. In those locations, the circle object that is on the top layer will win. Therefore, if the user clicks in that area, the website linked to the object on top will be opened.

Now, if you generate online output, such as HTML5, the circle shapes on the image map will be retained, just as you see them above. But if you generate PDF output, each of the circle objects will be converted to a rectangle, like this:

Therefore, the link areas (as well as the overlapping areas) are adjusted accordingly.

Numerous multimedia files are supported in PDF output. This means that those files play when viewing the PDF in electronic format. If you print the PDF, those files are simply displayed as static images.

Following are the multimedia file types that are supported in PDF output at this time:

• AVI
• M4V
• MID
• MIDI
• MP3
• MP4
• MPA
• MPE
• MPEG
• MPG
• SWF
• U3D
• WAV

When a PDF is opened, there is initially a blank area where the multimedia item was inserted. Also, a security message is shown, prompting the user to allow the video to load once or always.

After clicking one of these options, the video loads.

When you have multiple frames of the same type in a page layout, a line with an arrow shows how text will flow from one frame to the other. If you want to change the direction of the text flow, you can click the arrow between the frames. See Adding Page Layout Frames.

Example

When you draw frames in a page layout, the first one you draw begins the flow of content, leading to the next frame of the same type that you draw, and so on. So let's say you draw a large body frame and get it positioned just the way you want.

But then you remember you want to draw a smaller body frame above the big one so that the chapter title is positioned with some separation from the main content flow. After doing all of this, you realize that the flow is going the wrong way.

If you were to generate the output, you might see something odd like this, especially with the topic title having a frame break after it:

To solve this, you could undo your changes in the page layout and begin again, drawing the smaller frame first. But an easier solution is to simply click the arrow so that the direction of the flow changes from the small frame on top to the larger one below.

As a result, the generated output looks correct, like this:

You can now customize the ordering of the search filter set for web outputs (see About Search Filter Sets). Previously, filters displayed in alphabetical order (this is still the default). In the Search Filter Set Editor, the Order column now represents the displayed order in the output. To manipulate the order of the filters, click or in the local toolbar or select the Move Up or Move Down commands from the context menu. You can also click to reset the order.

Example

In this example, the search filter's previous behavior order would be First, Last, Second.

With customized ordering, we can now make the order First, Second, Last.

In the output it would look like this:

1. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:

   • Ribbon Select File>Options.

     Switching between ribbons and the tool strip… You can use the Options dialog to switch between ribbons and the classic tool strip layout. See Switching Between Ribbons and the Tool Strip. 

     More about ribbon options… Keep in mind that the smaller the application window becomes, the more the options in a ribbon shrink. Therefore, you might only see a small icon instead of text, or you might see only a section name displayed with a down arrow to access the options in it. You can hover over small icons to see tooltips that describe them. You can also enlarge the application window or click one of the section drop-downs in the ribbon to locate a hidden feature.

   • Tool Strip Select Tools>Options.

   The Options dialog opens.

2. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts tab.
3. In the Command drop-down, select one of the following:
   • Global Select this to make the keyboard shortcut available throughout the project user interface.
   • XML Editor Select this to make the keyboard shortcut available only in the XML Editor. You must select this option if you are assigning a shortcut to a macro you have created (see About Macros).

   Note: If you set one shortcut with XML Editor selected and another with Global selected, the XML Editor shortcut has precedence.

4. (Optional) You can click the Option or Shortcut column headings to sort the columns alphabetically. This can help you more easily find a command or see which shortcut keys are free to use.
5. In the grid below, select the option whose hot keys you want to change.
6. In the Key Assignment section, select the hot key that you want to assign to the option.
7. (Optional) In the Modifier Key Assignment section, you can select the Control Key, Shift Key, and/or Alt Key check boxes if you want to use a combination for the shortcut. For example, if you select D from the list to the right and add check marks to the Shift Key and Alt Key boxes, the new shortcut for the option will be SHIFT+ALT+D.
8. (Optional) In the Options section, you can assign a hot key to a command that does not appear in the grid above by clicking Unlisted Commands. In the Other Commands dialog, select a command, then click OK. The unlisted command appears in the grid.
9. (Optional) In the Options section, you can return to the factory default keyboard shortcuts by clicking Reset to Factory Defaults.
10. Click OK.

Tip: Custom shortcuts are stored in the AppData folder on your computer, which can be accessed in various ways, depending on your operating system (e.g., in Windows 7, click Start, enter %appdata% in the search field, and press Enter). The file is named "Commands_3.mccmds" and is stored in the MadCap Software/Flare subfolder. If you work with a team of writers and want everyone to use the same shortcuts, you can copy this file and send it to the rest of your team, having them replace the same file in their AppData folders.

You can tell Flare to display more than one slide in a slideshow at the same time. Previously, only one slide could be shown in the output at a time. This new option is available in the General tab of the Edit Slideshow dialog. See Editing Slideshows.

Example

Let's say you want three slides to be shown at once whenever someone views the slideshow. Therefore, you open the Edit Slideshow dialog, select the General tab and in the Slides displayed field you enter 3.

In the output, three slides are always shown side-by-side.

Flare now includes integrated support for Git. When binding your project to Git, you can select whether you want to bind to a remote repository, whether you want to push to the remote when you bind it, and whether to save your files to your user account or to the project.

Flare's Git integration allows you to work locally and then push your changes to a remote repository. You can also create branches so you can work on multiple iterations of a file (e.g., if you are documenting a new feature or making other major changes in your output, or if you are working with multiple authors), and then select the version you like best.

Flare's integration with Git includes the following new functionality:

• Pull Files If you need to update the files in your local database, you can pull the most current files from the remote repository. You will see the Flare Resolve Version Conflict dialog if conflicts exist. See Pulling Files from a Remote Repository.
• Push Files After you make changes in your project, you can commit them to your local database. When you are ready to add your local commits to the remote repository, you can push these files to the remote. See Pushing Files to a Remote Repository.

• Synchronize Synchronizing files updates the local database with files from the remote repository (pull) and then pushes any local commits to the remote repository. If you have not committed your local project files, you will need to commit them before you can synchronize your files with the remote. You will see the Flare Resolve Version Conflict dialog if conflicts exist. See Synchronizing Source Control Files and Merging Source Control Files.

• Create Branches When you are working in Git, you can create branches. Branches create a new development area for a file that is separate from the original. You can use branches so multiple authors can work in individual authoring spaces, and or you can use them as a space to make major changes in your document without affecting the original (e.g., when documenting a new feature, rewriting large sections of a topic, or making layout changes). Even if others will not be working on a file, you can still create branches if you want to edit your file and then refer back to its previous versions. See Creating Branches.
• Select Branch If you have created more than one branch, you can select the branch you want to work with. You will see the files associated with the selected branch, and new commits with be sent to the selected branch. By default, the master branch is selected. See Switching Branches.
• Publish Branch If you want to push to, pull from, or synchronize using a branch you have created, you must publish the branch. You can still commit to an unpublished branch, but until you publish, you will not be able to send your commits to source control for backup. It is a good idea to publish branches unless you are only using a branch for a short period of time. See Publishing Branches.
• Delete Branch If you no longer need a branch, you can delete it. This also deletes any commits on that branch. See Deleting Branches.

For more information about Git, see About Git.

Flare now includes Microsoft Team Foundation Server support for Microsoft Visual Studio Online. If you manage your source control projects with Microsoft's online version of Visual Studio, you can now bind your projects to Flare and perform check-ins and check-outs of files.

To bind a project from Visual Studio Online, enter the URL of the project's "Default Collection" in the Server field. Next to the Project Path field, click Browse... to select a location for the project folder. After you click OK to bind the project, working with bound files in Flare is the same as working with any other TFS file.

For more information about using Microsoft Visual Studio Online with Flare, see Binding a Project to Microsoft Visual Studio Online Using Microsoft Team Foundation Server and About Microsoft Team Foundation Server.

For general information about working with Microsoft Visual Studio Online, see the Microsoft Visual Studio Online Help.

Note: You can also add Microsoft Visual Studio Online as a remote repository when binding a project with Git. See Binding a Project to Git.

Flare's source control tool now changes based on whether or not your project is bound to source control. If your project is not bound to source control, source control options (i.e., the Source Control ribbon, menu, and context menus) will not appear in the Flare interface.

If your project is bound to source control, Flare will show icons and labels that match those used by the source control provider you are using. If you change source control providers, the icons and labels displayed in the Flare interface will change, too.

Terminology Changes

With the addition of the dynamic source control interface and Flare's Git integration, the following source control provider terminology has been added, updated, or removed to better reflect the language used by each provider.

Changes to Subversion

• Added
  • Lock/Unlock You can lock a file at any time. Other users can steal your lock if they need to check in your locked file while you are working on it. When you lock a file, the Lock dialog opens, where you can add a comment to the lock or steal the lock from another user. See Locking a File and Unlocking a File.
• Renamed
  • Check In The existing check in functionality has been renamed Commit for projects bound to Subversion. See Committing Source Control Files.
  • Get Latest The existing get latest functionality has been renamed Update for projects bound to Subversion. See Updating Source Control Files.
  • Undo Check Out The existing undo check out functionality has been renamed Revert for projects bound to Subversion. See Reverting Modified Source Control Files.
• Removed
  • Check Out Subversion does not support check out functionality, so this has been removed.
  • Read-Only Status Subversion does not support read-only status, so this has been removed. Read-only status will be removed from projects currently bound to Subversion, and not supported for new projects.

Changes to Perforce

• Added
  • Lock/Unlock You can lock files after you edit them. See Locking a File and Unlocking a File.
• Renamed
  • Check In The existing check in functionality has been renamed Submit for projects bound to Perforce. See Submitting Source Control Files.
  • Undo Check Out The existing undo check out functionality has been renamed Revert for projects bound to Perforce. See Reverting a Checkout of Source Control Files.

New for Git

• Added
  • Pull If you need to update the files in your local database, you can pull the most current files from the remote repository. You will see the Flare Resolve Version Conflict dialog if conflicts exist. See Pulling Files from a Remote Repository.
  • Push After you make changes in your project, you can commit them to your local database. When you are ready to add your local commits to the remote repository, you can push these files to the remote. See Pushing Files to a Remote Repository.
  • Synchronize Synchronizing files updates the local database with files from the remote repository (pull) and then pushes any local commits to the remote repository. If you have not committed your local project files, you will need to commit them before you can synchronize your files with the remote. You will see the Flare Resolve Version Conflict dialog if conflicts exist. See Synchronizing Source Control Files and Merging Source Control Files.
  • Branch Create, select, publish, and delete branches. Branches create a new development area for a file that is separate from the original. You can use branches so multiple authors can work in individual authoring spaces, and or you can use them as a space to make major changes in your document without affecting the original (e.g., when documenting a new feature, rewriting large sections of a topic, or making layout changes). Even if others will not be working on a file, you can still create branches if you want to edit your file and then refer back to its previous versions. See Creating Branches, Deleting Branches, Switching Branches, and Publishing Branches.
• Renamed
  • Check In The existing check in functionality has been renamed Commit for projects bound to Git. See Committing Source Control Files.
  • Undo Check Out The existing undo check out functionality has been renamed Revert for projects bound to Git. See Reverting Modified Source Control Files.
• Removed
  • Get Latest Branches are automatically moved to the latest when they are selected, so this has been removed.
  • Check Out Git shows files as modified, so this has been removed.

Other Changes

The Pending Check-Ins window pane is now called the Pending Changes window pane to reflect functionality for used by all source control providers. See Viewing Files that are Checked Out or Modified.

Examples

The following images show what the source control ribbon looks like when a project is bound using each of Flare's integrated source control tools.

You can pin your favorite styles to keep them displayed at the top of the list. This can be done in the following places in Flare:

• Styles Window Pane (F12)
• Styles Drop-Down Field (Home Ribbon)
• Floating Style Picker (CTRL+SHIFT+H)

For more information about these three locations, see Applying Styles to Content.

To pin a style, hover over the style row and click the little pin. It will then be moved to the top of the list.

To unpin a style, just click the pin again and it will be moved back to the bottom section of the list.

When making changes to styles in the Advanced view of the Stylesheet Editor, you may notice that some styles are gray. These are called "inherited" styles. That's because they do not yet have explicit settings on them, so they are inheriting default values from somewhere else. As soon as you make a change to one of these styles, it ceases to be an inherited style (or at least the property you set is no longer inheriting from the default value), and the style name turns from gray to a darker font.

Also, if you hover over an inherited style, the path is shown to the stylesheet from which the style is inherited.

For more information, see Inheritance.

When you select Table>Cell Content Style, you can select the style you want and click the Set as default check box.

Then when you insert a new table, the cells will already have the default style that you set, so you don't need to select that style each time you create a table. This is a very quick and easy solution. However, keep in mind that it is a global setting for all types of rows and all columns in every new table that you insert in that project. For example, if you choose p.tabletext as the default in this dialog, that style will automatically be initially set for all table header, body, and footer cells when you create a table. So if you want different styles for the different parts of the table, you will need to manually replace the default style in those table cells afterward.

If you use this method, none of the existing tables that you've already created and formatted in your project are affected by the default setting. The default style is applied automatically only to new tables and new table cells that are created in the project.

For more information, see Selecting Styles for Table Cell Contents.

In previous versions, you could right-click a topic in the Content Explorer or File List window pane and select Locate in TOC. This let you open any TOCs where the topic was linked, automatically expanding the book where the first entry was found and highlighting it.

The feature has been enhanced in this version. Now Flare highlights all of the entries in the TOC where the topic is linked, not just the first one. This can be very helpful when you want to add a similar topic to all of the same places in the TOC.

Example

Let's say you have a topic called "Image 1." In different places in the TOC, you've created three entries linking to this topic.

Now suppose you want to create a similar topic called "Image 2," and you want to add it to the TOC in the same locations where Image 1 has been placed. Therefore, you right-click the Image 1 topic in the Content Explorer and from the context menu select Locate in TOC.

All necessary books are expanded and all three entries are highlighted. Now it's easy to see where you need to add the new Image 2 links to the TOC.

If you have an image in a Word document that contains alt text or a description, both are brought in to Flare. After the Word document is imported, you can open the topic containing the image, right-click on the image, and select Image Properties. In the Image Properties dialog, the description for the image is shown in the Screen Tip field, and the alt text is shown in the Alternate Text field.

When you insert an image in Word, one of the options is to insert it as a linked image.

In previous versions of Flare, these types of images were not imported. But starting with this version, they are supported.

Note: If you received a Word document with linked images from another person—rather than creating the document yourself—you need to also get the images themselves from that individual. Then you need to re-link the images in the document. Otherwise, Word (and therefore also Flare) will not be able to find them.

Image file names are treated in the following ways for linked and embedded images:

• Linked Images If you have inserted a picture as a linked image in a Word document, the file name for the image is preserved when imported into Flare. The image file is stored by default at the root of the Resources/Images subfolder in the Content Explorer.

• Embedded Images If you have inserted a picture as an embedded image in a Word document, the file name for the image is based on the topic name when imported into Flare. The image file is stored by default in the Resources/Images/[Word Document Name] subfolder in the Content Explorer.

  This is an improvement over how embedded images were handled before. In previous versions, imported images that were embedded were assigned a random number as the file name after the import. This is due to the fact that Word does not pass along the image file name when converting the Word document to an XML file. Because Word does not tell Flare the image file name, it cannot preserve it. Therefore, Flare does the next best thing in naming the image after the topic, so that it at least has more context than a random number.

Example

Let's say you have a Word document called "Doggies." Within this document you have an h1 called "Dog Breeds." Under this heading, you have inserted a linked picture of Beagles (file name: beagles.png). You have also embedded a picture of West Highland White Terriers (file name: WestHighlandWhiteTerriers.jpg). After you import the document into Flare, you see that the following has occurred:

First, notice that the beagles.png file name has been preserved, and this file is stored in the root of the Images subfolder.

Second, notice that the image for the West Highland White Terriers was simply named "Dog Breeds.jpg," after the name of the topic that was created as a result of the h1 text. Also, a subfolder called "Doggies" has been created, based on the name of the Word document. That's where this image file is stored.

A new option in the Import Microsoft Word Documents Wizard lets you convert the first row of every table into a header row. This makes styling tables more efficient.

If you do not select this option, only tables that already have header rows in the Word document will become header rows in Flare. Tables without header rows will be imported just as they are.

Example

Let's say you have a Word document with two tables.

In the first table, the first row has been set to repeat as a header row.

In the second table, the first row has not been set to repeat as a header row.

First, you import the Word document but you do not enable the option to set the first row of each table as a header row. As a result, the first row in the first table continues to be a header row, just as it was in the Word document. And the first row in the second table continues to be a regular row, just as it was in the Word document.

Next, you import the Word document but you do enable the option to set the first row of each table as a header row. As a result, the first row of each table is now a header row.