USER GUIDEMADCAP CONTRIBUTOR 9Contribution Workflow

Copyright 2019 MadCap Software. All rights reserved.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in accordance with the terms of those agreements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system,or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording for any purpose other than the purchaser's personal use without the written permission of MadCap Software.
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www.madcapsoftware.com

THIS PDF WAS CREATED US ING M ADCAP FL ARE.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1
Introduction

5

CHAPTER 2
Saving Contribution Templates

9

CHAPTER 3
Creating New Documents

11

CHAPTER 4
Tracking Changes

15

Examples16

Enabling Track Changes

18

Hiding and Showing Changes and Annotations

19

Changing Your User Name and Initials

20

Changing the Display of Tracked Changes

21

Changing the User Color for Reviews

24

Finding Changes

26

Accepting or Rejecting Tracked Changes

27

CHAPTER 5
Annotations

CONTENTS

29

iii

Inserting Annotations

30

Editing Annotations

32

Deleting Annotations

33

CHAPTER 6
Sending Documents to Authors

34

CHAPTER 7
Saving Documents

36

Saving Documents as PDF Files

37

Saving Documents as XPS Files

38

Saving Documents as XHTML Files

39

CHAPTER 8
Printing Documents

40

APPENDIX
PDFs

CONTENTS

41

iv

CHAPTER 1

Introduction
Following is the basic workflow if you are creating original content to be contributed to a MadCap
Flare project.
1. (Optional) Save Contribution Template A Flare author might email you a contribution templatefor you to use when creating new documents. Contribution templates are simply files with certain settings already in place. They are a quick way to create and edit documents in a pre-set
format that the author wants you to use. You can save a contribution template and then use it
later whenever you need to create new documents to send to a Flare author. By saving thetemplate file in a folder called "Documents\My Templates\Contributor" you can easily selectit when you create a new document. See "Saving Contribution Templates" on page 9.

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CHAPTER 1

6

2. Create You can create new documents from the Contributor interface. See "Creating New
Documents" on page 11.
3. (Optional) Insert Comments You can insert annotations (comments) that are associated withspecific areas of text in the document. These annotations do not become part of the content
in the document, but rather are intended for internal use between you and others.

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4. After you finish a document, you can do the following.
n"Sending Documents to Authors" on page 34

n"Saving Documents" on page 36n"Saving Documents as XPS Files" on page 38

n"Saving Documents as XHTML Files" on page 39n"Printing Documents" on page 40

NOTE Because documents in Contributor are often used as part of Flare projects, you may
sometimes see them referred to as "topics."

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CHAPTER 2

Saving Contribution Templates
Supported In:

A Flare author might email you a contribution template for you to use when creating new documents. Contribution templates are simply files with certain settings already in place. They are aquick way to create and edit documents in a pre-set format that the author wants you to use. You
can save a contribution template and then use it later whenever you need to create new documents
to send to a Flare author. By saving the template file in a folder called "Documents\My Templates\Contributor" you can easily select it when you create a new document.

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HOW TO SAVE CONTRIBUTION TEMPLATES
1. In the Documents folder on your computer, create a subfolder and name it My Templates.
This subfolder can be used to hold all of the contribution templates that an author sends toyou.
2. In the My Templates folder, create a subfolder and name it Contributor.
3. Open the email message that the Flare author has sent to you, with the contribution template
as an attachment.
4. Double-click the attachment.
5. In the dialog that opens, click Save.
6. Navigate to the Documents\My Templates\Contributor folder and click Save.

NOTE In addition to contribution template files (those with an .mccot extension), Contributor lets you select other types of files from the template folder as well. This includes
document template files (.mcdoct), XHTML files (.htm), stylesheet files (.css), and page layout files (.mcpglt).

NOTE Any templates that you created in the past for X-Edit can still be used in Contributor,
but those files will need to be relocated to the new Contributor folder location in order to
use them when creating new documents.

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CHAPTER 3

Creating New Documents
Supported In:

You can create new documents (or topics) from the Contributor interface. If a Flare author has sent
you a contribution template that you have saved, you can select that template when creating the
new document.

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HOW TO CREATE A NEW DOCUMENT
1. Select File > New.
2. Select a file to use as a basis for your new document, either from a template or from anotherexisting file.

OPTIONSn

Factory Templates If you selected Factory Templates, you can choose from various templates provided by Contributor.
lllDocument.mcdoct This template creates a basic document with a header and alittle body text. You will end up with a document that has an .mcdoc extension.
Select this option if you want to create a standalone document, rather than a contribution topic that will be sent to a Flare author.
Topic.mccot This template creates a very basic topic file with a header and a little
body text. You will end up with a document that has an .mcco extension. An MCCO
file is the same as an MCDOC file, with the exception that it indicates the file was created specifically for use as a contribution topic. If you create an MCCO document,
you can quickly email it to Flare authors for incorporation into their projects.
XHTML Document.htm This template creates a very basic document with a header
and a little body text. You will end up with an XHTML document that has an .htm
extension. An HTM file is a good option if you want to post the file on the Internet oran intranet, where others can view it in a browser window.
NOTE You can quickly create a new XHTML document by pressing CTRL+N
on the keyboard.

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lStylesheet.css This template creates a cascading stylesheet (CSS). You will end up
with a file that has a .css extension, and it will open in the Stylesheet Editor. A CSS
file can be used to create elements with formatting. You can then apply the formatted styles to content in a document to change how it looks.
NOTE If a Flare author has provided you with a contribution template,chances are that you will use the styles provided by the author, rather thancreating your own stylesheet.

lPage Layout.mcpglt This template creates a page layout file. You will end up with afile that has an .flpgl extension, and it will open in the Page Layout Editor. A page layout is an element that you can create in order to determine page specifications (e.g.,size, margins) and to apply certain content (e.g., headers, footers, page numbers) toyour document for print-based output. Page layouts allow for easy configuration
through the use of content frames, a snap-to grid, dragging and dropping, alignment
features, and more.
NOTE If a Flare author has provided you with a contribution template,chances are that you will use the page layout provided by the author, rather
than creating your own page layout.

n

My Templates If you selected My Templates, you can choose from any templates thatyou have saved in your "Documents\My Templates\Contributor" folder. This would likely
include any contribution templates that a Flare author has sent to you. See "Saving Contribution Templates" on page 9.
NOTE Any templates that you created in the past for X-Edit can still be used inContributor, but those files will need to be relocated to the new Contributor folder
location in order to use them when creating new documents.

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n

New from existing This lets you choose an existing file of the same type—that you've
already created and stored somewhere—as a starting point for your new file. As with template files, your new file will take on all of the settings contained in the file you select. To
use this option, click the browse button
double-click it.

, use the Open File dialog to find a file, and3. In the Folder field, select a folder for the new document. You can browse for a folder by clicking the browse button. The Open File dialog, will open, allowing you to find a file.

4. In the File Name field, enter a file name.
5. Click OK.
6. For most document types, add any content, formatting, or annotations as necessary. If you
created a stylesheet or page layout, you can use the respective editors to make changes tothose types of files as well.
7. Click

CHAPTER 3

to save your work.

14

CHAPTER 4

Tracking Changes
For documents in Contributor, you can track changes and accept or reject those alterations individually. Each change is marked in a color (different colors for different users) and/or labeled in a
sidebar. Tracked changes are visible only in the editor in Contributor. They are not visible when viewing any output created from the document (e.g., saving to HTM, XPS, or PDF files).
When this feature is enabled, every change to the document—along with the user who performed
the change—will be stored in the document’s markup. For example, deleted text won’t actually beremoved from the document, but will instead be marked as deleted in the code. However, if thechange is accepted, the text will be removed from the document.
When a Flare author sends you a review package file (FLTREV) and you edit the content files within
it, your changes are automatically tracked so that the author can easily see the changes you made.
You cannot disable the track changes feature for these types of documents.
This chapter discusses the following:

CHAPTER 4

Examples16

Enabling Track Changes

18

Hiding and Showing Changes and Annotations

19

Changing Your User Name and Initials

20

Changing the Display of Tracked Changes

21

Changing the User Color for Reviews

24

Finding Changes

26

Accepting or Rejecting Tracked Changes

27

15

Examples
The following images show how tracked changes work in Contributor.

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CHAPTER 4

17

Enabling Track Changes
Supported In:

For documents that you create in Contributor, you can track changes and accept or reject thosealterations individually. Each change is marked in a color (different colors for different users) and/orlabeled in a sidebar.
When a Flare author sends you a review package file (FLTREV) and you edit the content files within
it, your changes are automatically tracked so that the author can easily see the changes you made.
You can not disable the track changes feature for these types of documents.

HOW TO ENABLE THE TRACK CHANGES FEATURE
1. Open the document that you created (not one you received for review).
2. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Select Review > Track Changes.

n

Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+SHIFT+E.

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Hiding and Showing Changes andAnnotations
Supported In:

You can hide or show tracked changes and annotations in the active document.

HOW TO HIDE AND SHOW CHANGES AND ANNOTATIONS
1. Open the document or topic.
2. Select Review > Show Changes.

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19

Changing Your User Name and Initials
Supported In:

When you first install and launch Contributor, your login user name is captured and stored in the
Review tab of the Options dialog (File > Options). The first two letters of the user name are also
stored as your initials. This information is employed whenever you use the track changes andannotations features.
For example, if you insert an annotation in a topic, your initials are displayed at the beginning of thecomment so that other users know where the annotation came from.
You can always change your Contributor user name or initials to something else.

EXAMPLE
Let's say your login user name is "johndoe." In that case, your initials are stored automatically as "jo." Although you want to keep your user name as is, you want to change
the initials to "jd," which other users will more readily associate with you. Therefore, youopen the Options dialog (File > Options) and use the Review tab to change only your initials.

HOW TO CHANGE THE USER NAME AND INITIALS FOR REVIEWS
1. Select Review > Review Options.
2. Change the text in either the User Name or Initials fields.
3. Click OK.

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Changing the Display of Tracked Changes
Supported In:

You can change the way tracked changes are displayed in the interface (e.g., in balloons, inline).
You can also enable or disable change bars.

HOW TO CHANGE THE DISPLAY OF TRACKED CHANGES
1. Select Review > Review Options.
2. In the Tracked Change Display section, choose any of the following.

DISPLAY ALL CHANGES IN BALLOONS
If you select this option, all changes—text and formatting—will be shown in balloons in the sidebar.

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DISPLAY ONLY FORMAT CHANGES IN BALLOONS
If you select this option, changes that include content only (or content plus formatting) will beshown inline. But changes that contain formatting modifications only will be shown in balloons
in the sidebar.

DISPLAY ALL NON-FORMAT CHANGES INLINE
If you select this option, all text changes will be shown inline. Balloons are not used.

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3. In the Change Bar section, select whether or not you want to turn on change bars. If you turnon change bars, a bar appears on the left side of the paragraph where a change has beenmade. Change bars appear in PDF output and the XML Editor.

4. Click OK.

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Changing the User Color for Reviews
Supported In:

The tracked changes and annotations for each user can be shown in a separate color. You also
have the option of choosing a specific color for all users.

HOW TO CHANGE THE USER COLOR FOR REVIEWS
1. Select Review > Review Options.
2. In the User Colors section, choose one of the following.

USE A DIFFERENT COLOR FOR EACH USER
Select this option if you want Contributor to automatically assign a different color for eachuser.

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USE THE FOLLOWING COLOR FOR ALL USERS
Select this option if you want all changes, regardless of the user, to display in the same color.
After you choose this option, click the down arrow below to select a color.

3. Click OK.

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Finding Changes
Supported In:

You can use navigation buttons in the Review ribbon to quickly navigate to the previous or next
tracked change or annotation in the file.

HOW TO FIND CHANGES
1. Open the document or topic.
2. Make sure you have changes set to be displayed. See "Hiding and Showing Changes andAnnotations" on page 19.
3. Select Review > Next Change or Review > Previous Change.

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Accepting or Rejecting Tracked Changes
Supported In:

You can right-click on tracked changes and use a context menu to accept or reject them individually. You can also use options in the interface to accept or reject each tracked change or all
tracked changes in a file. The reject option also removes annotations.
When you track changes, every change to the document—along with the user who performed thechange—will be stored in the document’s markup. When a change is accepted or rejected, allmarkup designating it as a change is removed. When all changes in the document are resolved, they
will not contain any history of changes made and can be considered ready for output.

HOW TO ACCEPT OR REJECT TRACKED CHANGES
1. Open the document or topic.
2. Make sure you have changes set to be displayed. See "Hiding and Showing Changes andAnnotations" on page 19.
3. You can perform any of the following tasks.

ACCEPT ALL CHANGES IN THE DOCUMENTnSelect Review > Accept Change > Accept All Changes.

ACCEPT SINGLE CHANGE
Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Click on the change you want to accept. Select Review > Accept Change.

nRight-Click Right-click on the change you want to accept. From the context menu,
select Accept [Type of Change].

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REJECT ALL CHANGES IN THE DOCUMENTnSelect Review > Reject Change > Reject All Changes.

REJECT SINGLE CHANGE
Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Click on the change you want to reject. Select Review > Reject Change.

nRight-Click Right-click on the change you want to reject. From the context menu, selectReject [Type of Change].

4. Clickto save your work.

NOTE Tracked changes are visible only in the editor in Contributor. They are not visible
when viewing any output created from the document (e.g., saving to HTM, XPS, or PDF
files).

NOTE This feature is not supported for MadCap Lingo review package (LIREV) files.

CHAPTER 428

CHAPTER 5

Annotations
Supported In:

You can insert an annotation (comment) into a document. These annotations do not become partof the actual content, but rather are intended for internal use between you and others.
This chapter discusses the following:

CHAPTER 5

Inserting Annotations

30

Editing Annotations

32

Deleting Annotations

33

29

Inserting Annotations
Following are steps for inserting annotations.

HOW TO INSERT AN ANNOTATION
1. Open the document or topic.
2. Highlight the content that you want to associate with the annotation, or place your cursor onit.
NOTE Do not highlight more than one paragraph.
3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Select Review > Insert Annotation.

nRight-Click If the track changes feature is enabled, you can right-click and select Insert
Annotation.
A rectangle extends to a sidebar on the right, with a line pointing to the selected content.
This rectangle will hold the annotation text after you type it.
Also, the selected content is shaded, indicating that the annotation refers to that text.
However, the shading will not be displayed in the output; it is for internal use only.

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4. Type your comment in the annotation rectangle.

5. Clickto save your work.

NOTE When you insert an annotation, your initials are displayed next to it. The initials are
the first two letters of your login user name. However, you can change the user name andinitials (for use in Contributor) to something else. For more information see the online Help.

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Editing Annotations
You and other individuals can insert comments and notes next to content in a topic. Annotations do
not become part of the actual content; they are simply comments for your internal use. You can easily make changes to an annotation.

HOW TO EDIT ANNOTATIONS
1. If you do not see annotations in the editor, select Review > Show Changes.
2. Click in the rectangle containing the annotation text and make your changes.
3. Click

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to save your work.

32Deleting Annotations
You can delete annotations that have been inserted into a document or topic.

HOW TO DELETE ANNOTATIONS
1. Open the document or topic.
2. Make sure you have changes set to be displayed. See "Hiding and Showing Changes andAnnotations" on page 19.
3. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Select the annotation you want to delete. Select Review > Delete Annotation.

nRight-Click Right-click on the annotation you want to delete, and from the context menu,
select Delete Annotation.

4. Click

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to save your work.

33

CHAPTER 6

Sending Documents to Authors
Supported In:

You can send a finished contribution document (MCCO file) to a Flare author so that it can be incorporated into a larger project.

NOTE There is more than one way to transfer files between individuals using Flare and Contributor. For example, you can: (1) use the integrated email feature with Microsoft Outlook,(2) add files to SharePoint or External Resources where others can access them, or (3) savefiles to your computer (File > Save, then Save As or Save To) and then manually transfer
them using some method (e.g., email). If you want to use the integrated email feature, youmust have matching versions of Contributor and Outlook. If you are using 64-bit Contributor,
you need 64-bit Outlook. Likewise, if you are using 32-bit Contributor, you need 32-bit
Outlook.

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HOW TO SEND A NEW DOCUMENT TO AN AUTHOR
The following steps include the integrated Outlook email method. If your systems are not set up forthis feature, you can use one of the other methods (e.g., or save to your computer and manuallyemail).
1. Create or open the MCCO file.
NOTE If you have just created a new document, you must save it before you cansend it.

2. In the local toolbar of the editor click.

3. Complete the email message with the address of the recipient(s) and any message text. Then
send it.

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CHAPTER 7

Saving Documents
Supported In:

After creating a new document, you can save it in various formats.
This chapter discusses the following:

CHAPTER 7

Saving Documents as PDF Files

37

Saving Documents as XPS Files

38

Saving Documents as XHTML Files

39

36

Saving Documents as PDF Files
Short for "Portable Document Format," PDF is an open standard format for electronic documentation exchange invented by Adobe. PDF files are used to represent a two-dimensional document in an device- and resolution-independent fixed-layout format.

HOW TO SAVE DOCUMENTS AS PDF FILES
1. Create or open a document.
2. Select File > Save > Save To.
3. In the dialog that opens, navigate to the folder where you want to store the PDF document.
4. In the File name field, enter a name for the PDF document.
5. Click in the Save as type filed and select PDF File (*.pdf).
6. Click Save.

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Saving Documents as XPS Files
After creating a new document, you can save it as an XPS file. Microsoft's XML Paper Specification(XPS) is a document format with a markup language that is a subset of XAML for Windows Presentation Foundation. XPS is an alternative to Adobe's Portable Document Format (PDF).

HOW TO SAVE DOCUMENTS AS XPS FILES
1. Create or open a document.
2. Select File > Save > Save To.
3. In the dialog that opens, navigate to the folder where you want to store the XPS document.
4. In the File name field, enter a name for the XPS document.
5. Click in the Save as type field and select one of the following options.
n

XPS File (Editable) (*.xps)n

XPS File (Editable. Non-Standard Extension) (*.exps)

6. Click Save.

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Saving Documents as XHTML Files
After creating a new document, you can save it as an XHTML file.

HOW TO SAVE DOCUMENTS AS XHTML FILES
1. Create or open a document.
2. Select File > Save > Save To.
3. In the dialog that opens, navigate to the folder where you want to store the XHTML document.
4. In the File name field, enter a name for the XHTML document.
5. Click in the Save as type field and select XHTML File (*.htm).
6. Click Save.

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CHAPTER 8

Printing Documents
Supported In:

You can print a document directly from the Contributor interface.

HOW TO PRINT DOCUMENTS
1. Create or open a document
2. Do one of the following, depending on the part of the user interface you are using:n

Ribbon Select File > Print.

n

Keyboard Shortcut Press CTRL+P on your keyboard.

The Print dialog opens.
3. Complete the options in the Print dialog.
4. Click OK.

CHAPTER 840APPENDIX

PDFs
The following PDFs are available for download from the online Help.
Contributor Workflow Guide
Getting Started Guide
Review Workflow Guide
Shortcuts Guide
What's New Guide

APPENDIX

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