USER GUIDEMADCAP CENTRAL

Getting Started GuideCopyright 2020 MadCap Software. All rights reserved.
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document isfurnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only inaccordance 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 forany purpose other than the purchaser's personal use without the written permission of MadCap Software.
MadCap Software
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San Diego, California 92122
858-320-0387
www.madcapsoftware.com

THIS PDF WAS CREATED US ING M ADCAP FL ARE.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1
Introduction

5

CHAPTER 2
Interface
Responsive Interface

7
13

CHAPTER 3
Users and Permissions

15

CHAPTER 4
Teams

24

CHAPTER 5
Projects and Builds

CONTENTS

27

Uploading Projects

29

Associating Users With Projects

30

Project Dashboard

36

Builds37

Checklists

38

Files

39

Commits40

iii

Reports

41

Accessing Other Projects

42

CHAPTER 6
Sites

44

CHAPTER 7
Analytics

45

CHAPTER 8
Reviews

47

CHAPTER 9
Tasks

49

Board

52

Grid

58

Calendar59

Backlog62

Archive

63

CHAPTER 10
Translation

64

CHAPTER 11
Widgets

66

APPENDIX
PDFs

CONTENTS

70

iv

CHAPTER 1

Introduction
MadCap Central is a cloud-based platform that lets you plan, track, and manage the processes,
content, and teams that are at the heart of your organization. It is especially ideal for MadCap Flareusers, but even non-Flare users can take advantage of MadCap Central.

CHAPTER 1

5

This guide discusses the following:nInterface Take a quick look at the basic areas of the interface, especially the main navigation
framework. See "Interface" on page 7.

nUsers and Permissions Learn about inviting users to your license and setting permissions tocontrol what each person is allowed to do. See "Users and Permissions" on page 15.

nTeams Discover how you can organize users on your license into teams. See "Teams" on page
24.

nProjects and Builds See how you can upload Flare projects, associate users with them, andmanage builds (output). See "Projects and Builds" on page 27.

nSites Learn about using sites to manage your output (live and/or private), as well as thedomains (URLs) for accessing the output. See "Sites" on page 44.

nAnalytics View user activity on published Flare HTML5 output. See "Analytics" on page 45.

nReviews Take a look at how you can view, edit, and manage Flare review files. See "Reviews"
on page 47.

nTasks Understand how tasks can help you manage your workload and processes. See "Tasks"
on page 49.

nTranslation Request a quote to have your projects and files translated into other languages.
See "Translation" on page 64.

nWidgets Learn how to insert information objects (widgets) into your Home and Project
dashboards. See "Widgets" on page 66.

CHAPTER 1

6

CHAPTER 2Interface
After you first log in to Central, you will see your name at the top, next to the name of your license. If
you are a user on more than one license, you can use the drop-down field to switch between
licenses without signing out.

CHAPTER 2

7

On the left side is a series of icons that open the different pages and dashboards where you will
work. In order, these are: Home, Projects, Tasks, Reviews, Teams, Users, and Translation.

NOTE If you are a Subject Matter Expert (SME), rather than a Flare author, you will only see
the Reviews page.

Your Home dashboard is initially empty, but you can add widgets to it by clicking
at the top.
Widgets provide a quick glance of various types of information throughout your system. See"Widgets" on page 66.

CHAPTER 2

8

Each page in Central has a toolbar that lets you add, manage, and remove information on that page.
Some pages—such as Projects and Tasks—have additional options at the very top of the interface,which let you see different sub-pages (or views).

CHAPTER 2

9

CHAPTER 2

10Depending on the page, some toolbar options might not be accessible until you make selections byclicking the check boxes next to rows.

CHAPTER 2

11

CHAPTER 2

12

Responsive Interface
The Central interface is responsive, which means that the elements of the workspace shiftautomatically when you move from a large screen to a smaller one, or from a high-resolution
monitor to a low-resolution display.
If you are working on a small screen or at a low resolution, you will notice that the main navigationand some elements are moved into a flyout pane, which you can open by clicking
in the upperleft corner. This leaves the primary areas of focus in view, but also makes other options easily
accessible.

CHAPTER 2

13

CHAPTER 2

14

CHAPTER 3

Users and Permissions
The first person to log in to MadCap Central using your company's license has “User Administration”
permission. From the Users page, this person can invite other individuals to join the license.

CHAPTER 3

15

You can add multiple kinds of users.
n

Author This is an individual who works in Flare projects, creating and editing content. Most of
the features in Central are for authors only. When necessary, this person can send topics andsnippets that need to be reviewed by others. Along with the reviewers, the author can open
and edit files in the lightweight editor in Central.

n

Subject Matter Expert This is an individual whose purpose in Central is to review topics and/or
snippets sent by an author. Therefore, a SME only sees the parts of the Central user interface
that are necessary for reviews.

nViewer This is an individual whose only role is to view live private output. These users do noteven need to belong to your company. However, they must set up a Central password; not toaccess Central itself, but to see live private outputs with which they are associated. Viewers
can also see live output that is not set as private, just as anyone in the general public can. So if
you do not need private output, you do not need to invite Viewers to the license.

CHAPTER 3

16

NOTE A person who has the Author user type can function as either the original author or areviewer during the file review process.

CHAPTER 3

17

You can invite users one at a time or in bulk by pointing to a CSV file containing each person’s email,first name, then last name. If you do not yet have a CSV file, you can download a template fromCentral and complete it with your users’ details.

CHAPTER 3

18

CHAPTER 3

19

A person with “User Administration” rights can assign permissions to other users (Authors only, not
SMEs or Viewers). Some users might receive only basic permissions, while others might be granted
higher administrative rights.

CHAPTER 3

20

When a new user is invited, that person receives an email. The individual must click a link tocomplete the invitation to Central. This allows the user to confirm or edit his or her name, and set up
a password. After the user submits the information, the account is activated.

CHAPTER 3

21

From the Users page, you can see all other users in the system, view their profiles, and contact
them. Users with a crown icon have “User Administration” permission.

If you click your avatar or name at the top of the interface, you can select User Settings to view andmodify your profile.

CHAPTER 3

22

NOTE The notifications feature—which can be seen after you click Edit in the Profile
dialog—is available for Author user types only, not for SMEs or Viewers.

CHAPTER 3

23

CHAPTER 4

Teams
The Teams page can be used to organize users into groups. This provides a convenient way toassociate authors with projects. Teams are also important if you produce private output, because
only members of a team that is associated with the private site can view that output.

CHAPTER 4

24

Not only can you associate specific users with a team, but you can also link teams to uploaded Flareprojects and sites.

CHAPTER 4

25

After teams are created, you can see the users and projects associated with each one.

CHAPTER 4

26

CHAPTER 5

Projects and Builds
The Projects page displays a grid, which lists all MadCap Flare projects that have been uploaded toyour Central license. These are copies of the local projects located on users’ desktops. There aremany good reasons to upload (i.e., bind) Flare projects to Central, including (but not limited to) the
following: (1) You can let Central build and host your output, which means you can publish without
having to involve an IT department; (2) the connection between your local Flare project files and thecloned files on Central can be used as a source control solution, (3) you can use Central as aplatform for topic reviews, and (4) you can manage progress on topic development by using
checklists.

CHAPTER 5

27

This chapter discusses the following:

CHAPTER 5

Uploading Projects

29

Associating Users With Projects

30

Project Dashboard

36

Builds37

Checklists

38

Files

39

Commits

40

Reports

41

Accessing Other Projects

4228

Uploading Projects
You do not upload projects from within Central. Instead, you do this from the desktop project itself,using a recent version of Flare that supports it.

IMPORTANT Central is not a replacement for your desktop Flare application. You continue
to author your project content locally in Flare. If you are working in a single-bound model,
you then commit your files and synchronize (pull, push) your changes with the cloned
project on Central. If you are working in a dual-bound model, you use your normal (thirdparty) source control tool to synchronize your files and then use Flare to push thosechanges to Central. Whichever method you use, this ensures that your files are up-to-datein Central before you build output.

NOTE When you upload a Flare project to Central, the files are connected to Central via an
integrated source control system. Your interaction with source control can follow one oftwo models—single-bound or dual-bound. For more information, see the online Help or the
Projects and Builds Guide.

CHAPTER 5

29

Associating Users With Projects
All users can see all the projects listed in the grid on the Projects page. However, to open a project(by clicking on its name) or take action on it, you must be associated with that project. There are a
few ways to become associated with a project. First, you can upload a project to Central yourself.
Second, another user can add you to his or her project. Third, if you have “Manage Teams andProjects” permission, you can open your profile and add yourself to a project. And fourth, if anotheruser sends files from a project for you to review, you will automatically become associated with thatproject.

CHAPTER 530

CHAPTER 5

31

CHAPTER 5

32

CHAPTER 5

33

There is also a drop-down on the Projects page that lets you switch between seeing all projects andonly the projects you are associated with.

CHAPTER 5

34

CHAPTER 5

35

Project Dashboard
Once you are associated with a project in Central, you can open it from the main Projects page byclicking on the project name.
When you first open a project in Central, it displays by default in Dashboard view. As with your Home
dashboard, it will be empty at first. You can populate each project dashboard with widgets that youfind useful. See "Widgets" on page 66.

CHAPTER 5

36

Builds
You can click Builds at the top of the interface to work with the targets in the project. The Builds
view lets you generate, open, and manage output from a target. To set output as “live” (i.e., it can beviewed by the public) or configure domains (URLs), you can use the Sites page (see "Sites" on page44).

CHAPTER 5

37

Checklists
You can click Checklists at the top of the interface to create and manage checklists related to yourproject.
Checklists might have to do with specific files (e.g., topics) in your project. These are called “Project
Files” checklists. You can create custom columns for whatever types of activity you want to trackfor each file, and you can use a note column for specific information about each row. Alternatively,
you might create checklists for random things you need to accomplish, such as a product release“To Do” list. These are called “Generic” checklists, and they let you manually name each column androw. You can set the appropriate status on each item as you work, and the top of the interface willshow a chart and percentages as you progress through the checklist.

CHAPTER 5

38

Files
You can click Files at the top of the interface to see a read-only view of all files in your project in a
few different ways (preview, code, and history).

CHAPTER 5

39

Commits
You can click Commits at the top of the interface to see details of all the source control changes
that have taken place over time for the project.

CHAPTER 5

40

Reports
After opening a project in Central, you can click Reports at the top of the interface to see various
types of reports and statistics. When you select a report or statistical category on the left, a chartand grid are populated on the right with details.

CHAPTER 5

41

Accessing Other Projects
Once you've opened a project in Central, you can access a drop-down in the upper-left corner of theinterface.

CHAPTER 5

42

From this drop-down, you can quickly navigate to any other projects that you have permission to
open. This is quicker than going back to the main Projects page grid to open another project.

CHAPTER 5

43

CHAPTER 6

Sites
The Sites page lets you manage and view sites on the license. A site is a collection of information
about an output and its destination. In other words, after you generate output, you want to make itavailable to your customers. That's what sites are all about. Three page views are available: Sites,
URLs, Themes.

CHAPTER 6

44

CHAPTER 7

Analytics
The Analytics page lets you view user activity on published Flare HTML5 output. This includes
search phrases used, search phrases with no results, topics viewed, context-sensitive Help calls,
and demographic statistics (browsers and operating systems).

CHAPTER 7

45

Central Analytics works on Flare projects uploaded to Central, or you can host output on your own
servers. If you host the output outside of Central, you still need to use Central with a key to view theanalytics data. Also, the client must be able to communicate with Central.

CHAPTER 7

46

CHAPTER 8

Reviews
The Reviews page lets you view, edit, and manage Flare files that have been sent for review. Other
review tasks (e.g., choosing and sending files for review) are done from Flare.

CHAPTER 8

47

Benefits of this review workflow include:n

Cloud Review SMEs do not need to download and install any software. The review takes placein the cloud.

nMulti-User Editing Multiple SMEs and authors can make changes and add comments to thesame topic or snippet at the same time.

n

Review-Only Interface A lightweight version of the editor means a streamlined interface. You
will only see options and features that are relevant to the review process.

nAuto-Save and Tracking Changes in the editor are auto-saved as you work. In addition, allchanges are automatically tracked so that the original author can easily locate edits forapproval or rejection.

CHAPTER 848

CHAPTER 9Tasks
The Tasks page lets you keep track of work that needs to be completed and visualize the work flow.
When creating a task, you can provide various kinds of information for it.

CHAPTER 949

CHAPTER 9

50

Tabs at the top of the page let you see tasks in multiple views.

This chapter discusses the following:

CHAPTER 9

Board

52

Grid

58

Calendar59

Backlog62

Archive

63

51

BoardThe Board view is similar to a Kanban board. It consists of three preset milestones: To Do, In
Progress, and Completed. You can move tasks from one milestone to another as work progresses.
Anyone can open a task and add a comment to it. This lets you maintain conversations with others
related to a specific task.

CHAPTER 9

52

You can collapse and expand any or all cards. This lets you view more task cards on the screen.

CHAPTER 953

CHAPTER 954

CHAPTER 955

Also, you can customize the order of the tasks within a milestone column by dragging and dropping
the cards.

CHAPTER 956

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57

Grid
The Grid view displays tasks in a row format. You can click a task name to edit it. Also, you can use
the check boxes to select one or more rows in order to take an action on all those tasks at once,such as moving them to another milestone or deleting them.

CHAPTER 958

Calendar
The Calendar view displays tasks in a calendar format for the day, week, and month, with task cards
listed to the left. Tasks in all milestones—including the Backlog and Archive—are included. However,
only tasks that contain dates are displayed in the Calendar view. Small, color-coded circles
represent tasks and their priority levels. Hovering over a circle lets you see the name of a task, andclicking the circle opens the task so you can edit it.

Since the Calendar view can get cluttered if you have a lot of users and many colored circles
representing tasks for all them, this is a good place to use a filter. For example, you can switch
between All Tasks (showing tasks for all users) and My Tasks (showing only tasks assigned to you).
This and other filters work in any of the Task page views, but can be especially useful in the
Calendar view.

CHAPTER 959

To use the "All Tasks/My Tasks" filter, click the upper-left corner of the interface, which by default,
should initially say All Tasks.

CHAPTER 9

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Then, in the flyout menu, you can select My Tasks.

CHAPTER 9

61

Backlog
The Backlog view displays tasks that are not yet complete and need to be removed from the work
flow. The idea is that backlogged tasks will be revisited in the future so that they can be completed.

CHAPTER 9

62

Archive
The Archive view displays tasks that have been finished and moved out of the current workflow. It issort of like putting boxes of old documents into the attic; you want them out of the way but can
retrieve them later if necessary.

CHAPTER 963

CHAPTER 10

Translation
The Translation option lets you request a quote for translating your Flare projects and other files.
This quote originates from MadTranslations, which is the translation services division of MadCap
Software. Select Translation on the left side of Central, choose your Flare projects and targets,complete the fields on the right side, and click Submit. Within two business days you will receive a
reply from MadTranslations.

CHAPTER 1064

CHAPTER 10

65

CHAPTER 11

Widgets
Widgets are standalone information objects that let you see data at a glance and provide quick
access to certain areas. You can add widgets for all kinds of information on your Central license.
As information is added to your system, you will probably find it useful to add widgets to your Home
dashboard, as well as to individual Project dashboards. Users can customize their own dashboards
to meet individual preferences and work habits.

CHAPTER 11

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CHAPTER 11

67

You can click and drag widgets to resize them as you like on your dashboard.

If the screen width is reduced enough, the widgets are reconfigured to stack on top of one another,making them easier to see.

CHAPTER 11

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Keep in mind that you can add the same kind of widget multiple times to your dashboard. For
example, if you are a documentation manager, you might want to add a Task Summary widget andfilter it to show only your tasks. But you then might want to also add a separate Task Summary
widget for each of your writers to see the tasks assigned to each of them.

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APPENDIX

PDFs
The following PDFs are available for download from the online Help.
Getting Started Guide
Projects and Builds Guide
Security Whitepaper
Server Management and Purchasing Guide
Sites Guide
Tasks Guide
Users and Teams Guide
Widgets Guide

APPENDIX

70