Converting legacy documentation
Technical writers sometimes convert legacy documentation into new formats. Typical examples are as follows:
- The conversion of printed documentation to online documentation
- The conversion of WinHelp to compiled HTML Help.
One project involved converting documentation from Corel VENTURA to Microsoft Word. Much text in the Corel VENTURA documents was correct and could be used in the new documents. However, the text needed much formatting. The screen shots could not be used, because they were old.
The Corel VENTURA source files were ASCII text files. The Corel VENTURA files contained tags that specified the appearance of the content. The Corel VENTURA files could not be saved as Microsoft Word documents. Therefore, TechScribe wrote a VBA. The macro converted the Corel VENTURA source files into Microsoft Word by applying styles to the tagged text and then deleting the tags.
TechScribe produced the converted documentation in approximately half the time that was necessary to produce new documentation.
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