Embedding Scribd iPaper docs

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Martin Wynne
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Location: West of the Severn, UK

Embedding Scribd iPaper docs

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

I'm not sure where this topic belongs -- please Tim move it if necessary. :)

Although we can embed local video files in HM5 topics, it would be helpful to have an Insert option for web-based Flash files. That might be YouTube or similar videos, but I'm thinking especially of documents uploaded to Scribd. ( http://www.scribd.com , free document hosting).

Scribd looks to be an excellent way of including large pdf and Word documents in your Help system in a zoomable, scrollable format which doesn't get in the way of the main content.

They are displayed in the Scribd "iPaper" viewer (Flash Player), but the embedding code provided includes a lot of unnecessary HTML bumf which needs editing out before pasting it into an HTML code block. It would be great if HM5 could do that automatically.

As an example of Scribd, here is a bit of HM5 webhelp showing an embedded Scribd document: http://www.templot.com/odds/hm5_scribd

There seems to be a lot of potential here. For example it would be a half-way house to importing pdf content (which HM5 can't yet do). Likewise a Word file with many images or complex tables might be a lot easier to import this way. Also zoomable large screenshots, spreadsheets, charts and diagrams as an alternative to a toggle. The Search function on the Scribd viewer is excellent, although it can't integrate with the webhelp Search of course.

In theory it's just the same as clicking a link to the content, but many users like to see everything on the page, and you can add further captions and notes easily.

regards,

Martin.
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Tim Green
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Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Martin,

That looks very interesting and it's a great solution for embedding documents in web pages that I wasn't aware of yet -- I think the only barrier here might be the proprietary nature of Scribd, but I'll definitely pass the idea along.

If you're feeling generous you might want to post a brief summary of what you've found out about what you need to edit to embed the Scribd code in Help & Manual topics in the Tips and Tricks section of the forum... :twisted:
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Martin Wynne
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Location: West of the Severn, UK

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Tim Green wrote:If you're feeling generous you might want to post a brief summary of what you've found out about what you need to edit to embed the Scribd code in Help & Manual topics in the Tips and Tricks section of the forum...
Hi Tim,

OK. I've signed up for the Scribd API and downloaded the php library, but I'm still feeling my way. At present I want to add some buttons to enable the user to easily resize the Scribd document window. That should be just simple javascript. Ideally it could be resized by dragging the edges, but that looks to be a lot of work on a web page.

I'll post again when I know what I'm doing! :)

regards,

Martin.
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Martin Wynne
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Location: West of the Severn, UK

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Hi Tim,

After a bit of hassle to make it work in all browsers, I have added resizing buttons for the Scribd document windows. This makes them much more user friendly. You can see them at:

http://www.templot.com/odds/hm5_scribd

That's just a scrap page, and the code is still scruffy as you can see from the source. But it's clear how useful these embedded documents could be.

regards,

Martin.
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Tim Green
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Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Martin,

That looks great -- I remember that winter too. I was eight and shortly after that my family emigrated to Greece, under the illusion that it didn't have winters. It did, and the houses on the island were unheated and a lot more drafty than in England. I had fun sliding down the ice on the cobblestone steps on home-made sleds though... 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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wfDebbieBaier
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Embedded video/audio files in H&M

Unread post by wfDebbieBaier »

Hi,

This is very interesting as I am doing research for a client on using video/audio files for web-based documentation/demos. I do a lot of online help (H&M, Robo) but haven't done much in the way of including video clips for documentation.
One of the best things about an online help system is the ability to manage all of the pieces via the tool and indexing options.
I'm wondering whether it would be feasible to use H&M along with something like Scribe and IPaper, Youtube, Camtasia, etc. to deliver multimedia documentation on the web.

Is the Scribd/IPaper solution easy to include in H&M without a lot of special coding?

Seems like I remember something about H&M allowing inclusion of video/audio files but haven't found any comments about it in the forum except for this.

Any insights or pointers to info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks much,
Debbie Baier
wfDebbieBaier
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Joined: Thu Aug 06, 2009 8:01 pm

Videos in H&M

Unread post by wfDebbieBaier »

I didn't have a current copy of the H&M when I posted my questions. Downloaded a trial version and I see that there are easy to use options for inserting video. Should have done that before posting!

Anyway, now my question is, are many people using those options? If so, any things to watch out for or be aware of before including video in a project.
The basics are covered in H&M help (watch file size, use flash, players and codecs are required on the user's file system), but are there other practical issues that people have found?

Thanks,
Debbie
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