Any way to take advantage of Xplain styles/themes in Impict

HelpXplain is the exciting new animated infographics and screencast tool that integrates with Help+Manual.

Moderators: Alexander Halser, Tim Green

Post Reply
User avatar
Rob Davis
Posts: 146
Joined: Tue Sep 06, 2011 9:45 am

Any way to take advantage of Xplain styles/themes in Impict

Unread post by Rob Davis »

Hi
Firstly - Congratulations - this looks like a great addition. and thanks for giving us another useful tool - this looks like it is going to help us enormously in an immediate tasks of adding step by step "how to's" to our Help files.
We will definitely use the new tool for this.

But at the same time, we are re-skinning our whole software package, and will have to update or completely replace many, many graphics which are currently in .ipp format - mostly screenshots with callouts, inserted highlights, arrows and numbering. It would be great if there was a way to have these conform to a set 'style'.
So, a couple of questions please:
1. What is the comparative total file size for similar graphics built in Impict or in HelpXplain? (Say a background image with a few identical callouts) - If we plan a few hundred graphics, it will help to know if we are going to bloat the package size by switching to HelpExplain. - (We can probably find out with trial and error - but your developers will know straight away)
2. I know you do not intend HelpXplain to replace all of Impict, but our reason for (possible) switching the old ipps for .xplain while updating the look would be to take advantage of the Theme capabilities - it is much easier than copying and modifying existing callouts just to get a common look and feel.
3. Alternatively - its there any way to take advantage of HelpExplain themes/styles in Impict? - Like is there, (now or later) a way to import HelpExplain objects into .ipp files or vica versa?

Thanks
Rob
User avatar
Tim Green
Site Admin
Posts: 23157
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 9:11 am
Location: Bruehl, Germany
Contact:

Re: Any way to take advantage of Xplain styles/themes in Imp

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your kind words!
Rob Davis wrote: 1. What is the comparative total file size for similar graphics built in Impict or in HelpXplain?

If you save your Xplain as a static image it will be pretty much the same as an equivalent Impict image converted to the same format (PNG, JPEG or GIF). Animated Xplains are larger, of course.

2. I know you do not intend HelpXplain to replace all of Impict, but our reason for (possible) switching the old ipps for .xplain while updating the look would be to take advantage of the Theme capabilities - it is much easier than copying and modifying existing callouts just to get a common look and feel.
You can copy the bitmap layers from your .IPP files but that is it. There is no way to use existing callout objects etc.
3. Alternatively - its there any way to take advantage of HelpExplain themes/styles in Impict? - Like is there, (now or later) a way to import HelpExplain objects into .ipp files or vica versa?
Not a chance, in either direction. They are completely different animals.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
User avatar
Alexander Halser
EC-Software Support
Posts: 4098
Joined: Mon Jun 24, 2002 7:24 pm
Location: Salzburg, Austria
Contact:

Re: Any way to take advantage of Xplain styles/themes in Imp

Unread post by Alexander Halser »

Like is there, (now or later) a way to import HelpExplain objects into .ipp files or vica versa?
Vice versa, we have an Impict => HelpXplain import on the wish list. But it's yet not implemented.
Alexander Halser
Senior Software Architect, EC Software GmbH
Post Reply