Configuring a Target With Feedback Explorer

Important Feedback is deprecated in Flare, which means that it is slated to be removed in a future version.

Feedback Explorer provides an interface that is used to view and track all reader activity in your online output. This is a standalone application that is separate from Flare. It displays user activity for the most recently opened Feedback file (which is associated with a target/license combination in Flare). For more information see the online Help provided with MadCap Feedback Explorer.

In order to view and track your users' activity in Feedback Explorer, you need to create a Feedback file. You can do this from Flare by configuring your Flare target with Feedback Explorer. Configuring the target with Feedback Explorer is an optional task, whereas enabling Feedback in a target is required when using Feedback.

After you enable Feedback for the target, you can launch Feedback Explorer, configuring and loading it with the information provided in the Target Editor. When you configure a target with Feedback Explorer, an FBCONF file is created and automatically stored in a folder called "My Feedback Admin" located in your Documents folder (or in some operating systems, the "My Documents" folder). The external Feedback Explorer can be opened independently outside of Flare; if you do that, then you need to open the appropriate FBCONF file from within Feedback Explorer in order to view the activity or change the configuration for that target.

For more information see MadCap Feedback.

How to Configure a Target With Feedback Explorer

  1. Open the target for which you want to see feedback.
  2. Select the Analytics tab.
  3. If you have not already done so, provide the appropriate information on the tab.
    1. From the Provider field, select Pulse/Feedback Server.

    2. In the Feedback Server URL field, enter the path to the server hosting the data.

      Note It is highly recommended that you purchase an SSL certificate and install it on your web server. SSL uses encryption for certain processes, which helps to ensure that the data transfer is secure. If you have an SSL certificate installed on your web server, make sure you begin the path to the server with https://.

    3. Copy the Feedback license that you have been issued and paste it into the Feedback Service License Key field.

  4. Click Configure with Feedback Explorer Application.

    The external Feedback Explorer opens, displaying the information and user activity for the target.

Note It is also possible to initiate the configuration of the Flare target (and create the necessary FBCONF file) from within Feedback Explorer. Although it is easiest to perform this task from within Flare, some individuals may want to do it from Feedback Explorer. For example, some people (such as managers) may not work in MadCap Flare, but want to track user activity in the author's online Help files. For more information see the online Help provided with Feedback Explorer.

What’s Next?

After the FBCONF file has been created, you can easily open that existing Feedback file whenever you want to view or take action on user activity (such as viewing used search phrases or accepting pending comments). See Opening Feedback Explorer.