Insert Ribbon

Various options are available in the Insert ribbon for adding different features and elements.

Opens a dialog that lets you insert an image at the location of the cursor. See Inserting Images.See Inserting Images.

Opens a submenu, which lets you select options for inserting multimedia (audio and video). See Insert Multimedia Dialog.

  • Flash Movie Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for inserting Adobe Flash files.
  • Windows Media Player Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for inserting Windows Media files.
  • Quicktime Movie Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for inserting Quicktime files.
  • Mimic Movie Opens a dialog that lets you insert a Mimic movie link into a topic. You must have MadCap Mimic installed on your computer in order to use this feature. See Inserting Mimic Movie Links in Content Files.
  • HTML5 Movie Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for inserting HTML5 movie files (e.g., MP4, WebM).
  • 3D Model Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for inserting 3D model files. See Inserting 3D Models.
  • YouTube/Vimeo Opens the Insert Multimedia dialog, with tabs designed specifically for linking to YouTube or Vimeo movies and embedding them in your content files.

Opens the Screen Capture dialog, which lets you insert a screen capture image into a topic. You must have MadCap Capture installed on your computer in order to use this feature. See Inserting Screen Capture Images.

Opens the Insert QR Code dialog, which lets you create and insert a QR code into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting QR Codes.

Inserts a slideshow element into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). You can use a slideshow as an alternative way to display content, using navigation controls to move from slide to slide to view different content. You can place most kinds of content into a slideshow, including snippets, text, tables, and more. See Inserting and Navigating in Slideshows and Slideshows.

If you click on the face of the button, the Insert Table dialog opens, which lets you insert a table and specify various settings for it.

If you click the down arrow, you can use a grid to select the number of rows and columns for a simple table and insert it.

See Inserting Tables.

Lets you insert or edit a text hyperlink in a content file. See Inserting Text Hyperlinks.

Lets you insert or edit a cross-reference in a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Cross-References.

Opens the Manage Bookmarks dialog, which lets you insert a bookmark into a topic. See Inserting Bookmarks.

Opens the Named Destination dialog, where you can name and insert a named destination for use in Adobe PDF output. This allows you point to a specific place in a PDF from the selected location. See Creating Named Destinations.

Opens the Create Glossary Term dialog, which lets you create a glossary term and definition, and insert a link to the definition into a topic. In order for this option to be enabled, you first need to select text in the topic that you want to use as the glossary term link. See Creating Glossary Terms and Definitions.

Creates and inserts an index keyword at the location in your topic where text is selected. To enable this option, you must first select the text in the topic that you want to use as the index keyword. See Inserting Index Keywords.

Opens the Insert Snippet Link dialog, which lets you insert a snippet into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Snippets.

Opens the Variables dialog, which lets you insert a variable.See Inserting Variables.

Opens the Insert Toggler dialog, which lets you insert a toggler into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Togglers.

Opens a submenu, which lets you choose an option.

  • Drop-Down Text Creates a drop-down effect from the selected content. See Inserting Drop-Downs .
  • Drop-Down Hotspot Lets you specify the exact text to use in a drop-down effect as the drop-down hotspot. In order for this option to be enabled, you first need to create a drop-down effect. Then select a portion of the drop-down head and choose this option.

Opens a submenu, which lets you choose an option.

  • Expanding Text Creates an expanding text effect from the selected content. See Inserting Expanding Text.
  • Expanding Hotspot Lets you adjust the text that serves as the hotspot. In order for this option to be enabled, you first need to create an expanding text effect. Then highlight the text in the current hotspot area and select this option. This pushes any text after your selecting into the second set of brackets.

Opens the Insert Text Popup dialog, which lets you insert a text popup into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Text Popups.

Opens the Insert Text Box dialog, which lets you insert a box into a topic (using a <div> tag) so that you can add content to it. A text box can be positioned in a variety of places on a page (e.g., aligned left on the page, outside frame, center of column). See Text Boxes.

Example You want to add a case study that is positioned next to the main body text on a page. Therefore, you insert a text box with a border and unique background color to make it stand out. You position the text box to the left of the body frame on a page. That way, it is clear to the reader that the case study is intended to provide additional information pertaining to the body text on that page.

Opens the Insert Footnote/Endnote dialog, which lets you insert a footnote or endnote. When inserting a footnote or endnote, an indicator (a number by default) is added at the location where your cursor is placed in the topic. Also, you can determine where the accompanying comment is inserted. A footnote is typically added at the end of a page, but you can also insert an endnote at the end of a document, chapter, section, or book. See Footnotes and Endnotes.

Opens the Insert Rule dialog, which lets you insert a rule (horizontal line) into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Horizontal Rules.

Inserts a manual page break into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). Placing a page break on a style may be the preferred method in many cases, but there may be times when you find that it makes more sense to use an independent page break directly in the content file. This might be the case, for example, if you need a page break to occur after a paragraph and just before a heading, but only in some outputs. After inserting the page break, you can set conditions on it if necessary so that it is used in some outputs but not others. See Setting Page Breaks and Column Breaks.

Opens the Code Editor, which lets you insert a code snippet. The syntax is automatically highlighted according to the language, similar to text editors such as Sublime Text and Notepad++. In HTML5 output, users can click a Copy button, then paste the code into a third-party editor. See Creating and Inserting Code Snippets.

Opens the Insert Related Topics Control dialog, which lets you insert a related topics link into a topic. See Inserting Related Topics Links.

Opens the Insert Concept Link Control dialog, which lets you insert a concept (See Also) link into a topic. See Inserting Concept Links.

Opens the Insert Keyword Link Control dialog, which lets you insert a keyword link into a topic. See Inserting Keyword Links.

Opens the Insert Shortcut Control dialog. Insert a shortcut control into a topic. See Inserting Shortcut Controls.

Opens the Equation Editor, which lets you insert a mathematical equation into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Equations.

Opens a submenu for inserting special characters or symbols into the editor. See Inserting Characters and Symbols.

  • Insert Quick Character Inserts the quick character. You can also do this by clicking the by pressing F11 on the keyboard.
  • Non-breaking Space Inserts a non-breaking space. This is a special space character that prevents an automatic line break (line wrap) at its position. Also known as a hard space or fixed space, it can be used to create multiple spaces in a row in systems like HTML that reduce sequences of normal spaces to a single space. You can also insert a non-breaking space by pressing SHIFT+SPACE on your keyboard.
  • Non-breaking Hyphen Inserts a non-breaking hyphen. You can also insert a non-breaking hyphen by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+- on your keyboard.
  • Favorites Displays and lets you select any of the characters and symbols from your favorites list.
  • Recently Used Displays and lets you select any of your most recently used characters and symbols.
  • More characters Opens the new Character dialog. See Character Dialog.

Opens the Insert Script dialog. Insert a script into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet). See Inserting Scripts.

Opens the Insert IFrame dialog. Add external content to a topic (e.g., a web page). See Inserting IFrame.

Opens a submenu, which lets you select a proxy to insert into a topic. A proxy is a placeholder for a certain type of content. See Proxies.

  • Body Proxy You can insert a Body proxy into a template page. You can then enter text above the proxy (for a header) or below the proxy (for a footer). In order for this option to be enabled, open a template page first. See Creating a Body Proxy.
  • Breadcrumbs Proxy You can insert a Breadcrumbs proxy into a template page or an individual topic. If a proxy is included in a template page or topic, the output displays a "trail of breadcrumbs" composed of the table of contents (TOC) entries above the current topic in the TOC hierarchy. See Creating Breadcrumbs.
  • Topic Toolbar Proxy You can insert a topic toolbar proxy into a template page or an individual topic. You can use the topic toolbar proxy to generate a web toolbar anywhere in any topics. This is an alternative (or an additional option) to the regular toolbar that can be included in all online outputs (via the Help Viewer or through the use of skins). See Inserting and Editing a Topic Toolbar Proxy.
  • TOC Proxy You can insert a TOC proxy into a topic. TOC proxies are primarily used when creating print-based output from your project, but they can also be used in online output, in particular when you generate HTML5 Top Navigation output that does not have a built-in TOC. When you build the output, the TOC proxy is replaced with the generated TOC from your project. See Creating a TOC for Print-Based Output.
  • Mini-Toc Proxy You can insert a "mini-TOC" proxy into a template page or topic. If this proxy is included in a template page or topic, the output will display links to TOC entries below the current topic in the TOC hierarchy (a "mini-TOC"). See Creating a Mini-TOC.
  • Index Proxy You can insert an Index proxy into a topic. Index proxies are used when creating print-based output from your project. When you build the printed output, the Index proxy is replaced with the generated index from your project. See Creating an Index Manually for Print.
  • Glossary Proxy You can insert a Glossary proxy into a topic. Glossary proxies are used when creating print-based output from your project. When you build the printed output, the Glossary proxy is replaced with the generated glossary from your project. See Creating a Glossary Manually Using a Proxy.
  • Endnotes Proxy You can insert an Endnotes proxy into a topic. You would use this proxy if you want to generate a list of your footnotes on a separate page of your output, perhaps at the end of the manual. When you build the output, the Endnotes proxy is replaced with the generated list of footnotes from your project. See Creating an Endnotes Proxy.
  • Concepts Proxy You can insert a Concepts proxy into a topic. You would use this proxy if you want to generate a list of the concepts in your project. When you build the output, the Concepts proxy is replaced with the generated list of concepts from your project. See Creating a List of Concepts.
  • List-Of Proxy You can insert a List-Of proxy into a topic based on a particular style class. This lets you create a list of elements, such as a list of images or tables in your project. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated list. See Creating a List of Elements.
  • Relationships Proxy You can insert a Relationships proxy into a topic or template page. This lets you create a link that is based on a relationship table. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated link, which lets users quickly navigate to related topics. See Relationship Tables.
  • Search Bar Proxy You can insert a Search Bar proxy into a topic or template page. A Search Bar proxy lets you create a field that can be used to perform searches in HTML5 output. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated search bar. If you insert a search bar using a proxy, you might also need to hide the search bar from some topics so that you do not have two search bars on a page. See Creating a Search Bar.
  • Menu Proxy You can insert a Menu proxy into a topic or template page. A Menu proxy lets you create a topic menu based on your TOC file, allowing users to navigate to other topics. This proxy can be especially useful if you are creating HTML5 Top Navigation or skinless output and you want a context-sensitive menu to display next to each topic. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated menu. See Creating a Topic Menu.
  • Search Results Proxy You can insert a Search Results proxy into a topic. A Search Results proxy works with the Search Bar proxy and lets you create a container that is used to display the results of end user searches in your output. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated search results. See Creating Search Results.
  • Central Account Proxy You can insert a Central Account proxy into a topic or template page. A Central Account proxy lets you create an account link drop-down, allowing users viewing private output to log out or edit their MadCap Central profile settings. By default, the account link is included automatically in the header of the regular skin. See Creating a Central Account Link.
  • eLearning Toolbar Proxy You can insert a proxy into a template page. The eLearning Toolbar proxy lets you include intuitive navigation buttons and controls in your course. These might be a Next and Previous button, or a progress bar. When you build HTML5 output, the proxy content is replaced with the generated navigation tools. See Adding an eLearning Toolbar Proxy.
  • Test Results Proxy You can insert a Test Results proxy into a topic. Creating a topic to use as a link for a custom test results page is just like creating any other content, but you also need to include a Test Results proxy. The proxy is necessary for displaying content such as the test results score, learner answers vs. correct answers, and feedback. See Customizing a Results Page.
  • FAQ Proxy You can insert an FAQ proxy into a topic or template page. The FAQ proxy lets you generate a list of phrases and responses for the selected micro content file(s) in most outputs. Results are static, based on specific criteria selected when the target is built, not on the search engine output. This type of proxy is ideal for including traditional FAQs, but it can be used for other purposes as well. See FAQ Proxy.
  • Knowledge Proxy You can insert a Knowledge proxy into a topic or template page. The Knowledge proxy lets you display filtered micro content items in HTML5 output. Results are dynamic, generated at runtime in the browser, using search engine rankings. You might use a Knowledge proxy to display content such as information about a person, a company, technical specifications, related tasks, etc. See Knowledge Proxy.
  • Promotion Proxy You can insert a Promotion proxy into a topic or template page. A Search Results proxy works with the Search Bar proxy and lets you create a container that is used to display the results of end user searches in your output. When you build the output, the proxy is replaced with the generated search results. See Promotion Proxy.

Opens the Page Header dialog, which lets you insert a Page Header proxy into a topic. Page header proxies are used when creating printed output from your project. When you build the printed output, the Page Header proxy is replaced with the page header from the template page your project (see "Body Proxy" above). A page header is simply a block of text that you can format freely and include variables such as page numbers. See Adding Page Header and Footer Proxies.

Opens the Page Footer dialog, which lets you insert a Page Footer proxy into a topic. Page footer proxies are used when creating printed output from your project. When you build the printed output, the Page Footer proxy is replaced with the page footer from the template page in your project (see "Body Proxy" above). A page footer is simply a block of text that you can format freely and include variables such as page numbers. See Adding Page Header and Footer Proxies.