Sending Files for Review on Central

The following are steps for sending files to others for review in Central.

How to Send Files for Review on Central

  1. If you have not already done so, open the MadCap Central window pane in Flare (View > MadCap Central) and log in to Central. See Logging In and Out of Central in Flare.
  2. If you are using Git branching, make sure the appropriate branch is active. When you send files for review, they will be associated with that branch. See Branch Activities for Git and Switching Branches.

  3. From the Content Explorer, select a file for review (e.g., topics, snippets). (From the local toolbar, you can Toggle Show Files to select multiple files at once.)

    Note You can also send files for review using the TOC Editor. The advantage to this is that the TOC node is automatically bundled with the files. This allows reviewers in Central to see content in a TOC view for better context. From the TOC Editor, select the folder(s) or file(s), right-click and select Send for Review. (Alternatively, from the TOCs local toolbar you can select Send for Review.)

  4. Select Review > Send for Review. The Send Files for Review Wizard opens.

  5. (Optional) If you want to add more files to the package, do the following:

    1. Click .

    2. Use the multi-view buttons to find the file(s) you want to add. If you want to add multiple files, make sure is selected.

      Click to show or hide folders where files are kept.

      Shows or hides the folders that the files are stored in.

      Shows or hides the files. If you click this button when the Show Folders button Click to show or hide folders where files are kept. is selected, the area splits into two halves. The folder is shown on the left side, and the files and subfolders within it are shown on the right.

      Click to show or hide hidden files and folders.

      Shows or hides hidden files and folders.

      Click to move up one folder level.

      If the Show Files button is the only one selected, you can click this button to move up one folder level.
    3. Find and select the file(s) you want to add to the review. You can hold the SHIFT key to select a range, or you can hold the CTRL key to select individual items. When you are finished click Open in the dialog.

    Tip All snippets that are part of a topic will initially be included in the review. However, when sending files for review from Flare, you can remove any snippets from the File grid to exclude them from the review. You might choose to exclude some (or all) snippets from the review if you think it will be too confusing and too many files for your reviewers. If you exclude snippets, they will still be visible in the topic in Central, but the snippets will be read-only. Therefore, reviewers won’t be able to make edits in the snippets, but in the topic they can insert annotations (comments) around the snippets in order to provide feedback.

  6. (Optional) When sending files from the ribbon, the Send Files for Review Wizard TOC field defaults to (none). You can still associate a TOC with the review files. From the TOC drop-down, select a TOC.

  7. Click Next.

  8. Select Send to MadCap Central. Click Next.

    Note If necessary, Flare also prompts you to commit and synchronize any changes in your project with Central before you can proceed to the next page of the wizard.

  9. (Optional) Select reviewers on your Central license who you want to review the package. Anyone selected automatically becomes associated with that Flare project on Central, and becomes an assigned reviewer for all files chosen in the wizard.

    Note You can select users who are active on the Central license, and those who are still in the "Invited" status (i.e., those users have not yet set up a profile to become active users). After invited users are active, they will receive review notifications and see all files sent to them for review.

  10. Click Send.

    Central Side After the review package is uploaded, reviewers receive an email notification with a link to open the Reviews page in Central. (SMEs automatically receive email notifications, but Flare authors must have the review notifications and email option enabled in Central to receive emails.)

    If you are the owner, review packages are listed in the Sent pane. If you are a reviewer, the review packages are listed in the Pending pane.

    Flare Side In File Reviews, the review package files display in the Sent Files area. This means the files are in an “Open” state, pending review.

Note If you attempt to edit a file that has been sent out for review and is still in an “Open” state, a warning displays. You can edit the file, but you may have conflicts with the version of the file being reviewed. As an alternative to editing the file in Flare, you can edit it in Central along with your reviewers until it is finished.

What’s Next?

After you send files for review to Central, you need to wait for the reviewers to edit and submit the finished files. If you have enabled notifications in Central, you will be notified when reviewers have submitted the file(s). You can accept and close files as the file(s) in a package get done. When all file(s) from all reviewers are completed, then you can close the review package. See Closing Central Review Files.