You can share review files containing topics and snippets with other individuals to get their feedback. You can transfer the files between yourself and reviewers in various ways (e.g., email, SharePoint, external resources feature, save to a network drive). The reviewer's changes are automatically tracked so you can see what edits were made. After inserting annotations or making changes to a file with Flare or with Contributor (for non-Flare users), reviewers can send the package back to you. You can then view those comments and accept or reject the edits so that they are added to the source file(s). In order to take full advantage of this process, reviewers should have a full, purchased version of either Flare or Contributor.
Workflow
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(Optional) Author—Open a topic or snippet that you want to send for review. If you intend to send multiple files for review at once, you do not need to open each one. In the next step, you can use a wizard to add more files.
Tip If you want to ensure that others do not make changes to certain portions of the file, you can apply locks to specific elements within it.
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(Optional) Author—Select Review > Send for Review. Choose Send a review package file, and complete the rest of the wizard to send the package, or save it to a location.
Note If you want to use the integrated email feature, you must have matching versions of Flare and Outlook. If you are using 64-bit Flare, you need 64-bit Outlook. Likewise, if you are using 32-bit Flare, you need 32-bit Outlook.
- Reviewer(s)—Open the review package (FLTREV file) in Contributor or Flare.
- Reviewer(s)—Insert annotations and/or make changes to the file(s) (if full registered mode instead of annotation-only free mode). Changes are automatically tracked.
- Reviewer(s)—Save and return the package to the author. Depending on your workflow, you might need to inform the author that your changes are ready.
- Author—Open the FLTREV package file and take action on it.
- Importing Reviewed Files (do this if you saved the review package, rather than using the built-in email feature)
- Viewing Reviewed Files in the Inbox
- Accepting or Rejecting Tracked Changes
- Accepting Reviewed Files
- Merging Reviewed Files
Example The following describes a workflow where you have decided to simply save review packages to a network drive (rather than using the built-in email transfer method).
In Flare, you open one of the topics that you want to send for review. From the Review ribbon, you select Send for Review.
The topic is listed in the wizard that opens, but you want to include more topics, so you click 
and select them.
Then, you select Next. Select Send to MadCap Contributor.
Selecting "Next" would let you set up emails to send the review package. Instead of this, you want to save the review package on a shared network drive where your reviewers can access it. So you click Save and choose the location.
If you have two reviewers, Contributor does not allow multiple reviewers to a file at the same time. So you send an email to the first reviewer with a link to the review package location, and ask her to open it and give you feedback. The idea is that you will deal with one reviewer at a time until you have changes and feedback from both.
The first reviewer double-clicks the review package file in the network folder, opening it in Contributor.
The topics in the review package are listed in a grid at the bottom of Contributor. The reviewer opens each one, making edits (which are automatically tracked) and inserting annotations. The tracked changes can be seen when the Changes option is selected on the Review ribbon.
When finished with all of the files, the reviewer saves her changes. If you were using the integrated email method, the reviewer would click Return to Sender in the Review Packages window pane at this point. But since you are not using that feature, the reviewer simply sends you an email or message (however you normally communicate), and lets you know she is finished.
Then, you do the same with the second reviewer, asking him to open the review package and give you feedback. He does the same thing as the first reviewer and lets you know when he's finished.
In Flare, you select Review > File Reviews. If you had used the built-in email feature, the review files would display automatically in the inbox of the File Reviews window pane. But since you saved the review package to a location, you select Import Review Package, then find and select the review package file.
From the File Reviews window pane, you open each of the files. The tab and local toolbar in the editor lets you know that you are looking at the reviewed file, rather than the original file that you sent out.
You accept or reject the changes, and either delete the annotations or keep them for future reference.
When you are finished with each file, you save your work. Then you click 
, which accepts the reviewed file back into the Flare project, replacing the original file.
After you've done this with all of the files, the Inbox in the File Reviews window pane should be empty (unless there are other review packages that haven't been dealt with yet).
Note As an alternative to using the review package process, it is recommended that you use MadCap Central for your review process instead. See Central Review Process.
