Before You Start Publishing to Syndicate

Following are some steps you should complete and information you should know before you publish from Flare to Syndicate.

Note Upon purchase of Syndicate a unique Portal URL is provided (e.g., https://core-customer.bravais.com), where you can sign into the portal with your credentials (e.g., email and password).

Note Xyleme Syndicate is part of the MadCap Software family of products. This documentation assumes you have a Syndicate account set up and a working knowledge of the Syndicate portal. For more information refer to Syndicate documentation.

Syndicate Side

Following are settings and considerations on the Syndicate side of this process.

API-base vs. Regular URLs

Your Syndicate account has multiple URLs associated with it. The regular user URL (e.g., https://[customer].bravais.com), and the API-base URL (e.g., https://core-[customer].bravais.com).

For example, the company Fictionsoft might be set up with the following.

1) Tenant (or regular user) URL: https://fictionsoft.bravais.com

2) API-base URL: https://core-fictionsoft.bravais.com

It is the Delivery (CORe) API that is used to publish content to Syndicate. The base URL for the API calls is https://core-[domain].bravais.com, where [domain] is the user's domain name. Note that CORe stands for Core Object Repository, and bravais is the legacy name for Syndicate.

You can get to the Syndicate portal through a web browser (if you are not already logged in) by typing your user URL. It will redirect you to the API-base URL.

Default Inactivity Period

The Syndicate server will automatically log out users after a period of inactivity, so you might have to log in again before publishing. The default period of inactivity is 15 minutes, but it can be changed per customer on the Syndicate account.

Multilingual Targets

Multilingual targets in Flare can be published to Syndicate.

Publishing

If you do not specify a Syndicate publishing destination in Flare, you can prepare the output and upload it to the Syndicate portal manually. After you build the files in Flare, open the Output folder. For multi-file output types, select all the files and add them to a compressed zip folder. Then, from the Syndicate Admin Portal, add the document by selecting the zip file or single-file output type to upload the document.

Note When publishing manually, you might want to enter Index.htm in the Target Editor's Output File field. This will ensure that a preview of the document displays in the Syndicate portal.

Flare Side

Following are settings and considerations on the Flare side of this process.

eLearning Material

If you are using Syndicate as the destination type to host output, note the following if you select eLearning options in the target (i.e., you choose to generate a SCORM or xAPI packaging). When Flare builds output for HTML5 that includes eLearning, it generates an LMSPackage folder in the project’s output folder with a zip file. But when Flare publishes to Syndicate, only the LMS package is automatically uploaded (and not the whole project zip file).

Flare to Syndicate Only

Flare supports sending output to Syndicate but not importing content from it. Be aware that every time you republish an already uploaded document to the Syndicate server, it creates a new version of it.

Syndicate Benefits

Syndicate supports the delivery and analysis of documentation for both eLearning and technical communication. It is a useful platform for administrators who manage content and for learners who consume content. Syndicate provides a way for organizations to centralize many types of documents, search the repository, allow multiple learning management systems (LMSs) to access the same content, and track interactions users have with content.

Following are some of the Syndicate hosting features that are particularly appealing to technical communicators.

Hosting Feature

Description

Access to outputs

Syndicate is a content delivery system. Each document (e.g., eLearning, video, PDF, HTML) can have one or more URLs associated with it. Content can be syndicated out via shared links (public or private) to other places such as LMSs, web applications, internal help desks; and from there provide direct access.

Analytics

Syndicate analytics centers on tracking user interactions with content. It can track how users consume content such as individual topics or videos. For eLearning it can manage millions of records in its built-in learning record store (LRS).

Content delivery network (CDN)

Syndicate uses a global network of interconnected servers that speeds up loading data to end users.

Custom domain

Syndicate supports domain white labeling which enables you to present your organization on a branded, customized URL.

Faceted searches with taxonomies

Syndicate supports content search through a predefined set of attributes such as resource type, format, language, etc. It also offers a customizable taxonomy that can enhance a search. This is primarily useful internally within Syndicate.

Federated searches

A federated search lets you search for content across multiple data sources (in this case, different outputs uploaded to Syndicate). You can search for content in the Syndicate portal directly, but this only looks at documents residing in Syndicate. Therefore, it is primarily useful for internal purposes. However, the entire search experience can be externalized to a third-party application via an integration leveraging Syndicate's expansive application programming interface (API) library.

Note When search is externalized, it is technically possible to federate the search. The integration might query content residing in Syndicate but also content in other libraries (e.g., SharePoint, Zendesk, Confluence).

Headless Content via API Shared Integrations

With Syndicate, you can use application programming interface (API) shared integrations to extract specific pieces of content from your output uploaded to Syndicate. This can be especially useful with any micro content that you produce in a Flare project. These extracted content objects can then be displayed in other applications or services that your company uses, essentially producing headless content.

Multi-Channel eLearning Management

eLearning packages (compliant with SCORM and xAPI) that originate from Flare can be uploaded to Syndicate. In Syndicate you can manage eLearning thin packages with learning record store (LRS) functionality.

Permissions

Access to content in Syndicate can be controlled at the folder and document levels using a group-based permission model.

Single sign-on (SSO)

Syndicate supports user login with SSO and can work with more than one identity provider (IdP), including authentication access for non-SSO users.

Schedule activation dates

The accessibility of a published document can be automated through activation dates (i.e., enabling viewing via a shared link) and deactivation dates (i.e., disabling shared links to the document).

Versioning

Syndicate tracks version histories of a document which facilitates compliance and audits. Versions are established when a document is replaced with a newer uploaded document or republished in the same folder and output profile.

Note To compare Syndicate hosting features with Central, see Syndicate vs. Central Hosting Features.

What’s Next?

Creating Destination Files for Syndicate