What You Can Do in the XML Editor

A bookmark is a marker, or flag, that lets you create hyperlinks to specific locations within topics (rather than to another topic file in general). You can insert a bookmark at a specific location in your topic (e.g., at a subheading) and then insert a hyperlink that "connects" to that bookmark. This is a useful feature, for example, if you have a somewhat lengthy topic and want the user to be able to locate a specific place in the topic quickly. See Inserting Bookmarks.

You can insert special characters or symbols into content. This can be done by using the Character dialog, by inserting a quick character that you have specified, by selecting a favorite character, or by selecting a recent character. See Inserting Characters and Symbols.

You can create and insert code into documentation in dozens of languages. 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.

A condition is a single-sourcing feature that you can apply to files or different areas of your content. Conditions can determine whether certain information displays in some outputs but not in others. You can also control whether content displays on a certain device or screen size. See Applying Conditions to Content.

A cross-reference is an automated link that is based on a format with commands. This method of linking saves time because you don't have to type the link text each time, or manage it over time if the destination content changes. Cross-references are recommended when you are linking from one place in your project to another (as opposed to linking to external files or websites). The format can be controlled in your stylesheet. This lets you keep links consistent and change them in just one place by using the MadCap|xref style (or a class of it that you have created). Cross-references are also useful for converting online links to page number references when you are producing printed output (by having a separate format for the cross-reference style in the print medium of the stylesheet). See Inserting Cross-References.

A drop-down is a feature that lets you click a hotspot to expand and collapse specified content (paragraphs, lists, images, tables, videos, etc.) below it. See Inserting Drop-Downs .

From any location in a topic or snippet you can insert an equation. Although an equation may be composed of many different parts, in the XML Editor it renders as a single block of content. In that way, it behaves much like an image. See Inserting Equations.

Expanding text is a feature that lets you click a hotspot to expand and collapse content that appears after it in the same paragraph or other block element. See Inserting Expanding Text.

When you edit the content of a topic, you are working in the XML Editor. Sometimes called “inline formatting,” local formatting is a way to change the look and feel of content directly so that the changes are applied only to that specific content (as opposed to applying the changes throughout your project via the use of styles). However, using styles is recommended instead of local formatting when possible. See Local Formatting.

A text hyperlink is one of the most basic forms of a link. It is simply a hyperlink applied to text. When an end user clicks the hyperlink in the output, the location specified in the hyperlink opens. The location can be another topic in the project, a place in the current file (such as a heading or bookmark), or a file outside of the project (such as a website or PDF on the internet). See Inserting Text Hyperlinks.

You can insert images into content files (e.g., topics, snippets). Flare Desktop supports the following types of raster and vector image files: BMP, EMF, EPS, EXPS, GIF, HDP, JPG, JPEG, PDF, PNG, PS, SVG, SWF, TIF, TIFF, WDP, WMF, XAML, XPS. See Inserting Images.

Unlike some features in Flare Desktop, there is no independent index file in your project that becomes the index in your output. Instead, the index is automatically generated when you build output, based on index keywords that you insert into content files in your project. See Inserting Index Keywords.

A keyword link is a Help control that lets you open topics related to the current topic based on index keywords that they share. See Inserting Keyword Links.

If you have a content file open in the XML Editor and want to quickly find where it is stored in the Content Explorer, you can right-click in the file and select Locate in Explorer. Flare Desktop opens the Content Explorer, expanding folders to show where the file is located. See Locating Files in the Content Explorer or Project Organizer.

If you have a topic open in the XML Editor and want to quickly find where it is linked in a table of contents, you can right-click in the file and select Locate in TOC. If the topic is located in more than one TOC, a dialog opens, listing all of those TOCs. Select the TOC you want to look in and click Open. See Locating Topics in TOCs.

Micro content is short, concise information that stands alone and is easily consumable. In Flare Desktop, it begins with the creation of a collection of brief phrases and corresponding responses, such as questions and answers. After generating HTML5 output, these phrase/response combinations can be used in different ways as users interact with your output. For example, it can greatly improve the user experience when people search in your HTML5 output. It can also be used to create field-level context-sensitive Help. See Micro Content and Creating Micro Content.

Not only can you explain concepts and tasks to users in your project, but you can also show and tell them through the use of multimedia (video and audio). You can insert links to YouTube and Vimeo movies; files such as Flash, Windows Media, and Quicktime; MadCap Mimic video files; and 3D models. See Multimedia.

A text popup is a link that opens a popup box containing basic text that you provide. A topic popup is a text hyperlink that opens a topic or external file (such as a website) in a popup box. See Inserting Text Popups and Inserting Topic Popups.

You can quickly see how a topic (as well as a snippet or template page) will look in the final output by previewing it. The Preview window pane is dynamic, allowing you to keep the preview open while you work and see changes as you make them in the XML Editor. See Previewing Topics.

A proxy acts as a placeholder for auto-generated content or content that you have created elsewhere. When you build output, the content takes the place of that proxy. Proxies are used for online output, especially HTML5 output. However, some proxies can also be used for print-based outputs, especially to create elements such as glossaries. Proxies can be added to template pages (most common), as well as to regular topics. The difference is that a proxy added to a topic will display that information in the output only once (wherever the topic occurs), but if a proxy is added to a template page, the content will show up everywhere that the template page has been applied. See Proxies.

You can insert a quick response (QR) code into a content file (e.g., topic, snippet) using the XML Editor. A QR code is a type of barcode that can be read by devices such as smart phones. The data encoded in the QR code can be text, a website URL, an email address, contact information, or SMS (Short Message Service, which is used for sending text messages). Basically, QR codes are a way to bridge the gap between a static print document and search-friendly, more detailed online information at your fingertips. See Inserting QR Codes.

A related topics link is a Help control that provides users with list of links to topics that you've specified as being related to the current topic. This is similar to a concept link. You might use a related topics link if you are applying it to a topic that you want to associate with specific topics but you do not plan to reuse the same link in other topics. See Inserting Related Topics Links.

Styles and media queries can be used to make your content responsive in HTML5 output. This lets you present information—both its substance and structure—differently depending on the size of the screen or device. Flare Desktop provides a Responsive Layout window pane that helps you create this kind of content more easily. You also have the option of using third-party solutions (e.g., Zurb Foundation grid system) by adding the appropriate styles in your stylesheets and topics. See Creating Responsive Layouts.

A concept link is a Help control that lets users open topics that you've determined are related to the current topic. It is similar to the related topics link. However, whereas you associate a related topics link with specific individual topics (usually for a one-time use), you associate a concept link with a group of topics (to be reused in different topics). One great benefit of this type of link is that, if you later want to add or delete topics from the group, you only need to do so in one place and the changes are applied to every topic containing that concept link. See Inserting Concept Links.

You can add a slideshow as an alternative way to display content, using navigation controls to move from slide to slide to view different content. Most kinds of content can be placed into a slideshow, including snippets, text, tables, and more. See Inserting and Navigating in Slideshows.

A snippet is a chunk of formatted content that is heavily used in single-sourcing. Snippets can include text, tables, images, and whatever else can be included in a normal topic. You can insert snippets into one or more topics throughout your project, thus allowing you to reuse content that is maintained in one place. You can even insert them into other snippets, creating nested snippets. Snippets are not usually intended for single words or very short phrases that change frequently. In those cases, you probably want to use variables instead. See Creating Snippets From Existing Content and Inserting Snippets.

If you are using styles in your project, you can change the look of content simply by applying styles to it. See Applying Styles to Content.

A table in Flare Desktop is much like it is in any word processing program, such as Microsoft Word, or in a printed textbook. It is a group of intersecting columns and rows that you can add to a topic for various purposes, such as comparing different elements. See Inserting Tables.

A toggler is a feature that lets users click a hotspot to reveal one or more named elements in a topic. A named element (also called the "toggler target") is a chunk of content that can reside anywhere in the topic. When users click the toggler hotspot, the output reveals hidden content elements. When users click the hotspot again, the content is hidden again. See Inserting Togglers.