Madcap Flare is an authoring tool used to create documentation for online help, user manuals, software documentation, and other content. It’s a versatile software tool that allows documents to be published in a range of formats such as pdf, online, word and mobile. Key features of madcap flare include:
-XML editing
-Multi-Channel publishing
-Single-sourcing and integrated cloud based editing
– Publishing Project and content management
Recently I’ve had the opportunity to try this software out for myself. In one of my weekly labs for a college module, I was given an introduction to MadCap Flare. I learned all about it’s key features and potential uses, and I even got to use the software itself. I was able to try my hand at creating a project and building targets. Although I’ve used a number of software programs while studying in college, I still found it quite difficult using the MadCap software. I’ve always struggled to grasp markup languages like HTML and CSS. Seeing new markup languages such as XML and a range of new concepts gave me quite the headache.
Despite all this, I’m looking forward to getting to grips with the software. At the end of the semester I’ll have to create my own e-book, so it’s crucial that I practice using the software. I’ll also need to have proficiency using MadCap Flare if I hope to have a career in Technical Writing. Many employers look for applicants to have experience creating technical documents with software packages.
As a result it’s safe to say that I will be binge-watching Youtube tutorials like this in the hope that I can gain some level of proficiency! Hopefully by the end of semester I’ll be able to report back here with an update on my experience.
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