2 posts tagged with "Plugins"

🧠 Feeling overwhelmed in MadCap Flare? You’re not alone.

Many tech writers jump into Flare excited to single-source everything, only to get buried in a maze of conditions, snippets, and scattered styles. The result? Bloated projects, inconsistent outputs, and a lot of rework.

Here’s the good news: with a clear strategy, you can tame even the messiest Flare project.

Planning and Authoring​

• Plan your documentation structure before writing
• Use topic-based authoring for modular content
• Create and use consistent topic templates
• Write structured content with logical flow
• Avoid inline formatting; use CSS styles instead
• Name files clearly with lowercase and hyphens
• Keep topic titles and IDs descriptive and unique
• Use master pages for headers, footers, and layout
• Embrace single-sourcing principles to reduce duplication
• Create snippets for reusable content blocks
• Enable snippet suggestions to encourage reuse
• Use variables for short, repeatable text elements
• Choose inline snippets when formatting or media is involved
• Use snippet seed text as a template
• Share content between projects using global project linking
• Apply conditions to tailor content for different outputs
• Name conditions clearly and consistently
• Use nested snippets sparingly and test thoroughly
• Group variables into sets for flexible output switching

Styling, TOC, and Output​

• Set up a stylesheet early in your project
• Avoid CSS mistakes like overrides and clutter
• Use named classes for consistent formatting
• Use mediums to define output-specific styles
• Hide unused or deprecated styles
• Debug styles using the Style Inspector
• Add comments and organize your CSS for clarity
• Preview outputs regularly to verify styles and formatting
• Use the TOC to control what content gets published
• Create multiple TOCs for different outputs or users
• Use grid view to manage TOCs at scale
• Automatically generate TOCs for print outputs
• Insert index keywords for search/navigation support
• Organize index entries with parent/child relationships
• Use auto-indexing for repeated terminology
• Keep TOC entries in sync with condition tags
• Define one target per output type or variation
• Customize skins and page layouts per target
• Use batch targets to build multiple outputs together
• Review the build log for warnings and errors
• Clean the project before building to ensure accurate outputs
• Use alias IDs for context-sensitive help
• Set up publishing destinations ahead of time
• Use command-line tools for automation

Organization and Collaboration​

• Use logical folders to organize your content
• Store assets in the Resources folder
• Standardize naming conventions across your team
• Use parent-child project models for shared content
• Run reports to clean up unused files
• Use project notes to document rules and structure
• Bind your project to Git or another VCS
• Commit and pull often to reduce conflicts
• Use branches for large changes or experiments
• Exclude output and temporary files from version control
• Document your source control workflow for others

QA, Accessibility, and Productivity​

• Build frequently to catch issues early
• Use Analyzer reports for style and usage checks
• Run clean builds to rule out leftover files
• Use divide-and-conquer to isolate build issues
• Review and act on all build warnings
• Test all output targets to ensure consistency
• Use headings and semantic tags for accessibility
• Add alt text to all non-decorative images
• Use proper table headers for screen readers
• Enable accessibility features in output settings
• Test with a screen reader or keyboard navigation
• Learn and use keyboard shortcuts for efficiency
• Use Find in Files to locate terms globally
• Use File List filters to manage content by type
• Pin frequently used styles and snippets
• Save and switch between custom UI layouts
• Record macros for repetitive tasks
• Use bookmarks to navigate long topics
• Use annotations for internal notes and review feedback

Plugins and Automation​

• Use the Kaizen Plugin for batch cleanup and markdown support
• Use the Mad Quality Plugin for editorial rule enforcement
• Use the AI Helper Plugin to interact with AI tools safely

The Plugins That Actually Make Flare Better​

If you’re using MadCap Flare and not taking advantage of these plugins, you’re leaving time and quality on the table. I built these tools to solve real problems technical writers run into every day. Here’s the lineup:

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🧠 AI Helper Plugin​

You want to use ChatGPT or Microsoft Copilot without breaking your Flare projects? This one’s for you. It converts content to Markdown and back while preserving structure, snippets, and variables. That means you can ask your AI to rewrite, summarize, or improve content—then slot it right back into Flare without cleanup hell.

👉 More on the AI Helper

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🧹 Mad Quality Plugin​

Think of this as your automatic editor. It scans your project and flags broken structure, inconsistent terminology, and style guide violations. Saves you hours of boring manual checks and lets you focus on writing, not hunting down rogue capital letters.

👉 More on Mad Quality

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🧾 Markdown Plugin​

This one bridges the gap between Flare and developers. Import and export Markdown without losing structure or formatting. Great if you’re working with GitHub, dev teams, or any system that likes Markdown more than XML.

👉 More on the Markdown Plugin

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🎨 Style Stack Plugin​

Tired of juggling 40 different classes just to make your content look decent? With this, you can apply multiple styles to a single element—just like in real-world CSS. Makes your stylesheet cleaner and your life easier.

👉 More on Style Stack

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🔄 Kaizen Plugin (Free)​

This one’s all about continuous improvement. It helps you identify and fix productivity leaks in your Flare workflow. Nothing fancy—just practical tools to work smarter.

👉 Get the Kaizen Plugin

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In short?​

These plugins exist because Flare didn’t do enough out of the box. They make your docs cleaner, your process faster, and your work less annoying. If you’re writing for a living, you should be using tools that pull their weight.

Let me know if you want help setting any of them up.