How to store large manuals online 2

[LesliePay]

My client wants me to add 2 large training manuals to the website (don't know the actual size yet, they are being translated from about 300 A4 pages each)- users would access by clicking Icon, then browse whole sections, or print certain pages etc.

I am looking for a suitable method for storing and accessing these - what tool/software to use? All I have used previously have been links to .pdf documents which I have ftp'd to a specific directory on the same web server as the site.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank's in advance.

 

[audiopro]

PDF (eg. Adobe Acrobat) is probably the best way to go but this method is not without its problems. I see examples where text within the document is obscured by pictures.
Usually down to user error while compiling the pages but worth a mention to save you remedial work later.
Keith

 

[DaRNCaT]

PDF's also have accessability issues, and if you are ever going to have sight impaired people read the manuals, you will have to make sure the PDFs are accessable.

I hate frames, but in this case, possibly a frameset if you are going to use HTML, or a database might be the answer if you don't want to use .pdfs

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Sometimes, when my code just won't behave, I take it outside and make it listen to britney spears music, and when it comes back it's really well behaved. I wonder if it's suffering from post tramatic stress syndrome now..

 

[grtfercho]

Have all your pages saved to a database, let the users select the individual pages they want to see, or chapters or the whole manual if they want.

then process the request and show it to them either as a word document, a PDF or plain HTML.

there's plenty of programs out there that can be installed in your server and will provide you with the functions to transform your data ( your pages in the database) to one of the formats mentioned.

THe idea of having just one download for the whole PDF manual seems too much for a dialup connection, specially if we are talking 300 pages.


grtfercho çB^]\..
"Imagination is more important than Knowledge" A. Einstein
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http://www.llajta.com

 

[LesliePay]

I am not sure where the database option will lead me but I will try it as it would appear to provide a usable solution. I am familiar with PDF's so will not discount that option either, just yet.

Thank's for the replies.

 

[RipH]

Another possible solution is to use Quadralay's WebWorks Publisher product. You don't mention what format your source documents are in; there is a version of Publisher for MS Word and Adobe FrameMaker. You can create a multitude of output formats from simple HTML to XML and Help. I have been using this product for 3 years and am very satisfied. If you have additional questions you can respond here or email me directly.

Rip Henry
Lewisberry, PA USA