Content Conversion Logic

Since the content structure from previous versions is different than the current version, the following rules and logic are applied during the conversion process:

Document Conversion

A title is converted to a module document and stored in a folder of the same name below the root folder in the Library.

A module is converted to a module document with the name of the module. Each new module document is stored in a subfolder (of the same name) beneath the folder that was created for the converted title.

A lesson is converted to a section document with the same name of the lesson. The section document is stored in the same folder as the module to which it is linked.

A topic is converted to a topic document with the same name and stored in the same folder as the section to which it is linked. Both empty and recorded topics are converted.

Note: There are several reserved characters \ / ? < > : * " | that cannot be used in Library folder names. If these characters are detected in content you covert, they are replaced by an underscore (_).

Font Substitution

The current version supports only TrueType and Open Type fonts. If your content uses any other font type, a matching TrueType or Open Type font is used, if possible. In cases where a match can not be made, the font definition in the original content is left intact; however, it should be changed in the converted content.

Infoblock Conversion

In previous versions, Infoblocks were stored per module. In the current version, they are available for the entire Library and stored in the folders that are created for modules during conversion.

The term Infoblock is no longer used in the current version. Infoblocks are converted into web pages, packages, or URL/File links depending on the type of Infoblock in the original content. For example, Plain Text and Web Page Infoblocks used as concepts are converted to Web Page documents and Document and Bitmap Infoblocks are converted to Package documents. Web Page Infoblocks that are not used as concepts such as links on topic frames are not converted to Web Page documents but are linked to frames as URLs.

Depending on your content, it may be necessary to create multiple documents in the converted content to reproduce your original content. For example, if you have a bitmap image Infoblock linked to a module as a concept, the Converter will create a Package document that contains the image (in PNG format). It will also create a Web Page document that has a link to the image in the Package document. In this case, the Package document will have the same name as the Bitmap image Infoblock ID and the Web Page document will have the same name as the Module document to which it is linked as a concept. Since the new Web Page is used as a concept link, the text "_Concept" is also appended to the document name.

The Infoblock ID is converted as the document name during conversion.

Web page Infoblock tooltips are converted. In previous versions, the tooltip text was part of the Infoblock itself. Now the tooltip is part of the document that links to the attachment.

Infoblocks are converted as follows:

Custom Infoblock Icon Conversion

Standard icons that are installed in the previous version are not converted; however a similar set of standard icons are installed with the new version. Standard icons that are installed in the new version are stored in the System/Icons/Standard folder in the Library.

A custom icon is converted and stored in the System/Icons/Custom folder in the Library. Each custom icon is converted from a bitmap image to a GIF image that is added to a new Package document with a name of Custom. If there are multiple custom icons, each Package will be named and numbered consecutively (for example, Custom, Custom1, Custom2, Custom3, and so on). This will minimize the number of duplicate names, but it may not completely eliminate duplicate names, since multiple authors can be converting at the same time.

Since custom icons are stored at the module level, there may be identical custom icons in different modules. The Converter will detect if the icons are identical and, if they are the same icon, only one custom icon Package document will be created.

Glossary Conversion

In previous versions, glossary terms are stored per module. In the current version, Glossary documents that contain glossary terms are stored in the Library.

All glossary terms for a module are combined into a separate Glossary document and stored in the same Library folder where the module resides. In addition, each Glossary document has the same name as the module.

Glossary term Infoblocks are converted to either Web Page or Package documents or URL/File links depending on the type of Infoblock that was used. See Infoblock Conversion for more information.

Markup Conditions defined for each term and glossary markups in the original content are converted. However, in previous versions, the target of a glossary link could link to itself; for example, the definition of the term could include the term itself. This is not allowed in the current version and therefore, these markups are not converted.

Keyword Conversion

In previous versions, keywords are stored per title and then assigned to topics. In the current version, keywords are stored as a property of the topic to which they are assigned. There is no Keyword Editor in the current version.

Any keyword that is assigned to a topic in the original content is converted and assigned to the same topic in the current version. Trailing spaces are trimmed from keywords during conversion. Keywords that are not assigned to any topic in the original content are not converted.

Template Conversion

Any customizations that you have made to templates are not converted.

Optional Name Conversion

The Optional name field is dropped from the Topic Editor. For topics containing optional names, the Converter converts the Optional name text to Object name text. If a topic contains both Object name and Optional name text, the Optional name takes precedence over the Object name.

Bubble Text Language Markup

Any bubble text that was marked up for a different language is not converted as this feature is not available in the current version.

Sound

Any sound that you may have created for custom bubble text, or Introduction or End frames is converted with the content. The sound is embedded in the topic and becomes part of the topic itself. It will not be converted to a separate file in the Library. You can edit it as necessary using the Sound Editor in the Topic Editor.

Publishing Styles

Any customization that you may have made to any publishing style is not converted (for example, a logo replacement for the Player). You will need to reapply any customization to the Publishing Project documents installed in the current version (System/Publishing/Styles/category/language code folder).

Role Conversion

In previous versions, roles are stored per title. In the current version, roles are stored in a master Role document in the Library and then assigned to topics using the Roles Property. When you install the current version, the Library is automatically populated with a master Role document for each supported language. The appropriate language property is preset for each of the master Role documents and the name of each document is Role.<language code>. For example, Role.en for English, Role.fr for French, and so on.

If you convert a title in a language for which there is no default master Role document, a new Role document is created with the language property of the converted title.

Duplicate roles are removed during conversion.

If you convert multiple titles at the same time that have different roles, the roles in all titles are add to the appropriate master Role document (based on language of the titles being converted).

In addition to adding roles to a master document during conversion, role assignments to topics are also made. In the previous versions, there were the following options when defining roles that impact how role assignments are made in converted content:

• If a Topic was set to "never appear" when role filtering is enabled, no roles are assigned to topics.
• If a Topic was set to "always appear" when role filtering is enabled, the Converter determines the list of roles that were available for the specific title, and assigns all roles to the topic.

Multi-user Considerations

During conversion, the appropriate Role document (based on the language of the title you are converting) is automatically checked out and all roles from the original content are added to the document. If a master Role document can not be checked out during conversion, the content is converted and the roles are assigned to topics. When the master Role document becomes available, all additional roles can be automatically added to the master document.

To convert content:

1. Launch the Developer and log into the Library where you want to store the converted content.
2. On the Tools menu, point to Convert from 2.x, and choose Content.
3. Click Next on the Welcome screen.
4. Browse to the location where the OnDemand.ini file is stored in the content from the previous version and click Next.
5. Select the titles that you want to convert by marking the checkbox next to each title. By default, all titles are selected and clicking the checkbox deselects a title. Choose as many titles are you want. You do not have to convert all titles at one time but you must select at least one title to proceed.
6. Click Convert to start converting content. The final screen displays the titles that are converted. You can click the View activity log link to display the results of the conversion with comments, if appropriate.
7. Click Finish to return to the Developer.