House Style

Install and update

You need Windows and MadCap Flare 2026. The first install asks for administrator rights once.

Install

  1. Download HouseStyle-<version>.zip from the project's GitHub releases page, and extract all of it.
  2. Close Flare.
  3. Double-click Install.cmd, and approve the administrator prompt.
  4. Start Flare. The installer turns House Style on for you, so the House Style tab is on the ribbon and setup opens. If the tab is missing, select File > Options > Plugins, select House Style, and then select Enable.

If you have more than one version of Flare, the installer uses the newest. House Style needs Flare's Ribbon interface (View > Interface).

To upgrade a copy you installed by hand, run Install.cmd from the new download. Your settings and rule changes are kept.

Updates

House Style updates itself. Updates work only for a copy installed with Install.cmd.

  1. Once a day, House Style checks GitHub for a new version.
  2. When there is one, House Style downloads it and checks it. A notice says it installs when you close Flare.
  3. When you close Flare, the update installs, without an administrator prompt.

The next time you start Flare, What's New lists the changes. If a download fails, House Style tries again the next day. To open it again, select House Style > Help > What's New. If an update can't install, you stay on your version, and a notice says why.

To turn updates off, select House Style > Settings, and on the Advanced tab clear Keep House Style up to date. If the box says "Set by your IT department", your IT department controls updates.

Diagnostics… in House Style > Settings > Advanced shows your version and when House Style last checked for updates.