RE: Help files for Java applications

Subject: RE: Help files for Java applications
From: Matthew Donovan <mdonovan -at- stavanger -dot- oilfield -dot- slb -dot- com>
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Fri, 11 Oct 2002 13:05:34 +0200


Hi,

just to back up David Knopf's comments, and provide more info for "mathew" <mathew -at- in -dot- fiorano -dot- com> ...

I have been using HELEN since it was in Beta.

It is a very good JH project management app.
It allows you to do neat stuff with TOCs, indexes, searches, etc. without getting your hands that dirty by hand coding (what I was doing before in a text editor).
There are some very useful project options (e.g. HTML + Map consistency checks)
The only feature I find a drag is the "import FIle / Folder" stuff but maybe I am using it wrongly ?

Almost all questions I had about the beta version were addressed by Software 7's Stephen Schlect - stephan -at- software7 -dot- biz
Some comments on the Beta were added to the Release.

Let's not try and work miracles. This is JavaHelp.
(e.g. "too dark" search highlight text that we have to override by code !!)

When coupled with a "simple" HTML editor (by associating in HELEN, for example) the whole lot works very well.

The disgracefully poor CSS support is a JavaHelp issue... not Helen, or any other tool.
I use a customized version of the CSS supplied. Basic, very basic, but it all works.
It looks damn ugly in my Web Editor, but ok-ish in the default Java Viewer.

All I need to supply to Dev. is a JAR of the help project.
Context sensitive mapping is done by developers using the MAP file (checked and modified automatically by Helen).
If they get picky (but they don't), I can edit this file to go with the flow.

That's about all I have to add.

But I agree with Darren Barefoot... the JH is SLOOOOW.

Cheers,


_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________
Matthew Donovan
Documentation Coordinator
Schlumberger Information Solutions
N-4068 Stavanger
Norway
_____________________________________________
mdonovan -at- slb -dot- com
_____________________________________________
_____________________________________________



<ORIGINAL_STUFF>
----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Help files for Java applications
From: "mathew" <mathew -at- in -dot- fiorano -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 12:04:28 +0530
X-Message-Number: 2

Hi,

I am creating help files for a product developed in Java. I create the
content using Dreamweaver (HTML files). The developers use a tool called
Helen to integrate these files with the software. The look and feel of the
help files is pretty bad. Moreover, the tool, Helen, does not seem to
support CSS files.
1. Am I missing out something here?
2. Are there better tools that we can use for creating help files for Java
applications?

Best regards,

Matt



----------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: RE: Help files for Java applications
From: "David Knopf" <david -at- knopf -dot- com>
Date: Thu, 10 Oct 2002 07:00:30 -0700
X-Message-Number: 15

Mathew wrote:

| I am creating help files for a product developed in Java. I create the

| content using Dreamweaver (HTML files). The developers use a tool
| called Helen to integrate these files with the software. The look and
| feel of the help files is pretty bad. Moreover, the tool, Helen, does
| not seem to support CSS files. 1. Am I missing out something here?

Yes. Helen an authoring tool specifically designed for JavaHelp
authoring. Typically, it is used by the Help author and not by the
developer. You author topic files (HTML files) using the HTML editor of
your choice, in your case Dreamweaver, and then use Helen to create
JavaHelp elements such as the TOC and index.

It is not that Helen fails to support style sheets. It is JavaHelp
itself that offers limited support for HTML4 and CSS1. If you create
clean HTML and limit yourself to the HTML and CSS syntax that are
supported by the JavaHelp, you can get clean results.

The appearance of the JavaHelp viewer itself is completely under the
control of your developer. The demo viewer supplied by Sun is bare
bones, and that may be what your developer is using. Many of our clients
have written their own JavaHelp viewers. Some of them look pretty sharp.


You should probably take at the HTML and CSS code used for the JavaHelp
User Guide helpset included with the JavaHelp software distribution.
These will give you a pretty good idea of what kind of tagging works.

Also, you may want to subscribe to the JavaHelp-Interest mailing list.
Details about joining that list are available on our web site.


| 2. Are there better tools that we can use for creating help files for
| Java applications?

Dreamweaver and Helen are a good combination for JavaHelp authoring. So
are FrameMaker + WebWorks Publisher, or Word + WebWorks Publisher
WordHelp. If you're authoring JavaHelp, be sure to steer clear of
RoboHelp.

Regards,

David Knopf / Knopf Online / San Francisco, CA
david -at- knopf -dot- com / www.knopf.com
See the HAT Output Comparison at www.knopf.com/resources/hatcomp

Consulting & Training on FrameMaker, WebWorks Publisher & WordHelp
WebWorks Publisher Certified
Consulting & Training on RoboHelp * RoboGURU
Member, JavaHelp 2.0 Expert Group
Moderator, HATT, wordhelp & wwp-users









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