Re: Help Authoring Tools

[Susan_Gallagher_at_Enfin-SD -at- PROTEON -dot- COM]

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> I'm responsible for choosing a help-authoring tool for our first MS
> Windows product. After a two-month evaluation, I recommended RoboHelp
> because it fits best with our authoring/development environment.

> However, my department's direction is to _reduce_ the number of
> tools; currently, we have a word processor, a desktop publishing
> package, a graphics package, a screen shot package...and so on.

> [...] is it possible (or even practical) to produce an .rtf file in
> FrameMaker that the Windows help compiler will accept?

          Far as I know, .rtf is .rtf is .rtf, so any program that
          produces it will work.  You can use FrameMaker, or for that
          matter, you can do it in Word.  The problem is discovering
          what .rtf codes/document formatting codes produce the
          desired effect in your help file.  I've searched high and
          low to find a concise .rtf reference.  It really doesn't
          seem to exist outside of the Windows SDK help files.

          RoboHelp, or any other help authoring tool, will let you
          specify the *outcome* and format the text appropriately to
          achieve that outcome.  That's their edge over constructing
          the file manually.

          I've brought the resultant .rtf file into word for minor
          editing/tweaking.  Looks like a document with **lots** of
          footnotes and some really strange format codes.


Sue Gallagher                                 |
Sr. Technical Writer                          |      "Updating a manual
Easel Corporation                             |     is like changing tires
Enfin Technology Lab                          |       on a moving car."
San Diego, CA                                 |        -- Edmond Weiss
Susan_Gallagher_at_Enfin-SD -at- relay -dot- proteon -dot- com |