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Re: Best tool for Online Help in a web-based product
Subject:Re: Best tool for Online Help in a web-based product From:Robin Whitmore <r -dot- whitmore -at- INTERSHOP -dot- COM> Date:Mon, 10 Aug 1998 20:55:19 +0100
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<snip>What, in your humble opinion, is the best help tool for
developing OLH for a web-based product? </snip>
I've just done this for our web-based application. I created the help
files in RoboHelp and then converted to their new WebHelp. We could not
use HTML help, as our help files must be accessed by both IE and
Communicator. WebHelp is cross-browser. WebHelp converts the topics into
individual HTML files, changes the bitmaps to GIFs and creates a TOC and
index using Java.
Word is a buggy program to begin with. RoboHelp makes it more so. I
spent quite a bit of time cleaning up formatting errors (especially
numbering). Of course, once the files were converted to HTML, the
numbering issues followed. I spent more time fixing the numbering
directly in the HTML files. However, this meant that my original
RoboHelp file was now invalid. So any changes from this point forward
HAD to be made directly in the HTML files.
This turned out to be OK, the index and TOC files were fairly easy to
edit. However, I would not want to create them from scratch. Therefore
my advice to you is, create the "skeleton" of the help file in RoboHelp
(that is create each topic with placeholder text or just a few words).
Create as much of the TOC and index as possible in RoboHelp. Then
convert to WebHelp and do all editing and adding of text, graphics and
links in an HTML editor (I used HomeSite 3.0).
Any other questions, feel free to ask away.
______________________________________________________
INTERSHOP 3 The New Shape of Commerce http://www.intershop.com
Robin Whitmore; Technical Writer
r -dot- whitmore -at- intershop -dot- com
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 3.2//EN">
<HTML>
<HEAD>
<META HTTP-EQUIV=3D"Content-Type" CONTENT=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Dus-ascii">
<META NAME=3D"Generator" CONTENT=3D"MS Exchange Server version =
5.5.1960.3">
<TITLE>RE: Best tool for Online Help in a web-based product</TITLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY>
<UL>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial"><snip></FONT><FONT COLOR=3D"#000000" SIZE=3D2 =
FACE=3D"Arial">What, in your humble opinion, is the best help tool for =
developing OLH for a web-based product? </snip></FONT>
</P>
</UL>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">I've just done this =
for our web-based application. I created the help files in RoboHelp and =
then converted to their new WebHelp. We could not use HTML help, as our =
help files must be accessed by both IE and Communicator. WebHelp is =
cross-browser. WebHelp converts the topics into individual HTML files, =
changes the bitmaps to GIFs and creates a TOC and index using Java. =
</FONT></P>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Word is a buggy =
program to begin with. RoboHelp makes it more so. I spent quite a bit =
of time cleaning up formatting errors (especially numbering). Of =
course, once the files were converted to HTML, the numbering issues =
followed. I spent more time fixing the numbering directly in the HTML =
files. However, this meant that my original RoboHelp file was now =
invalid. So any changes from this point forward HAD to be made directly =
in the HTML files.</FONT></P>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">This turned out to =
be OK, the index and TOC files were fairly easy to edit. However, I =
would not want to create them from scratch. Therefore my advice to you =
is, create the "skeleton" of the help file in RoboHelp (that =
is create each topic with placeholder text or just a few words). Create =
as much of the TOC and index as possible in RoboHelp. Then convert to =
WebHelp and do all editing and adding of text, graphics and links in an =
HTML editor (I used HomeSite 3.0).</FONT></P>
<P><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D2 FACE=3D"Arial">Any other questions, =
feel free to ask away.</FONT>
</P>
<UL><UL>
<P><B><FONT SIZE=3D1 =
FACE=3D"Tahoma">______________________________________________________</=
FONT></B>
<BR><B><FONT COLOR=3D"#FF0000" SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Tahoma">INTERSHOP =
3</FONT><FONT SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Tahoma"> The New Shape of =
Commerce</FONT></B>
<BR><U><FONT COLOR=3D"#0000FF" SIZE=3D1 FACE=3D"Tahoma"><A =
HREF=3D"http://www.intershop.com"; =
TARGET=3D"_blank">http://www.intershop.com</A></FONT></U>
</P>
