As a software developer you have probably evaluated multiple help authoring tools - from simple programs to complex and expensive systems. This article is dedicated to HelpSmith, my favorite help authoring tool, which really takes the process of help authoring to a new level. Let's just take a look at what you can do with HelpSmith.
Make CHM HTML Help Files
With HelpSmith, you can easily create CHM HTML Help files. Due to the WYSIWYG principle, HelpSmith provides you with a powerful word processor with integrated dynamic styles support and the live spell checker feature. So the process of working on a help system simply gets to a new quality level. You can use images, create full-featured tables, insert hyperlinks, bookmarks, and so on. Finally, being a complete
help authoring solution, HelpSmith makes it possible to create the Table of Contents and the keyword Index for your help file in seconds due to the built-in editors with drag and drop method.
Make Web Help from the Same Source Help Project
You can build Web Help by exporting all the information from your source help project into a series of HTML files: click the "Create Web Help" command on the "Project" menu or click the corresponding button on the toolbar (which is similar to when you export your help project into other help formats) and HelpSmith will prepare all the necessary files. A browser-based help system created with HelpSmith includes a collapsible Table of Contents (working the same way like in CHM), an alphabetical Index, and the Search feature.
Then you should put all the files of your Web Help system to your web server or simply copy them to a public folder if you need to provide access for coworkers in your corporate network.
Make Printable Documentation
You can use HelpSmith to supply technical documentation both in the electronic (with the mentioned ability to
create CHM and WebHelp files) and printed formats. Using HelpSmith, you can see all the results as they are before the final version of the documentation is compiled or printed out. You can print out the manual directly from HelpSmith; or you can export the manual into Word or other word processor you prefer, for instance, to demonstrate it to your clients who may not have HelpSmith installed on their computer.
Save Your Time by Using Dynamic Styles
Described above, dynamic styles is a mandatory feature for any help authoring software. Dynamic styles allow you to store all formatting information separately from help topics, which lets you make any changes in formatting at any time with No need to manually process a big number of help topics.
Also, with dynamic styles, you will not have to set the same attributes again and again while working on help topics. You can simply the part of text and then apply the necessary style to set the required options to the selection.
In addition, HelpSmith allows you to specify different views for a particular style (including styles created by the user), so the same style can look differently when the project is compiled into HTML Help, Web Help, or exported as a printed manual.
Styles will save much of your time and significantly speed up the process of writing documentation.
Single Multimedia Repository
HelpSmith allows you to use graphical and video files in your help files and provides an advanced way to maintain that multimedia. All media files that you paste into your help project automatically get into a single repository. This makes it possible for you not to worry about copying any file from its initial place on your hard disk. In case you need to copy the whole help project to another pc, for instance, in order to make a back-up, all multimedia files are already stored in a single place together with your help project.
Another benefit of the single media repository is that you can update any graphical file with NO need to edit all the topics where that media appears. For example, if you have a dialog box that has changes in the new version of your application, you can create a new screenshot and paste it into the repository instead of the obsolete one.
In addition, HelpSmith includes an automatic graphical formats converted that can convert bitmaps (.BMP) or metafiles into a more appropriate graphical format such as .PNG, .JPEG, or .GIF when you compile your help project into CHM or Web Help, for instance.
No Need to Know Anything about HTML or CSS Coding
HelpSmith is an easy-to-use product just like any regular office application we use for our everyday computer activities. So even if you are new to help authoring, you can start writing help files and documentation without the need to learn anything about technical issues of creating help files. No need to code .HTML or .CSS or even know anything about it. By concentrating on writing with the help of such tools as the full-featured style system, you will finish your help project much faster than it could be done with any other help authoring application.
