#14837
Automating Development Tasks for a Large-Scale Help System
Although tools like eHelp's® RoboHELP® Classic can speed up and streamline the process of creating help topics, there are still many repetitive tasks needed to build a WinHelp system that supports a large, integrated application. This article summarizes one of the techniques that Fredrickson Communications used to automate the process of developing online help topics. Once the underlying structure and macros were in place, we were able to generate hundreds of help topics at the rate 15-20 per minute.
Lindsay, Bill. Frederickson Communications (2002). Design>Documentation>Single Sourcing>Adobe RoboHelp
#27646
The RoboHelp help authoring tool is now entering its thirteenth year of existence. That's a remarkably long existence for any software title. In that time period, we have seen an amazing expansion of the software industry throughout the 1990s and an equally amazing retraction due to the bursting of the Internet bubble. Making its start in the tiny offices of Blue Sky Software in LaJolla, California, RoboHelp grew into an extremely profitable product. It is also a market leader—having capturing some two-thirds of all Help authoring tool sales. During the Internet bubble years the company changed its name to eHelp, but RoboHelp continued to be its flagship profit center. In 2003, eHelp (and RoboHelp) were acquired by one of the leading providers of web tools—Macromedia. Now it appears that the end may be approaching for RoboHelp.
Welinske, Joe. WritersUA (2005). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#20037
Inside Indexing with RoboHelp HTML 
RoboHelp HTML, from eHelp Corporation, is a powerful software tool for creating online Help systems. Included within RoboHelp HTML is the ability to develop indexes for online Help projects.
Smith, Suzanne. STC Indexing SIG. Resources>Indexing>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#28789
Daigle, an Adobe community expert for RoboHelp, shares his reaction to the RoboHelp 7 sneak peak, and also explains the main features RoboHelp 7 will have: drag-and-drop functionality across the topics, double-byte language support for translation, the ability to have multiple topics open at the same time, snippets with graphics, removal of kadov tags, automatic breadcrumbs, and tighter integration with other Adobe products. Daigle speculates on reasons for Adobe's lack of transparency, and comments on the globalization of Adobe's development for RoboHelp.
Daigle, John and Tom H. Johnson. Tech Writer Voices (2007). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#14558
Online Authoring Tools: Descriptions and Demonstrations
It’s sometimes difficult to determine which tool is right for a particular job. This demonstration shows the types of online documentation projects that are best suited to each of three online authoring tools: Dot-To-Help by WexTech Systems, ToolBook by Asymetrix, and RoboHelp by Blue Sky Software. Technical writers who have used these products to create online help projects will discuss feature comparisons, system requirements for both author and user of the online documentation, and limitations of the tools. By seeing demonstrations of the authoring tools and the projects created with these tools, attendees should have a better understanding of what each tool can help them accomplish.
Roddy, Laurie C. and Lee S. Turner. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#30457
Preserve Changes in RoboHelp for a Linked FrameMaker Book
While it is ideal to maintain all the content in FrameMaker, there are special situations which may require the RoboHelp content to be out of sync from FrameMaker documents either for short duration or for small set of topics. These special situations can relate to project deadlines or project requirements which make the process of maintaining a single source difficult.
Adobe (2007). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#18646
Given our current economic conditions, it is proving very difficult for a lot of technical communicators to find new positions as either contractors or full-time employees. It is important now, more than ever, to look closely at the core skills we have and can offer our future employers. Almost all of you that I have talked to are technical communicators who develop online help and hardcopy documentation. You are writers, editors, and managers. Many of you understand the intricacies of the tools of the trade like Adobe FrameMaker and RoboHelp from eHelp. You understand the products so well that you can troubleshoot the problems faster than the product support teams.
Bates, Michael P. STC Northeast Ohio (2001). Careers>TC>Assessment>Adobe RoboHelp
#20033
Review: A Review of RoboHelp Office 2002
This is the first in a series of articles that builds into a personal review of RoboHelp Office 2002. This first article introduces the new release and discusses Topic Templates, Headers and Footers, and the new MS Word Import capability.
Ellison, Matthew. WritersUA (2002). Articles>Reviews>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#19763
The RoboHelp Community is a recognized leader in online support for technical writers and help authors. The RoboHelp Community includes the RoboHelp Knowledge Base, Community Help Author Forums, downloads, and other resources.
Adobe (2003). Organizations>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#23685
RoboHelp Office v.3x: the Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent
Overall, in my experience, writers and programmers prefer to use RoboHelp to create and maintain Help systems because the application has fewer issues with the Internet and programming platforms. In fact, for this latest version Of RoboHelp, I have only one minor complaint. Here is a summary of my findings.
Hewitt, Sally. MetroVoice (2003). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#20032
RoboHelp is the industry's top-selling Help authoring tool. Designed for WinHelp and Microsoft HTML Help, RoboHelp can also be used to produce WinHelp 2000, WebHelp, JavaHelp, and Oracle Help for Java.
Knopf Online (2003). Resources>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#19762
RoboHELP/RoboHTML Tutorials and Tips
A collection of online resources for RoboHELP and RoboHTML.
HyperTexas (2003). Resources>Directories>Help>Adobe RoboHelp
#15195
Single Sourcing with RoboHelp and Word
Details a nine-step process for single sourcing with eHelp's RoboHelp and Microsoft Word.
Barefoot, Darren K. Intercom (2001). Articles>Single Sourcing>Microsoft Word>Adobe RoboHelp
#31974
Several years ago, someone used the term WYSIOP (What You See Is One Possibility) when talking about the RoboHelp HTML editor, because what developers saw in the editor didn't usually match the results. I had what I thought was an absolutely brilliant leap of logic ;-) a couple of months ago when I realized that today's WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editors are really WYSIOP, because the results are determined by whatever layout template is assigned at the time the results are viewed.
James-Tanny, Char. Helpstuff (2006). Articles>Web Design>Document Design>Adobe RoboHelp
#27652
Tips and Techniques for Single-sourcing with RoboHelp X5
RoboHelp now offers a rich set of features for delivering multiple customized outputs out of a single project. This article by Matthew Ellison provides some guidelines and tips on using the key single-sourcing features.
Ellison, Matthew. WritersUA (2004). Articles>Documentation>Single Sourcing>Adobe RoboHelp
#10702
Using RoboHelp to Develop a Simple Web-Based Tutorial
Many technical communicators are tasked with converting user manuals and other documentation written in Adobe FrameMaker into online help using eHelp (formerly Blue Sky) RoboHelp. The problems they face concern not only going from FrameMaker to RoboHelp but also how to put the content in a form that is effective for online help. The solution is not difficult, provided the writer follows a methodical approach.
Kurtus, Ron. School for Champions (2003). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#10707
Using RoboHelp to Develop a Simple Web-Based Tutorial
RoboHelp is a top application for developing online help. It is also used for developing Web-based help, such as JavaHelp and RoboHelp's WebHelp. Besides being used for online or Web-help, RoboHelp can also be used to develop simple tutorials.
Kurtus, Ron. School for Champions (2001). Design>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#20035
RoboHelp is an authoring tool sold by eHelp Corporation (formerly Blue Sky Software). In an easy 'WYSIWYG' format, it allows you to organize information and create pathways and interactive links so a user can find desired or necessary information (and the user can do so in a non-linear intuitive way that is helpful to learning).
UMBC (2000). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#14417
Word-to-RoboHelp Conversion Tips and Tricks 
Whether you’re converting an existing Microsoft Word document to a WinHelp format using RoboHelp, or to an HTML-based Help format using RoboHelp HTML, RoboHelp Office 9 lets you add a Word document to your Help project with a single mouse click. But don’t do it, at least not until you’ve reviewed, tweaked, and massaged the document to make the most of the new medium for your documentation and to avoid problems that commonly surface following conversion Here are some tips for an (almost) error-free conversion.
Carlson, Janice L. WilliamRice.com (2001). (Chinese) Design>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#33608
Ten RoboHelp Tips You Won't Want to Miss
I've been using RoboHelp for nearly a decade now. I started off with an older Word-based version to create WinHelp, and now I work with the HTML version to create WebHelp for locally installed and server-based products. Here are a few RoboHelp tips that I've found useful in my day-to-day help authoring responsibilities.
HelpScribe (2009). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#34357
Using Master Pages in RoboHelp 8
Master Pages, a new concept introduced in Adobe RoboHelp 8, intends to provide flexibility in controlling the layout of topics, where in an author may separate the actual content from the layout of the output and may do it from a single place. In Adobe RoboHelp 8, a user may use Master Page as a Layout and Styling canvas where one may put basic HTML elements to be used for Layout purposes.
Adobe (2009). Articles>Documentation>Software>Adobe RoboHelp
#35265
What to Know When Switching from RoboHelp to Flare
I recently switched from RoboHelp 7 to Flare 5. I’m not the person to ask about the merits of one over the other because I don’t have enough experience with Flare yet. Because I’m coming to version 5 with my knowledge being only that which my colleagues have told or shown me, I hope to make life easier for anyone moving from RH to Flare or at least trying Flare out.
Minson, Benjamin. Communications from DMN (2009). Articles>Documentation>Adobe RoboHelp>Madcap Flare
#35495
As I've continued to teach my online RoboHelp class to students who attend from all over the world, one recurring issue has been confusion over the following three RoboHelp features: the start page, the project title and the default topic. The three files/names are totally different, having nothing to do with each other, but are commonly confused. By the time you are finished reading this text, I'm hoping that the confusion is a thing of the past.
Siegel, Kevin A. I Came, I Saw, I Learned (2009). Articles>Documentation>Help>Adobe RoboHelp
