#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
#20706
Publishing Documentation in Microsoft Word: Don't Do It!
To save costs, many small businesses take the do-it-yourself route to publishing product and support documentation. The tool of choice is often Microsoft Word - after all, you probably already have a copy of it and know how to use it reasonably well. But while using Word to develop your materials is an acceptable choice, using it to publish documentation is not! Read on to learn some of Word's shortcomings as a publishing method, and what alternatives are available.
Rosteck, Tanja S. Suite101 (2001). Articles>Documentation>Software>Microsoft Word
#25930
Read and Write DocBook XML Using OpenOffice.org
The project goal is to explore the possibility of using OpenOffice.org as a WYSIWYG editor of XML content. The principle is to edit structured documents using styles. These styles are then transformed to XML tags on export.
OpenOffice.org (2005). Articles>Documentation>Software>OpenOffice
#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
#10363
Screen Captures in Software Documentation 
While screen captures are the most widely used illustrations in manuals, there is almost no literature on their role and design. In this paper we draw together practice, theory and empirical research to advance a taxonomy that identifies these roles and designs. We suggest that screen captures in software documentation can help the user to switch attention, develop a mental model of the program, verify screen states, and identify and locate window elements and objects. Four important design areas (coverage, positioning, size, and cueing) are distinguished and empirical findings discussed. Research has substantiated the claim that screen captures speed up task completion, but others have yet to be proven. We believe that a more refined approach, afforded by the taxonomy, is likely to improve practice and research, and yield strong evidence supporting the use of screen captures in software documentation.
van der Meij, Hans and Mark Gellevij. Technical Communication Online (1998). Articles>Software>Documentation>Screen Captures
#21382
Software Usability and Documentation
This article shows how a user-centred approach to software design can reduce the requirement for documentation. It lists Jakob Nielsen's usability heuristics, and for each one, shows how following the heuristic can reduce the requirement for user documentation.
Unwalla, Mike. TechScribe (2003). Articles>Documentation>Software>Usability
#30585
Systems and Programming Documentation for Technical Writers with No Data Processing Background 
This workshop teaches technical communicators what to include in internal documentation, how to interview and work with technical people, and basics of how to 'read' and evaluate code.
Glick-Smith, Judith L. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Programming>Software
#21502
Technology and Management Issues in Implementing Online Documentation
This workshop explores how traditionally trained technical communicators can help their companies make wise investments in authoring and delivery software for online documents, explore the potential of technology currently available, and ensure that their technology choices don't lead to dead ends.
Hayhoe, George F. STC Proceedings (1994). Articles>Documentation>Software
#15210
Ten Misconceptions about Software Documentation
Presents ten misconceptions about software documentation that may have contributed to the persistence of poor documentation.
Nayar, Pawan. Intercom (2000). Articles>Documentation>Software
#14963
"Try Before You Buy" Help Authoring 
Help authoring systems can prove to be a fairly expensive purchase especially for the freelance writer. Luckily, most publishers allow you to try out demonstration versions of their software before you commit yourself to buying. As well as demos of commercial applications, you can find some very high quality shareware and freeware products.
Conroy, Gary. GaryConroy.com (2002). Articles>Documentation>Software
#30815
Twenty-Two Tips for Writing Software Documentation Users Will Actually Read
How do you go about writing technical manuals for software without going insane? Here are some guidelines you can follow to maintain your sanity when writing software documentation.
HelpScribe (2008). Articles>Documentation>Rhetoric>Software
#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
#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
#20452
What It Takes to Document America’s Best-Selling Tax Software
Because both the TurboTax Deluxe software program and the federal tax code are redesigned every year, preparing TurboTax Deluxe’s raft of documentation demands a management approach that emphasizes planning, teamwork, task dependencies, and an elusive mix offlexibility and clearly defined project ownership.
Johnson, Mark A. and Karen Cangialosi. STC Proceedings (1997). Articles>Documentation>Software
#31172
Why Software Applications Need Product Blogs, and Why They Don't Get Them
I'm convinced that even internal software, which never sees the light of WWW, still needs a blog as much or more than products sold online. Even so, numerous corporate restrictions, standards, and culture will present seemingly insurmountable barriers to blogs.
Johnson, Tom H. I'd Rather Be Writing (2008). Articles>Documentation>Software>Blogging
#30619
Why Wise Users May Not Read Computer Documentation
Wise computer users may not read documentation because they do not have time to read all the material that is shipped with software products and because the useful lifetime of documentation is so short. This proposition is supported by statistics for a sample of manuals for typical commercial software.
Krull, Robert. STC Proceedings (1993). Articles>Documentation>Software
#26936
Writing Documentation and Help for Eclipse Projects and Plugins
Eclipse is an open-source community. One of its primary projects is the creation of 'an extensible development platform...for building software.' This platform takes shape in the Eclipse workbench, a Java-based IDE (Integrated Development Environment).
Sapir, Rick. KeyContent.org (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software>Java
#31165
XML Documentation: The Missing Link (1)
Technical documentation is a prime beneficiary of XML technology, with standards such as DocBook and DITA. However, while XML revolutionized the way technical documentation is written, it did nothing to help documentation teams improve the collaboration process with the SMEs and other invested parties. In some cases, things got worse, with another layer of complexity added between the documentation team and the documentation stakeholders. Where is the missing link?
Talbot, Fabrice. LiveTechDocs (2008). Articles>Documentation>Software>XML
#31166
XML Documentation: The Missing Link (2)
Sharing XML documents during the writing and review process is a missing link in the XML publication chain. While Office or PDF applications help, they also add another extra-layer of complexity and lose the 'XML awareness' of our initial document. That's where LiveTechDocs comes into play.
Talbot, Fabrice. LiveTechDocs (2008). Articles>Documentation>Software>XML
#31164
XML Editors for Technical Documentation
Looking through my Programs folder, I see many programs I use to work with XML documentation. Which one is my favorite? Well, that depends on the size of my project, the size of my budget, and the file I am working on.
Mulvihill, Teresa. LiveTechDocs (2008). Articles>Documentation>Software>XML
#26318
XML-Based Documentation Using AurigaDoc
A review of an XML-based documentation tool.
Nesbitt, Scott. NewsForge. Articles>Documentation>Software>XML
#32146
Getting FLOSSy: Acrobat Killer Or HAT Replacement?
Some writers truly hate Adobe Acrobat and any tool that can do the job better is worth a shot, particularly if it’s open source and easily navigated. Flossmanuals.net introduces FLOSS which does a lot of the single desktop Acrobat Pro’s job - collaboratively and open source.
Jeter, Charles. Charles Jeter (2008). Articles>Content Management>Documentation>Software
#32204
Eight Steps to Successful Software Documentation
Whether software documentation is designed for a company’s internal users or for a variety of end customers, one thing is for certain: Documentation that is well written, well structured, easily accessible, and thoroughly compliments the software it supports can play a significant role in a product’s overall success. And it doesn’t matter if the documentation stands alone or it is integrated with the product. As long as it is properly planned, developed, and configured, success is eminent.
Capri, Steve. TechCom Manager (2006). Articles>Documentation>Software
#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
#33696
There’s a lot of tool fetishism in the documentation world. We all succumb to it in one way or another — I used to think it was FrameMaker or DocBook, or nothing. Ah, the folly of youth. But that attitude severely limits you as a professional. For a consultant or freelancer, it’s only a few steps away from suicide.
