RoboHelp is a Help authoring tool (HAT) created by the eHelp Corporation and now owned by Adobe Systems. The software is used by technical writers to create computer help files (documentation) in various formats.
#18325
Shovelware is becoming the norm in computer software documentation. Many companies no longer furnish printed books with their products, and it’s usually impossible to produce (from the on-line help files) a reasonable facsimile of a coherently organized, double-sided, printed book with page numbers, running headers and footers, table of contents, glossary, and multilevel subject index.
Emory, Dan. InFrame (2000). Articles>Documentation>Help
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Shovelware is becoming the norm in computer software documentation. Many companies no longer furnish printed books with their products, and it’s usually impossible to produce (from the on-line help files) a reasonable facsimile of a coherently organized, double-sided, printed book with page numbers, running headers and footers, table of contents, glossary, and multilevel subject index. The current sad state of affairs is epitomized by the FrameMaker user manual and on-line help. In the last release (V5.1) of FrameMaker+SGML for which Frame Technology was responsible, the printed user’s manual was quite comprehensive at 900+ pages, and the on-line help was extensive, well-designed, and effective. But the Adobe-produced V5.5 user’s manual (including the separate “Getting Started” manual for FM+SGML) has 300 fewer pages, even though many new fea-tures (e.g., HTML and XML export) in V5.5 had to be covered in addition to all those features common to both releases. Not only that, but the effectiveness of the on-li
Emory, Dan. TECHWR-L (1999). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
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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
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Tips for the Help Developer: Reliability Testing 
Walstad presents a process for reliability testing in the development of help systems. She offers tips for ensuring reliability in each of the three steps: designing, planning, and testing. This article includes a list of online resources.
Walstad, Catherine M. Intercom (2000). Design>Documentation>Help
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An overview of documentation development for online help.
Unni, Tharun Kumar. STC India (2003). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Microsoft HTML Help is actually a suite of technologies. CHM is one part; the HH viewer (a cut-down Internet Explorer with CHM processing abilities) is another. To provide a Table of Contents (TOC) and index for Web-based Help (over HTTP), to support Web applications for example, there are two other Microsoft HTML Help components. One is an ActiveX TOC control, and the other is a Java TOC applet. While these components provide Web-based Help with a TOC, they do not allow context-sensitivity AND a TOC at the same time, because the TOC displays in a frameset.
HyperWrite (2004). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
#20007
Toil and Trouble: HTML Help and NetHelp
Toil and trouble. That’s what this year’s online help crystal ball predicts. It shows two flavors of HTML-based help and to make matters worse, their names are confusing: HTML help (which is not the same as HTML-based help) and NetHelp. Oh, me nerves. Well, let’s try to calm ourselves and explore these new concepts.
Grissino, Ann-Marie. Carolina Communique (1997). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Common goofs, mistakes, bloopers, mal mots, slip ups, lapses, oversights, gaffes, and 'foe paws' in online documentation and Help.
Horton, William K. III. STC Orange County (1998). Presentations>Documentation>Help
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Top Ten Blunders in Online Documents and Help Facilities
As a consultant I get called in after the wreck to figure out what went wrong. Across a wide range of industries and products, the same problems recur again and again. In this presentation, I’ll show you what these common problems are and simple ways to avoid them.
Horton, William K. III. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Transitioning Print-Based Training into WBT Delivery: Lessons Learned
This panel discussion will explore a specific project conducted by the Mercer Engineering Research Center (MERC) in which existing MERC-designed United States Air Force print-based training was rapidly converted to web-based training. Specific issues discussed are differences in design strategies for print and web instruction, development and authoring approaches, rapid prototyping, usability testing, project management concerns, and lessons learned.
Codone, Susan K. and Lance Stuckey. STC Proceedings (2004). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Trends and Opportunities in Software User Assistance: Part 1
This article provides an overview of the latest trends in software user assistance based on surveys, interviews, and observations by the author and other experienced user assistance professionals. The article defines the key terminology, highlights the most important issues and elements, and offers both short and long-term predictions for the field. The article will appear in four installments. The next installment will be in February.
Welinske, Joe. WritersUA (2005). Articles>Documentation>Help>Online
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Examining documentation and help systems for software and consumer products.
Meyer, Gordon R. Usable Help. Resources>Documentation>Usability>Help
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User Assistance in the Role of Domain Expert
This article explores the role of user assistance in providing domain-centric online Help--rather than Help that simply explains obvious user interactions with well-designed user interfaces--and provides a pattern for and examples of expert guidance.
Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2007). Articles>User Centered Design>Help>Online
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User Assistance Resource Directory: Web Resources 
The following general resources are Web sites of interest to Help authors, technical communicators, and programmers.
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User Assistance: Writing for a High-Context Culture
What we consider to be good technical writing often reflects an American cultural perspective. One facet of this cultural orientation is that technical writing tends to use a low-context style. Most notably, we tend to write user assistance as if users have never seen the user interface we are explaining. Secondly, we tend to write user assistance as if users have never even used software before. But users rarely go to Help before they have tried to accomplish a task on their own first, and most users today have extensive experience using software and are familiar with the standard ways of interacting with user interfaces. So a user interface is a high-context artifact—one a user has already seen before reading our documentation and that uses rules and conventions the user already knows.
Hughes, Michael A. UXmatters (2008). Articles>Documentation>Help>Technical Writing
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User Guides and Online Help Systems
Resources relating to user guides and online help systems.
Technical Communicators Resource Site. Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Using Hardcopy Documentation in the Transition to Online Documentation
In the transition to online documentation, one of the communicator’s most effective tools can be a hardcopy document. Providing your users with a printed manual that introduces them to your product and your online documentation might be just the thing they need to get started using both. To create an effective hardcopy document, you must begin by gathering feedback, analyzing your audience, and setting your goals. You can then use that information to determine what to include, what to exclude, and what to call your hardcopy document.
Collier, Karen E. STC Proceedings (1998). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Using HTML to Deliver Context-Sensitive Online Help
Computerized Medical Systems needed to develop content-sensitive online help for a UNIX-based application. We found that this could be done using standard HTML, with each help topic in its own file and displayed in a web browser. With careful planning, we were able to create a map of the applications coded pages to our help files, giving us context sensitivity. We were able to add both keyword and full-text search capabilities. Site management is done using a source control system and a set of link check and HTML validators.
Rupel, Roberta A. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Why would anybody want to use JavaHelp? The answer is not necessarily obvious, especially to help authors.
Info Action (2002). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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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
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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
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Using Standards to Build Quality into Online Help
The panelists present two cases of development of standards for online Help: one for mainframe database applications developed in ISPF and the other for technical engineering applications developed in Windows. The panelists focus on common principles to follow to make online Help 'fit for use,' and they show examples from the Help systems and from the two standards manuals.
Bibus, Connie M. 'C.J.', Kristy J. Dale, Donna M. Marcotte, Joyce B. Davis and Monica Hoganson. STC Proceedings (1996). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
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Using Table Cell Borders and Shading in WinHelp
For years, the Microsoft Help Compiler (the one for WinHelp, not HTML Help) has been telling Help authors that we can't use borders or shading or merged cells in the tables we create in our Help topics. But this is actually not true. There is a way. And you don't have to create your tables in a graphics program either. Instead, taking advantage of Word's ability to embed objects created in another application, you can keep your tables “editable” while formatting them to your heart's content with borders and shading. All of this is accomplished using the features of Microsoft Word, so this technique should work with any Word-based authoring tool. As RoboHelp specialists, we have tested the procedure only with RoboHelp versions 5, 6, 7, 2000, 9, and 2002. You can create formatted tables using Word or Excel. Use whichever you prefer.
Knopf Online (2001). Resources>Software>Help>Microsoft Windows
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Using the Single-Source Wizards in RoboHELP 2000 for WinHelp
HTML Help is the Windows Help standard for 32-bit operating systems (for example, Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows NT, or Windows 2000). Your users must have Internet Explorer installed on their systems (or at least the necessary core components).
James-Tanny, Char. HelpStuff (2000). Articles>Content Management>Single Sourcing>RoboHelp
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Technical communicators today cope with incomplete and changing software, aggressive schedules, multiple deliverables, and a reduced staff in diverse locations. Using Info Slicing, these challenges can be met effectively. Info Slicing promotes communication within the project team, shortens the writing effort, and minimizes document maintenance.
Burkholder, Anne C. STC Proceedings (1999). Articles>Documentation>Online>Help
