Creating an Interactive Online User Guide  

Want to create a colorful, interactive online version of your FrameMaker® documents? Not many steps are involved in making the conversion: start with template changes in the FrameMaker files; create a postscript file; convert it into a PDF (Portable Document Format) file using Adobe Distiller®; and add final touches to the PDF file in Adobe Exchange®.

Beren, Wendy G. STC Proceedings (1998). Presentations>Documentation>Online>Adobe FrameMaker

Designing a Supplementary Web-Based Online Help System: A Case Study  

Computerized Medical Systems, Inc. (CMS) has implemented an extensive online help system based on HTML for its FOCUS radiation therapy planning system. Netscape Navigator was selected as the browser because FOCUS is based on the UNIX platform and Netscape was the only HTML browser available for UNIX.

Watson, Frank. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Documentation>Online>Help

The Effects of Online Systems on Documentation Management  

Online tools can improve documentation management in several ways, depending on management goals of cost, schedule, or quality. Cost management tools need integration with automated status and quality assessment tools. Workflow simulation tools show great promise for avoiding bottlenecks in the document development process. Automated tools can enforce quality checkpoints and provide model document templates. The continual evolution of online documents will require new management approaches and goals.

Reilly, Annette D. STC Proceedings (1996). Presentations>Documentation>Online

Finding the Best Mix of Paper and Online Documentation: A Case Study  

The concept of the “paperless oflce” has become popular with executives who want to reduce costs and users who, often with good reason, refuse to open a manual. Technical communicators, who often understand the practical flaws behind this concept, must be prepared to make smart decisions about what information to present in manuals and what to present online. They must also justljj to management their decisions either to resist moving everything online or tofkd creative ways to do so without forgetting about the needs of the user.

Jones, Chip. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Documentation>Online

Low-End Online Documentation Viewing Systems: Why and How  

Online documentation is now widely accepted for its convenience and cost savings. However, some small, non-Windows shops find very few offerings in the market place for online documentation software.

Sonnenberg, Beth Apple. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Documentation>Help>Online

Managing Modular Documentation Using a Database  

While implementing a Modular Documentation Method and the development of Responsive Hypermanuals (Lettvin, 1999), concerns were raised as to how to effectively manage the potential explosion of seemingly fractured document components (modules) while maintaining key infrastructure and quality assurance mechanism already in place. This paper examines one unique solution to this problem: building a web-based database application that manages and tracks modules, documents and resources for any documentation project. In addition, it has a built-in structure for handling a robust documentation process. Some advantages and obstacles in developing a modular documentation database solution for the web are discussed.

Earley, James M. STC Proceedings (2000). Presentations>Documentation>Online

Mobile Manuals for Mobile Professionals  

PDAs raise new opportunities for technical communicators to provide corporate information in a compact, electronic package.

Buckley, Susan. STC Proceedings (2001). Presentations>Documentation>Online>Mobile

A “Real World” Look at Windows Help Authoring Tools  

Aha, you say, you’ve finally gotten permission to go online. And your boss has even allocated enough precious-budget dollars to buy the right hardware and software to do the job. How hard can if be to find a good authoring tool, you think. And then you start to receive the product literature from n developers of Windows help authoring tools . . .

Zubak, Cheryl Lockett. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Documentation>Help>Online

Searching for the Best Mix of Paper and Online Documentation: Two Case Studies  

As online help has evolved from simple field descriptions to a fully capable hypertext medium designers of software documentation have been faced with determining the best mix of paper and online. Which information goes in which medium? How much, if any, should be repeated in both? This paper describes two case studies in which hcumentation teams addressed these issues while redesigning their information sets. By the end of both projects, the documentation was streamlined redundancy between pn”ntand online was reduce4 and the majority of the information was presented online.

Massa, Jack A. STC Proceedings (1997). Presentations>Documentation>Online

Using Word to Create Windows Help  

One way to create Windows help is by using Word for Windows. To begin, you must become familiar with the help concepts of topics and hyperlinks. Then, you create these components: projectile, header file, and source files. Source files are created using Word for Windows. Next create the actual help file by compiling the elements you have created. Finally, view and debug the results.

Van Sant, Carol J. STC Proceedings (1995). Presentations>Documentation>Help>Online

Think Simple: A Fresh Approach to User Assistance  

Online help. User assistance. That thing that pops up when you press F1. No matter what you call it, user assistance is an important element in the experience of a user. It can mean the difference between a frustrated user and a productive one. But is today's user assistance all it can be? Are we giving users purposeful information at the right time, in the most effective format, and ultimately in the way that they need it? Unfortunately, no.

Davis, Aaron and Scott Nesbitt. DMN Communications (2009). Presentations>Documentation>Online>Help