[a bit out of topic] User Documentation

[roundcrisis]

hi there:

i m tryng to find a "good way" to update the user documentation we
have. to keep up the features we are adding to an existing project.
Some of the features I m looking for are;
- ideally xml based, so it can be source controlled.
-intuitive use (ie a non technical user can modify / update/beautify)
the help
- imports pdfs chm so existing help can be used straigh away
- reads xslt from projects

i had a look at docBook a bit cumbersome, suggestions?

thanks for your imput
Cheers

 

[roundcrisis]

hi there:

i m tryng to find a "good way" to update the user documentation we
have. to keep up the features we are adding to an existing project.
Some of the features I m looking for are;
- ideally xml based, so it can be source controlled.
-intuitive use (ie a non technical user can modify / update/beautify)
the help
- imports pdfs chm so existing help can be used straigh away
- reads xslt from projects

i had a look at docBook a bit cumbersome, suggestions?

thanks for your imput
Cheers

just to clarify, when i say user documentation i mean
for example

Add a new user
-> To add a new user select File-> new user you will see a screen like
below (screenshot)....
etc

 

[Martijn Mulder]

roundcrisis schreef:

hi there:

i m tryng to find a "good way" to update the user documentation we
have. to keep up the features we are adding to an existing project.
Some of the features I m looking for are;
- ideally xml based, so it can be source controlled.
-intuitive use (ie a non technical user can modify / update/beautify)
the help
- imports pdfs chm so existing help can be used straigh away
- reads xslt from projects

i had a look at docBook a bit cumbersome, suggestions?

thanks for your imput
Cheers

XML Comments Let You Build Documentation Directly From Your Visual
Studio .NET Source Files

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/06/XMLC/

 

[roundcrisis]

roundcrisis schreef:









XML Comments Let You Build Documentation Directly From Your Visual
Studio .NET Source Files

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/06/XMLC/- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Thansk for that, but how do i re use the existing docs? how can i
start off with them?

 

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

XML Comments Let You Build Documentation Directly From Your Visual
Studio .NET Source Files

http://msdn.microsoft.com/msdnmag/issues/02/06/XMLC/

That's building API documentation for classes though - not end user
documentation. End user docs normally require a whole different set of
tools.

Jon

 

[roundcrisis]

That's building API documentation for classes though - not end user
documentation. End user docs normally require a whole different set of
tools.

Jon

hi jon:
any suggestions? i have seen a good few and they range on price and
features. I would like to find something stable but that also has all
teh features I m looking for

 

[Timo]

just to clarify, when i say user documentation i mean
for example

Add a new user
-> To add a new user select File-> new user you will see a screen like
below (screenshot)....
etc

You may want to check out HelpMaker from http://www.vizacc.com/
It's freeware, a bit buggy and counter intuitive to use, but should
meet most of your requirements.

- Timo

 

[Jon Skeet [C# MVP]]

any suggestions? i have seen a good few and they range on price and
features. I would like to find something stable but that also has all
teh features I m looking for

I'm afraid I don't have much experience in this area. I've seen
RoboHelp being used before, but don't know anything about it.

Jon

 

[Mark Rae [MVP]]

I'm afraid I don't have much experience in this area. I've seen
RoboHelp being used before, but don't know anything about it.

I use this: http://www.helpandmanual.com/

Superb product, IMO.

 

[roundcrisis]

I use this:http://www.helpandmanual.com/

Superb product, IMO.

testing the new version of help adn manual pretty cool it doesnt save
in an xml by default but there is an option to compile it into it and
then recreate from it if necesary
interface is ver intuitive and its cheaper thatn robo help (gui seems
to be from the (early) 90s) thou it seems to be pretty powerfull and
the editor is basically word...
I m testing Mad cap flare (just installed), abiword is just not up for
the task (too complicated and not too reliable, it died on me three
times already),
Thansk for the advice, keep it coming

 

[Peter Duniho]

You may want to check out HelpMaker from http://www.vizacc.com/
It's freeware, a bit buggy and counter intuitive to use, but should
meet most of your requirements.

Free, a bit buggy, and counter-intuitive to use? Sounds just like
Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop. Does HelpMaker do something HHW doesn't?

Pete

 

[roundcrisis]

Free, a bit buggy, and counter-intuitive to use? Sounds just like
Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop. Does HelpMaker do something HHW doesn't?

Pete

well I m really considering Help and Manual, the only problem i found
so far is that i can't see/control history

 

[Peter Duniho]

well I m really considering Help and Manual, the only problem i found
so far is that i can't see/control history

Yup...after reading this thread, I'm considering checking that out too.
Sounds pretty good.

By "history", do you mean the user's history with respect to browsing
the help topics? Or do you mean your own history with respect to
editing the help topics? If Help and Manual fails on the former point
for some reason, that could be a serious drawback. If the latter, I'd
think that would be more a question of what source management tool
you're using.

Pete

 

[roundcrisis]

Yup...after reading this thread, I'm considering checking that out too.
Sounds pretty good.

By "history", do you mean the user's history with respect to browsing
the help topics? Or do you mean your own history with respect to
editing the help topics? If Help and Manual fails on the former point
for some reason, that could be a serious drawback. If the latter, I'd
think that would be more a question of what source management tool
you're using.

Pete

hi pete: by history I mean the changes history int he help file, and
its not related to the source management, when the file is stored in
binary form you cant see the diff between the two files you have to
remember or keep the correct logging for all the changes and that is
not incredibly reliable
Cheers

 

[vizacc]

hi pete: by history I mean the changes history int he help file, and

its not related to the source management, when the file is stored in
binary form you cant see the diff between the two files you have to
remember or keep the correct logging for all the changes and that is
not incredibly reliable

Hi,
We are the vendors of HelpMaker.

We did fix and make stable the HelpMaker latest version on our download
page.
If you have a problem or issue, please kindly let us know.

What you want is a way to compare two versions of HelpMaker documents?
We'll add that to the feature request list.

Thank you.