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Top 9 Help-authoring Tools

By Zarko Gajic, About.com

Documentation and the help system is essential when users are working with your applications. This page lists tools that help your users with multiple language support, WYSIWYG interfaces, and more. Create manuals in PDF, HTML, HTML Help, Windows Help and RTF.

1. Doc-O-Matic

Doc-O-Matic 2 creates fully cross linked documentation systems, including both Source Code Documentation and Application Documentation and User Manuals in PDF, HTML, HTML Help, Windows Help and RTF. This means that every kind of documentation can be done with just one stand alone tool - Doc-O-Matic 2.

2. DotHLP

To get a feel for DotHLP it’s important to understand why it's different from other help authoring tools. Scenario: You’ve just finished your Application and you want to add a Professional Help System but you don’t know anything about creating Help Files. You decide to get a tool for the job but you don’t want to go through yet another long learning curve.

3. ComponentOne Doc-To-Help

Perfect for novice or expert Help authors, you'll find ComponentOne Doc-To-Help 6.0 is easy to use and powerful. Powerful, yet easy to use, it's packed with great features: database architecture, a redesigned user interface, flexible conditional text, enhanced graphics handling, and time-saving reports.

4. GenHelp

GenHelp is an application to generate help files for components used by Borland's RAD development tools C++ Builder and Delphi. It has been designed to provide context sensitive help in a similar manner to the help files supplied by Borland. The files provided can then be shipped out with components, giving a much more professional product.

5. Help & Manual

A stand-alone, WYSIWYG help authoring tool that lets you create all types of Standard Windows Help (HTML HELP, Classic Winhelp, soon MS Help 2.0), Browser based help, PDF Documents and printed manuals from a single source. Contains all of the tools needed to create professional hypertext documentation and printed manuals, or to reformat their help file data to create printed manuals.

6. Help Magician

Help Magician Elite 2001 is the all-in-one, stand alone WYSIWYG Winhelp Help Authoring Tool, HTML Help Authoring Tool, and Web Site Builder. Making links to other topics, URL's, Email addresses, adding graphics and multimedia elements like audio and video clips, inserting form controls, and more is as simple as point and click.

7. HelpScribble

You need HelpScribble to create a top quality help file for your software. Windows users expect to receive detailed documentation at a quick press of the F1 button. You will sell more copies of your software if a thoughtful help file flattens the learning curve for prospects trying the evaluation version of your product.

8. RoboHelp

RoboHelp Office lets anyone create full-featured Help in no time with point-and-click ease. Use FrameMaker files, Word documents, HTML documents or existing Help project information. RoboHelp automatically splits information into Help topics and preserves the TOC, Index and Glossary.

9. Time2HELP

Time2HELP is a tool for writing and maintaining source code documentation. Documentation can be separated from the code and stored as XML text files. You only have to "fill in the blanks" using a powerful editor. Time2HELP extracts "JavaDoc style" comments and symbol declarations from the source code. Supports the same syntax as Sun’s JavaDoc tool, as well as an extended set of tags.

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