[AccessD] Help Files

I've done Help for years. You will need a Help Authoring Tool or HAT; here's
a link to a comparison of the various tools:
http://www.helpstuff.com/downloads/tools.pdf

Depending on how your application is distributed, e.g., stand-alone,
networked users etc., you would generally try to use the appropriate output
type. There is:
- Traditional Help, both stand-alone and context-sensitive in the form of
.hlp files.
- Compiled HTML Help, stand-alone and context-sensitive as .chm files
- Web-based help which produces HTML pages for a central server. Each HAT
tends to have its own brand of this.

Most HATs will produce all three types, plus frequently printed output.

You can also check out sourceforge.net (open-source); they may have
something for no cost.

Some HATs are Word-based, such as RoboHelp (now going by the wayside),
others on Frame, and others with their own input/source methods. Most
anything using .chm or web-based uses a custom input editor of some sort.


Bruce H. Johnson
Sylmar, CA
-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Dan Waters
Sent: Saturday, March 18, 2006 5:41 AM
To: AccessD
Subject: [AccessD] Help Files

Hello to All!

Does anyone create Help Files as part of your work?  I'm going to be writing
these, and because I've simply used Word in the past I want to take a step
up and use something like a Help file.  There are several applications you
can buy, of varying prices, and I don't know which to go with because I
haven't used them.

Also, I was thinking an alternative might be to create a set of web pages (I
use a little of FrontPage) and put them together as a 'site' that has Help
content.

Does anyone have any thoughts on this?

Dan 

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