Perfect help authoring with a good utility

Almost all well-known SaaS apps now provide their customers with a help file. Such a help file resolves many important tasks, such as explaining to customers how to use a specific feature or achieve anything with the software, reducing the effort spent on technical support, and so on. Even though a comprehensive help system is an integral part of your program, its creation is most often still not an easy job. As the developer, you should define what help format to use, what help authoring software and other utilities to use, how to connect the help system with your app and provide context-sensitive Help, etc. The original idea for HelpSmith was to design a fine help authoring tool, that includes a professional feature set and easy-to-use user interface, and let tech writers to build professional help systems and printed documentation easily. HelpSmith currently supports different help formats such as HTML Help (CHM), Web Help, and Printed Manual. Beside that, HelpSmith lets you compile PDF files using a third-party PDF printer program. The developers of this help authoring product combined an easy-to-use interface with features that makes it possible to create high quality help systems and provide documentation in multiple help formats. It should be pointed out that single source project can be exported into any number of output help formats, due to single-source support. The main features included in HelpSmith are a native text editor with live spell checker (dictionaries for many languages are available) plus tools for quick creation of the TOC, alphabetical index, and other navigation elements. HelpSmith also has support for Unicode, Dynamic Styles, Topic Templates, and Variables. There is a smart Project Merge possibility that simplifies working on the same documentation by a team of developers and making translations. HelpSmith offers you an advanced way to manage media files and has support for any widely used graphical and video formats, including Flash and QuickTime clips. Of course, it is also possible to integrate HTML Help and Web Help systems into your application and provide context-sensitive help documentation.

Visual text editor, and support for topic templates and dynamic styles

Writing help topics will obviously be the largest part of work on any help project. Thanks to a full-featured text editor with dynamic styles and topic templates support, HelpSmith makes it possible for you to concentrate on writing. You can use multiple languages, insert pictures and videos, tables, create hyperlinks to other help topics in your help file and/or links to any resources located on the Internet, insert breadcrumb objects, and all else you may need. Dynamic styles and templates are useful tools which you can use for customizing the view of your help file, without editing each help topic manually. HelpSmith has text variables support, which are divided into user and system ones. A variable is a placeholder that can be added into topic, template, or in the text of some values. When you compile your help authoring project, the variable objects are replaced with their actual values. This can be actually useful, because you can store values that appear in many places throughout your help file. And when you need to update a specific value, simply update it in the manager that controls all of the variables for your help authoring project. HelpSmith has a convenient and powerful approach to working with multi media files. The help authoring tool automatically puts all these files into a single media repository which is saved with your project. This, in turn, gives you these benefits: you do not have to copy any media files manually (so it is easier to distribute your help project), and it is much easier to update a screenshot which is used in more than one help topic since you simply replace the graphics in the media repository and do not have to find and edit the topics manually. The Media Repository feature can be used in order to organize images and video files into groups, which is also useful for large help systems.

Help Files done with our Help Authoring program

HelpSmith has various tools which allow you to quickly create high quality help files and printed manuals with customized appearance, a professional feel, and easy navigation. The help authoring tool contains even more possibilities than those described here. But let’s take a look at the result of using this solution – help files compiled in the CHM help, HTML-based, and Printed Manual output help formats. Both HTML Help and Web Help systems can be linked with your application or web service. On the HelpSmith website you’ll find guides explaining how you can provide context-sensitive Help for programs written in various programming languages. In addition, the product’s help file includes information on how to integrate a WebHelp system with your web application or service. Now you have seen that HelpSmith can help you with your help authoring tasks. Being a help authoring software for easily creating high-quality help files and manuals, it allows you to create a help project without the need to master technical details. You do not have to know anything of HTML or CSS to create excellent help systems. Thus, HelpSmith is a help authoring tool which lets you to truly concentrate on writing help topics – and to save your time and money as a result.