Next generation of online help for web based software

This forum is for the discussion of the business and craft of writing help. For example writing style, choices of HTML Help or WinHelp or browser-based and so on...

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JerryWaxler
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Location: Pennsylvania

Next generation of online help for web based software

Unread post by JerryWaxler »

I have been writing online help for about 12 years, starting out with Winhelp, using the old Forehelp software, and now using H&M and generating a CHM file. Our software is a client-server application. A copy of the CHM file is installed on each client computer.

Now we are looking into a new generation of software that would run through a browser, and I'm not clear on how to provide help. Can you (and/or H&M) help me keep up with the 21st century?

Perhaps it's as simple as continuing to do what I'm doing, authoring in H&M, and then publishing an HTML help system? Or are there new standards or delivery systems that will be more appropriate for this new generation of online software application?

I know my question is very general, and I welcome any comment, pointers to discussion sites, or any thing else that can help me keep my help authoring delivery up to date with the current trends.

Thanks
Jerry
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Tim Green
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Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Jerry,

The Webhelp (Browser Help) generated by Help & Manual is exactly what you are looking for here. It can be viewed in any current browser on any platform (Windows, Mac OS X, Linux), navigation, layout and functionality pretty much the same as in CHM and you can link directly to topics and anchors from your application with regular URLs. Add the recently-released Premium Pack and you also have a slick tabbed navigation interface in the navigation pane and a number of other useful features like a mail feedback with an automatic reference from every topic.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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JerryWaxler
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Context sensitive topics in Browser Help?

Unread post by JerryWaxler »

Hi Tim,

I've been meaning to thank you for your awesome responsiveness. Thank you! It's terrific to hear I can stay inside H&M, which I have becoming more accustomed to, and enjoy using.

I do have one question about browser help. Starting in the winhelp days, our context calls use ID numbers. I have heard (but not yet researched) that in browser help, the context calls have switched over to html file names. That will mean I'll have to request that change from the programmers.

Now, I'll have to look at the Premium Pack in more detail.

Jerry
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waldemar.hersacher
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Unread post by waldemar.hersacher »

Hello Jerry,

your programmers have to change the call to the help from calling WinHelp with a context ID to calling the default browser with the path to the html file. One way to do this is to call the WinAPI function ShellExecute with the verb Open and the URL to the topic. The syntax for the topic is index.html?topicname.htm. See more in the H&M Help under Basic Working Procedures > Links, Anchors, Macros, Scripts and HTML > Application links to Webhelp. Unfortunatly you cannot use an anchor.
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Winsteps
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Unread post by Winsteps »

Conversion would be simpler if HM could write out the Webhelp pages as contextID.htm instead of topicname.htm
Or is this option already there?
JerryWaxler
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Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Translating from context-id to html name, reducing drudgery?

Unread post by JerryWaxler »

If we want to switch from the context ID's to html file names, we will need to create a translation table from one to the other. I recall finding an H&M report that generated such a table, or at least came close enough to allow me to tweak it into shape. I never asked them to do it, because we stayed with CHM, but we were talking about asking the programmers to use the table to automate this process.

Jerry
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Tim Green
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Unread post by Tim Green »

There is not currently any facility for converting context numbers to topic IDs. In HM5 it would also mean renaming all the topic files, which are always based on the topic IDs. It would be possible but so far there hasn't been any demand for it because most authors very much prefer human-readable filenames that can easily be identified. Using context IDs for filenames is quite user-unfriendly, and even though it might be more convenient in the short term I think it might turn out to be a disadvantage in the long term...
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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waldemar.hersacher
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Unread post by waldemar.hersacher »

Hello Jerry,
Here is a post about using contextIDs in WebHelp. Maybe this will help too.
Waldemar
JerryWaxler
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Joined: Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:43 pm
Location: Pennsylvania

Thanks!

Unread post by JerryWaxler »

Thanks for your help. These posts are providing the background I need for my research.

Jerry
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