Official microsoft html help authoring kit

The runtime ships with Windows 95 and greater. Microsoft have created other help systems since WinHelp. MS Help Viewer 2. Disappointing that none of these help systems all Unicode based have been released for general use. Having said that, none are easy systems to author in. All these MS help systems are now in "maintenance mode"; no new features are expected, and only critical updates will occur from now on. To use other file types, you have to supply an HTML file together with each file.

You use the HTML file to specify values for the document properties that the Help server uses to match a content element to a Help request.

To view these types of documents, each client computer must have an application that can open and view the specified type of file. To add entries to the table of contents that appears in the Help viewer, you have to use an XML file.

A template is a special type of document that you use to create files that you can publish to the Help server. Each template is a framework of elements, styles, and guidelines that help you create documentation.

The templates are stored on the Help server and represent common types of documentation. There are templates for the following types of documentation files:. The Word templates help you use Microsoft Office Word or a later version to create documentation.

The template follows the style and organization of existing Microsoft documentation. In addition, the Word template includes the ability to create the supplemental HTML file that is required for each Word file.

After you identify the template or file type you want to use, you need an application that creates the specified type of documentation. The following table identifies applications that are used for the most common file types. Your editor must be able to save your documentation as an. To produce content element that uses a Word file, you have to use Microsoft Word or later versions.

Use Word to save your documentation as a. If you use a Word template, use the template to create the. To produce other types of documentation, use the application that creates and saves the type of file that you want to use. Use the HTML file to specify values for the document properties that apply to your content element.

Save the file as an. To add entries to the table of contents, use a text or XML editor that can produce and save an. If you view a content element on the Help server, you will find the following declaration. Framesets are not allowed. A document property is a metadata element that provides additional information about the documentation in a content element.

Each content element on the Help server includes a collection of document properties. The document properties represent important attributes that the Help server uses to match content elements to a request for documentation.

If you do not provide the required document properties for a content element, your Help documentation might not appear in the Help viewer. In an HTML file, the document properties are embedded as metadata elements. If you provide a supplemental HTML file, that file must have the same file name as the document file.

For more information about each document property, see Document Property Metadata Reference. A text value that specifies a unique ID value for a content element. However, you are not required to use a GUID. A text value that specifies the brief summary of the content element that appears in the search results in the Help viewer.

An enumeration value that specifies the document collection for the content element. This should be set to UserDocumentation. A semi-colon delimited collection of keyword entries that specify search terms for the content element. If a keyword matches a term in a search request, the search service ranks that content element higher in the list of the search results that appear in the Help viewer.

A text value that specifies the language for the content element. Use a language code to identify the language. The ms. To specify the preferred language for Help documentation, change the language code in the Alternative help language field of the User options form. A text value that specifies the publisher of the content element.

Use the value that uniquely identifies the publisher. Here are a few things to keep in mind:. Many of the dedicated help authoring solutions focus on one thing: customer support. However, Helpjuice offers a powerful knowledge base that can do much more — it is a complete knowledge management solution.

Try us out for free for 14 days. Return To Blog. Written by: David Oragui Published: June 16 In this post, we'll discuss: What a help authoring tool is Why you should consider using help authoring tools The best help authoring solutions Some simple tips to get you started with creating useful help documents What Is Help Authoring Software? Some of the basic features you can expect from any help authoring tool include: Adding a source text that you can compile into different formats, called single-source authoring Import and export help documentation Editing text, code, or data Managing indexes, tables of contents, or images Adding multiple authors to collaborate on the same text Customizing the interface, so it fits your brand A few tools offer more advanced features, such as customization, increased security functions, and analytics tools.

Why Use Help Authoring Software? There are several advantages to using help authoring tools. You can: Save time with single-source and topic-based authoring. Write a text once, then compile it into different formats from the same source. Easy to write, easy to edit, easy to update. Collaborate on documents.

Let the team write, comment, and edit together in one document to get the best customer support material possible. No more wasting time searching for the latest document version or trying to gather scattered comments into one document.

Go multi-language. Serving customers in multiple languages can quickly turn into a headache. The right help authoring tool makes it easy to switch to the correct language — both for your team and for your customers.

Skip excessive coding. No need to build and maintain a platform from scratch — instead, use a tool that already has all the features you need. Improve your SEO. Your customers might turn to Google before they go to your website. We all know how Google loves well-structured, interlinked, keyword-rich content, so your help documentation will rank highly.

A help authoring software helps you establish a content hierarchy with indexes or tables of contents, link related content, and expand on popular topics. Highlights : Google-like search help customers find the right answer, quickly Interactive questions guide customers to a tailored solution — for example, based on the product model or software version.

Source The interface is minimalistic and allows you to switch views between author, code, and preview. Tutorials for using the free and open source BlueGriffon web editor and free Microsoft Expression Web can be found at the links in this sentence. Sandcastle is a command line tool to create MSDN-style documentation from.

It can produce an HTML 1. It can also generate a single help file from multiple assemblies. This is a simple Perl script that allows you to generate a Unix manual page from program output. That is, it will attempt to re-arrange the output from a program that generates a standard "--help" or "--version" screen, into something that can be displayed as a manual page.

This software lets you create documentation and help files for your project. It has a built-in wordprocessor , complete with a spell checker , so that you can work from within the program itself or if you prefer, you can work in some other editor and import the results.