In these "lessons," you'll either teach yourself or follow along in class how to do specific tasks in an online-help authoring tool, such as RoboHelp, HTML Help, AuthorIT, or Doc-To-Help.

However we go about it, your task will be to learn the help-authoring procedures well enough not to need notes to perform them again. To help in that process, you'll write quick-reference-style notes — at first, in any software application you wish, but then in a help-authoring tool, once you've learned one well enough.

Writing these quick-reference "cheat" notes should help you learn the procedures better, help if you forget a procedure in the future, and give us a chance to practice writing in this medium.

Learning the Procedures

In this lesson, learn how to do the following:

1. Start a project, giving it a formal display name, and a file and folder name.
2. Create two topics in the same project, and enter enough text in each so that you must scroll down to see all of it.
3. Link the first topic to the second topic.
4. Use the eyei-glasses icon to quick-test your work.
5. Link the second topic back to the first topic.
6. Create a third topic, enter some text, and in it set up a related-information button that provides links to the first and second topics.
7. In the second topic, position your cursor at the second to the last paragraph. Create a bookmark there. In the first topic, create a link that goes directly to that bookmarked spot in the second topic.
8. Compile the simple project as a .chm file, and view it (through the help-authoring tool).
9. Find the .chm file on the computer, and double-click it to ensure that it runs.

Writing about the Procedures

Here are the guidelines for writing about the procedures for this lesson:

• Try writing the quick-reference notes for this lesson in the help-authoring tool you are using.
• Write these quick-reference notes "for real": include warnings about potential problems that can you trip up.
• Otherwise, you are not obliged to add a lot of explanatory detail. In "guide" information, you see lots of explanation, definitions, screen shots, and alternative methods. That's not needed or expected here.
• Just use simple lead-ins, numbered and bulleted lists. For notes, use paragraphs introduced by a bolded label such as "Caution:."
• Practice good clear economical writing style. Use imperatives (commands) and second-person ("you"); avoid passive-voice and telegraphic writing styles.
• Use subheadings for the subsections of these quick-reference notes.

Revising

Your instructor will review these quick-reference notes rapidly, requesting revisions if necessary and recording an "ok" in the gradebook when no revisions are needed.