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 the help-authoring tool and Choose HTML Help.
2. Start a project, giving it a formal display name, and a file and folder name.
3. In exactly this order, create the following topics named as follows:
   • Deleting files
   • Creating files
   • Directories
   • Deleting directories
   • Changing directory permissions
   • Renaming directories
   • Moving files
   • Changing file permissions
   • Files
   • Copying files
   • Changing directories
   • Creating directories
   • Using wildcards for multiple files or directories
   • Changing permissions
4. In the TOC pane, create two books: Working with files and directories; Understanding files and directories.
5. In the Working with files and directories book, create a subbook: Changing permissions.
6. Add, subordinate (move right), and sequence the topics under these books accordingly.
7. Compile the simple project as a .chm file, and view it (through the help-authoring tool).
8. 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:

• Write 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:" or "Impotant!" or "Attention."
• 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.