This is the resources page for Online Helps & Help-Authoring Tools (ETWR 2374), currently offered at Austin Community College, Austin, Texas. Specifically, here's what we have (let me know if you find new items or see items here that have gone away):

News and Updates

• What's New in Adobe RoboHelp 7?. Review by Rob Houser.
• 2007 WritersUA Skills and Technologies Survey. From WritersUA (WinWriters, Inc.). The world of online help software is chaotic and changes rapidly. This survey and other resources at the home page are very useful.
• The Future of RoboHelp?. Joe Welinske's observations on the future of RoboHelp.
• MadCap Software. When Macromedia acquired RoboHelp, the developers who were laid off formed their own company and are producing a product they call Flare. Try it — be a beta tester!

Tutorials

Here are some online tutorials:

• Editing Online Help. Jean Weber's downloadable book for students, writers, and ed itors who are developing online help for computer software.
• RoboHELP tutorial. The on-board tutorial from the Help button in RoboHELP is excellent. You can learn everything you need to know for this course from those tutorials.
• Authoring HTML Help. A fine tutorial for learning Microsoft's HTML Help, currently, a free download.
• Developing a Simple Web-Based Tutorial in RoboHelp. Provided by Ron Kurtus
• Designing a Help System. Microsoft's own discussion of process, format, guidelines for creating helps.

Print Resources

And some printed books:

• Joann T. Hackos, Dawn M. Stevens. Standards for Online Communication. New York: Wiley, 1997: ISBN: 0471156957.
• John V. Hedtke, Knottingham Elisabeth. RoboHELP 2000 Bible. Hungry Minds, Inc. ISBN: 0764546449.
• Kevin A. Siegel. Essentials of RoboHelp HTML 9: Skills & Drills. IconLogic. ISBN: 189176263X.
• James G. Meade. RoboHELP 7 For Dummies. Hungry Minds, Inc. ISBN: 0764505602. (Keep in mind that RoboHELP is at version 9 as of January 2001.)
• Char James-Tanny. Sams Teach Yourself RoboHELP 2000 for HTML Help in 24 Hours. Sams. ISBN: 0672316250.
• William Meisheid David Locke. RoboHELP 2000 for WinHelp : The Course in a Book. Sageline Publishing. ISBN: 0967257026.
• Microsoft Manual of Style for Technical Publications. Microsoft Press. ISBN: 1572318902.

General Resources

• HelpAuthoring.Info. Links and articles.
• HyperTrain dot Com. Dave Gash provides some useful resources.
• WinHelp & HTML Help Authoring Tools. Primarily a commercial site, but does contain tutorials, information.
• Resources for WinHelp Authors. Compiled and maintained by John Carroll, of minimalism fame.
• Help-Authoring e-group
• What happened to ForeHelp
• WinWriters. A group of training, consulting, and management professionals serving the community of WinHelp and HTML developers and their clients.
• WINHLP-L Mailing List Archive. A listserv discussion group for people who author Windows Help files.
• Help University. A group of training, consulting, and management professionals serving the community of WinHelp and HTML developers and their clients. Facilitates learning and networking among online communications developers specializing in WinHelp and Web-based information through its Web site, conferences, and HelpNet courses.
• Thoughts about On-Line Help. From Dan Emory.
• Software Development. Search this online magazine for articles on online helps.
• tanstaafl-software.com. Mostly commercial links.

• Making FrameMaker Help Usable and Searchable. From Scott Abel.
• WinHelp by Design: Tips to Help You Raise the Standard of Your WinHelp Documents
• 7 keys to writing better help files for Windows
• How Long Is a Topic?
• Making Online Information Usable
• Designing Winhelp Files

• Creating Windows Help: The Basics
• Windows Help File Authoring
• Help! An overview of help-authoring tools
• Help Authoring Tools -- A Round-Up
• RoboHELP: A War Story
• RoboHELP Office 9 Review: Features vs Usability
• RoboHelp vs. ForeHelp. TECHWR-L summary by Christie Christopherson.
• BOOK REVIEW: Standards for Online Communication

• What Does HTML-Based Help Look Like?
• Avoiding the temptation to pour WinHelp wine into HTML bottles
• WebHelp vs. HTML Help. TECHWR-L summary by Laura MacLemale.
• HTML Help or NetHelp?

• Microsoft HTML Help System—Designing a Help System: The big picture. Wise words from Microsoft about designing helps. Includes info on designing for accessibility/disability issues and planning for conversion of helps to web pages.

Shareware and Demo Resources

Typically, these guys give you 15 to 30 days or disable something critical about the software:

• Help & Manual. From Austria!
• AuthorIT. The trial version of this one used to be unlimited and only put advertising in randomly in your work.
• RoboHelp. Download a trial copy.
• Flare. Download a trial copy.
• HelpHikes Pro. A developer's winhelp authoring system.
• FAR. Help untilities that enable you to quickly convert HTML to .chm files. (.chm is the extension for compiled help files, like what RoboHELP and other software produce.)
• Microsoft HTML Help
• Mac OS Help. Resource for creating Mac helps.
• Sevensteps. A help-authoring tool from the Netherlands.
• Doc-To-Help. Help authoring software that facilitates simultaneous creation of printed documents and online help files.
• HelpScribble. Made available from Belgium by Jan Goyvaerts.