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Re: Paper Manual to Online Help - where to start?

Subject: Re: Paper Manual to Online Help - where to start?
From: dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com
To: "TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com>
Date: Tue, 25 May 2004 08:19:52 -0700


suzy -dot- davis -at- doi -dot- vic -dot- gov -dot- au wrote:

My client is looking for a solution that won't cost as much (I think), or
is preferably free... I am looking for a simple solution
which will require little rework. The manuals are already in an easy to
read procedural format, and the user's don't need context sensitive help,
just an online reference to the book they have had on their desktop. The
other thing is that it has to be fairly easy to update.

Based on that paragraph alone, I'd suggest you consider distributing PDFs of the existing manuals. PDFs are automatically searchable; TOC entries can be hyperlinked easily; for a small additional expense, you can hyperlink index entries easily; with a fair amount of additional effort, you can hyperlink cross-references; they are as easy to update as the printed books and significantly easier (and cheaper!) to distribute; if you need one, you can add a link from the application (perhaps on the Help menu) that opens the PDF.

The only negative that comes to mind that Acrobat isn't free, although I believe it costs far less than RoboHelp. (I'm not familiar with the other tools for creating PDF from Word--check the Techwr-L archives.)

--David

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References:
Paper Manual to Online Help - where to start?: From: suzy . davis

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