Keywording

[Alice Jones <alice_jones -at- MDL -dot- COM>]

Subject:                      Keywording
I use Apple Guide to create online help systems for Mac-based software. Apple
Guide provides a hierarchical topics list, an index (2 levels), AND a mechanism
for keyword searching. I've learned (the hard way) that keywording is definately
a whole different design approach from standard indexing. (And I *used* to hate
indexing!) Apple Guide takes it one step further. Depending on how well you
program the thing, it strips whole sentences or phrases down to the itty
bittiest keywords. A user can type: How do I print this $%&^ file? Apple Guide
then displays all topics pertaining to "print" (*if* you design it that way.)

Apple Guide is very "programmer-y" to design in that you have to pay scrupulous
attention to your syntax, code everything, and compile everything together. For
keywording, you have to design a list of words to ignore along with words to
recognize (very tedious...especially if you include all known swear-words in
your ignore list!)

>From what I've observed of other online help authoring tools, Apple Guide does
not get high marks for ease of authoring or re-use of information. (But it did
help "Macintosh Guide" win the Distinguished/Best of Show Award at the STC Int'l
Online Competition this year!) I've managed to get past Apple Guide's wrinkles,
but would be interested in hearing from anyone else who is using this tool (or
others on the Mac). I'm also interested in any tips for keywording (Is there a
method to this madness?) :)

If there is a list more specific to this topic, please let me know directly.
 Thanks.


Alice Alspach Jones                 *   A computer's attention span
Treasurer, STC Wash., DC Chapter    *   is as long as its power cord.
Technical Writer                    *
Silver Spring, MD                   *   Windows: Just another pane
alice_jones -at- microdynamics -dot- mdl -dot- com   *   in the glass.