TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:Re: WinHelp 4.0 is a pain From:Roy Jacobsen <Roy_Jacobsen -dot- GPS -at- GPS -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 28 Aug 1996 10:51:47 EDT
Matt Danda said:
"Is it just me, or do you think that the "new and improved" WinHelp 4.0 is much
more difficult to design than WinHelp for Win3.1?"
I say: There are more tools at our disposal, and they are more complex, so yes,
to that extent it is more difficult. Difficulty is not necessarily a Bad Thing.
Mat said:
[deletia]". . . development seems to require a much more technical mind-set,
more planning and organization, and much less creativity."
I say: More technical mind-set? Maybe. More planning and organization? Is
planning and organization bad? Much less creativity? Not on your life. I found
WinHelp 3.1 to be more restrictive in that respect.
Matt continues:
"For instance, rather than designing your own Contents screen as in Windows
3.1, you now have to use the Microsoft Contents format,. . ."[more deletia]
I say: Matt, you don't HAVE TO use the MS Contents format. You can still
specify a topic of your own design as the Contents screen. If you don't supply
a .CNT file, nothing bad happens.
Matt said:
"Sorry, but I just spent all day trying to make sense of .h, .hm, and .hh files
in order to implement the supposedly simple What's This Help for our system.
Read all the Help manuals at least 3 times, tried a thousand variations of
topic names, recompiled and tested the Help file dozens of times, recompiled
and edited the Visual C++ source code several times, and still no luck.
AHHHHHH!!!!"
I say: Now THAT I can relate to! Hooking help and the application can be a
royal pain.
Roy Jacobsen
Senior Technical Writer
Great Plains Software
rjacobse -at- gps -dot- com
TECHWR-L List Information
To send a message about technical communication to 2500+ list readers,
E-mail to TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU -dot- Send administrative commands
ALL other questions or problems concerning the list
should go to the listowner, Eric Ray, at ejray -at- ionet -dot- net -dot-
