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Subject:Help or User Manual First? From:Gurudutt Kamath/Technical Writing Centre <guruk -at- GIASBM01 -dot- VSNL -dot- NET -dot- IN> Date:Wed, 30 Apr 1997 07:35:44 +0530
Greetings from India!
I have been asked to write a user manual and help for a banking
application (PowerBuilder). Normally, I feel the user manual
should be written first and then the Help can be created by using
the stuff from the user manual. I am interested in knowing what
is the best way to handle this situation. I am not familiar with
RoboHelp or any such tool. Here are some questions for which I
require answers.
1. Can one create the Help first in RoboHelp and then turn it
into a user manual? I would appreciate some broad guidelines and
tips on how to do this. Specially, how to avoid any pitfalls.
2. Or should I write the user manual first in Word and then turn
that into Help files? Here too, any tips and suggestions would
be welcome.
I do feel that this is a chicken and egg question. But as one
Indian actor had responded: "To me at least the egg came first
and then the chicken. I had egg for breakfast and then had
chicken for lunch."
(I did search the archives but was not able to get the answer.)
Thanks to all of you for being a part of this wonderful mailing
list. I look forward to any suggestions/tips that you can offer.
I love being on this list!
Best wishes.
Guru
guruk -at- giasbm01 -dot- vsnl -dot- net -dot- in http://members.tripod.com/~Kamath
(read my article on the technical writing scenario in India)
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