RE: online documentation for web application

[John Garison <jgarison -at- ide -dot- com>]

I have done the "roll your own" approach using an HTML editor and I have
used HATs to produce HTML-based (NOT Html Help) online doc for web
applications.

I go with the tool approach now, and I use ForeFront's InterHelp format to
do it. My writers can use the familiar HAT interface, as well as create
popups and secondary windows. And it automatically creates the
expand/collapse tree view TOC, a full-text searchable index, and all the
other modern conveniences without any extra effort. I also find this to be
more easily maintained than hand-made help.

I find its output works well in both IE and Netscape (as long as you don't
use ANY file names with spaces in them!).

Just my 2¢ worth,

John Garison
Documentation Manager
Integrated Development Enterprise, Inc.
150 Baker Avenue Extension
Concord  MA  01742-2174

978.402.2907 Voice
978.318.9376  Fax



-----Original Message-----
From: Kaya Balke [mailto:kaya -at- hungryminds-inc -dot- com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2000 12:23 PM
To: TECHWR-L
Subject: online documentation for web application


Hi all,

I need to create online documentation for a web application, and I'm trying
to determine both the best   tool to do the job and the best format for the
documentation. 

I'm wondering if I can write documentation directly in an HTML text editor,
such as HomeSite, or should I use MS Word (FrameMaker is not in the budget)
and then convert it to HTML? Any problems with using HomeSite to create user
docs that I should be aware of?  Also, I'd like to take a look at existing
online documentation to get ideas but haven't been able to find any. Any
suggestions on which sites have online documentation?

Thanks very much,

--kaya