Notes from Trends '98 Conference
Orlando, Florida, October 2, 1998

Using ForeHelp as Your Primary or Complimentary WinHelp and
HTML-Based Help Authoring Tool

Johanna Ohlsson
Product Marketing Manager, ForeFront, Inc.

Note: This pitch clearly had a secondary marketing agenda, but the primary focus was informational -- and it did provide valuable insight into the latest trends in online Help development, from the vantage point of one of the industry's leading developers of WYSIWYG Help authoring tools.

Available: A detailed product brochure and promotional sample software on CD (20-topic limit) are available. To borrow, contact Daniel W. Voss.

• ForeHelp facilitates Help authoring through automated functions (e.g., indexing).
• It works with WinHelp, HTML-Based, and Web-based Help systems.
• The latest release is ForeHelp 3 and the ForeHelp 98 suite.
• Key features:
   
• True WYSIWYG Help development
• Stand-alone (does not require MS Word)
• Instant testing
• One project, multiple Help environments
• Database architecture

 
• Robust
• Industry-leading reporting
• Integrated add-in tools
• Input sources
   
• HTML (will import full Web site in one "gulp," tracking all links)... cool!
• Print manual
• Other Help projects
• Templates, outlines (you can work "from scratch")
• Supports multiple Help formats
   
• WinHelp 95
• HTML Help
• "Pure" HTML
• Netscape Help
• WinHelp 3.1
• Printed manual
• Expected to support JavaHelp early next year
• Time-savers
   
• Set multiple topic properties
• Related topics networks
• Specialized search/replace
• Reporting
• Context-linking
• The presenter provided an online demo of ForeHelp at this point in the presentation. It was impressive how many repetitive functions they have automated.
• Author shortcuts
   
• Templates... However; they work on the initial structure only; they do not work globally on subsequent changes. You have to search and replace one by one.
• Contents editor... Paste Palette (right click) accommodates 10 items simultaneously
• Network of related topics... Automated by Related Topics Wizard (can globally place the cross reference button on every file where you want it to go, in one shot).
• Set properties on multiple topics simultaneously
• Project management functions
   
• "To do" lists
• Schedules
• Prioritization
• Multiple reporting formats.
   
• By topic
• By field
• By related topics
• By projects
• By "to-do" lists
• Summary of all jumps
• Browse sequence, etc., etc.


Example: Reports can sort action items by due dates and then flag the calendar with "ticklers" to keep things from falling through cracks.
• Conditional Text Tool can be used to accommodate online review and comment.
• Navigator functions:
   
• Graphically depicts all links in and out of topics: instant site plan that self-updates in real time.
• Instantly locates all dead links. (A real boon for site maintenance.)
• Automated generation of navaids, toolbars -- to automated, standard formats or customized
• Offers seamless Internet links if user has live connection.
• Add-on tools available in ForeHelp 98 suite provide such features as high-powered search capabilities, automatic indexing, generation of Key Words for User Help, and Wizard-assisted development of context-sensitive Help.
• The Achilles Heel of ForeHelp: You cannot access or influence the underlying code. It is totally WYSIWYG. Thus, you cannot fine-tune and tweak, nor can you incorporate late-breaking HTML features that come out after the package is released. Lack of access to the code also means you cannot search and replace by URLs to replace dead links with live ones, etc.