Designing Windows 95 Help: A Guide for Creating Online Documents News & Views Book Review

Designing Windows 95 Help: A Guide for Creating Online Documents Mary Deaton and Cheryl Lockett Zubak by Estella Clifford, Techncial Writer ElsagBailey Inc. (Warminster, PA) Designing Windows 95 Help: A Guide to Creating Online Documents, by Mary Deaton and Cheryl Lockett Zubak, Que Corporation 1996. ISBN 0-7897-0362-9 $49.99. 684 pp. Originally published in News & Views January 1997 issue. Copyright 1997 STC-Philadelphia Metro Chapter. For permission to reprint this article, contact the Managing Editor.

Long awaited, highly popular, Windows 95 is the system for which many developers are creating applications today. Companies attempting to improve the bottom line are taking a minimalist approach to documentation. Hardcopy manuals are shorter, and online help is becoming the major source of information for the user. Designing Windows 95 Help: A Guide for Creating Online Documents by Mary Deaton and Cheryl Lockett Zubak is a helpful resource for the technical communicator working in this area. This comprehensive manual is for the experienced help author/developer working in the Winhelp 4 environment. The book is organized into six main sections: The WinHelp 4 Environment Designing a Usable System WinHelp 4: Step-by-Step Application Development Solving Special Problems Appendixes Part I, The WinHelp 4 Environment, examines the new features in WinHelp 4 from the perspective of both the user and the writer/developer. It provides guidelines for selecting the help authoring tool that best meets the needs of a particular project, and includes detailed information on a number of authoring tools. Planning, Planning, Planning This is a book primarily about the design of online documentation. The creation of something new, be it a car, a book, or an online help project, does not just happen. Although we might wish to cut to the "fun part," to just sit down and begin writing, quality craftsmanship demands planning and design. The authors note: "Granted, many pieces of software are built based on the daily intuition of a developer or systems analyst, but these projects often cost a fortune in overtime, rework, and lost sales because they are late to market, or are buggy when they arrive." The key to doing it right the first time, the authors stress, is planning. Part 2, Designing a Usable System, is a meaty 281 pages (out of 684), presenting valuable information on all aspects of planning and design, from creating a design document to the addition of multimedia elements. Learning by Doing Reading about a task is useful; actually performing a task speeds learning greatly. Part III, WinHelp 4: Step-by-Step, provides a tutorial that leads the reader through the creation of a project file using Microsoft Help Workshop. This is a friendly, thorough guide for anyone involved in developing online help systems. This project is provided on the CD-ROM supplied with the book. Part IV, Application Development, explores the symbiotic relationship of help designer and application developer (especially in the construction of What's This? help), with suggestions for establishing rapport and developing good communications. Use of dynamic-link libraries (DLLs) is also discussed here. What if your project has special requirements, like conversion of an existing online help system to the Winhelp 4 environment? Or conversion of printed books? Presentation of complex tables and graphics? Or the need to develop one help system for use on multiple platforms? Assistance with these issues is provided in Section V, Solving Special Problems. Useful Stuff The Appendixes are a collection of useful nuggets. There is a list of the macros supported in Winhelp 4, a comprehensive list of resources for help authors, including addresses and phone numbers for the makers of Windows and non-Windows help authoring tools, utilities, DLLs, training companies and consultants, and Internet resources. There is an extensive bibliography of related publications. Appendix C provides information on how to access and use the material on the CD-ROM which accompanies the book. The CD-ROM includes help files, RTF files, project files, and other samples. Highly readable in style, the book is presented in a clean and visually pleasing manner, without clutter or visual distractions. It is liberally laced with useful illustrations and examples. Notes and tips are highly visible, yet flow with the text. Terms are clearly defined. There is a detailed index. Although the book is intended for those with some experience in creating online documents, suggestions for introductory reading are provided for the novice in the Introduction and in Chapter 1. Helpful suggestions for related reading are found throughout. Although it is targeted at the Windows 95 help developer, this friendly, thorough guide is useful for anyone involved in developing online help systems.

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Last updated: January 25, 1997 (rst)