In the past
10 years, many places made the move to the internet
to offer products and services to their customers.
Businesses, educational organizations and
government agencies found that online content was
more effective and efficient to disseminate
information than phone queues or long lines onsite.
Some ways help content was traditionally provided was to hard code the help content into application code and websites, but the disadvantages are obvious. To update the content, the application or website needs revision, with the potential of introducing unwanted bugs that impact users. And many organizations have stringent testing processes that Quality Assurance departments must run prior to releasing updates, adding work and expense, as well as slowing down the release of content changes to customers.
An alternate approach to hard coding help content is to use a standalone application to generate help. This content would be simpler to update and require less testing than modifying an entire application or site, so getting changes out to customers would be easier and less expensive and faster.
RoboHelp 7 is one product from Adobe used to create online and printed help. RoboHelp was a package Adobe inherited when they acquired Macromedia in 2006, and Adobe wasted no time updating it. Aware this product was popular since it was released in the early ‘90s, Adobe did not abandon RoboHelp users but instead chose to release two updates: first 6.0 and now 7.0. Let’s get started with the review of RoboHelp version 7.0.
Getting Started
RoboHelp 7 requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP or Windows Vista, at least a Pentium IV CPU, 256 MB RAM, and 800 MB space on the hard drive; internet access is useful. Supported authoring environments include: Dreamweaver CS3 or Dreamweaver 8, FrontPage 2003, HomeSite 5.5, and MS Word 2000/2002/2003/2007.
I installed the software from a disk, instead of downloading the file and ran it on an HP laptop running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2, a 2GB CPU, 1.25GB RAM and a 100 GB hard drive. The installation process was simple and error-free. A new directory was created under C:\Program Files\Adobe: Adobe RoboHelp 7.0, which took up around 285 MB after the installation, only 5 MB more than RoboHelp 6.0. RoboSource Control 3, which I installed with RoboHelp 6.0, was not updated.
Using the Product
I started testing RoboHelp to create a help system for a web application I built with Dreamweaver. I approach online help systems the same way I approach creating websites: modular, not linear. I created separate pages for each category of help content, created individual pages with examples for the item details, then linked the items to the categories. Next, I created an introductory page and built a TOC page, and linked both to the content created earlier. Then I added pop-ups to appropriate items to provide online definitions where ever appropriate, which I use to augment (not replace) glossary terms. And then I created a new glossary for my help system.
A note about RoboHelp glossaries. You can create a glossary and save it for use in other help systems. Now this is a nice feature for organizations that want a unified glossary in multiple help systems that span an entire product line of goods or services.
To complete this test, I generated HTML Help. The help application was built fast and it was easy to test and verify the content was available. For the next test I had RoboHelp generate HTML and WinHelp for the same help content. While it took longer (which makes sense), I didn’t need to do anything beyond chose the second output file. I tested the WinHelp content and it functioned as expected (just like other WinHelp files).
The next test was to create new help content for a different application – a Windows application I wrote, with the help content embedded in the source code. I remmed out the help content in the source, created the WinHelp file and tested as before and again was happy with the results.
There are several benefits of removing help content from the source code.
Smaller source code (depending on the amount of help content).
Separate help content provides a means for a dedicated help author to contribute to a project without needing to learn the development environment or tool. Faster and easier to roll out help content updates.
Since help content changes don’t affect the source code, this means that the application or environment does not need to be tested for minor documentation changes, saving time and money.
I liked the results so far, so I took it to the next step. I decided to use RoboHelp to replace the written documentation as well as the embedded help. To do this, I went into RoboHelp and used conditional formatting to mark some of the materials to be only available for print, while other material was strictly available for online content. It was simple to do, and after I generated the help files the conditional marking worked exactly as expected – no problems or errors. Nice! This makes it much easier to keep help content between different output formats in sync, which is a huge plus to help providers.
I have experience with several versions of RoboHelp and really like the changes to the version 7 UI. I suspect most people will have no transition time getting up to speed on the new release. I didn’t. When speaking with clients this next year, I will recommend it whenever online help systems are needed. And I almost forgot to mention that RoboHelp 7 integration with Captivate (see our review already on our site), FrameMaker, and RoboScreen Capture is improved, especially with the versions of those applications in the Technical Communication Suite.
Conclusion
Many people are choosing to move away from including help material in their application or website source code. Using a system like RoboHelp provides a simple yet easy application to develop new or modify existing help content. The obvious benefit? A more effective way to keep help content in sync between online and printed help systems.
There are a lot of people using RoboHelp. WritersUA website does a yearly reader survey to see what people are using to create help content. In 2006, 63% of the survey respondents used RoboHelp, while that dropped to 56% in the 2007 survey. WritersUA survey respondents use other Adobe products for online help, including Acrobat, FrameMaker, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Captivate, so it is difficult to ascertain whether 2006 respondents moved from RoboHelp to a different Adobe product or to a help system from a different vendor in 2007.
One other note about RoboHelp 7. Adobe chose to release two versions of RoboHelp 7 – the client and server versions (they did this initially in version 6 of RoboHelp). This review does not include information about the server version, but you should be aware of two things about RoboHelp Server. It is installed and run on a server, not on a workstation.
To create help content, you need to purchase a copy of the client software.
Positives
As much as I enjoyed using RoboHelp 6.0, I was unhappy it did not support Word 2007. I held off purchasing Office 2007 since I needed to use RoboHelp at my clients, so I am relieved version 7 does support Word 2007, in case I need to move away from Word 2003. I found it easy to use to create a wide variety of online help systems, including HTML Help, FlashHelp, JavaHelp, Oracle Help, WinHelp and printed documents (in Word and PDF format). This support allows help content authors work with a number of platforms without needing detailed knowledge of those platforms.
I really appreciated the ability to incorporate conditional build tags to generate different types of materials from a single source. I used the tags to create HTML help and print help content (for the iconoclasts that preferred handling paper over reading the information on a computer screen) and WinHelp files. Being able to generate different types of help at the same time was a real time saver.
While I have other screenshot software, it was a good idea for Adobe to include RoboScreenCapture at no charge. It was simple to use, took shots of full screen or windows as needed, and supports a variety of image file formats (). I did not encounter any errors with this application nor the images during my tests.
RoboHelp’s support for multiple languages, command line compilation, hyperlinks, pop-ups are good, and the number of supported import/output formats are reasonable. In the future, I would like to see Adobe support importing content from other help systems vendors.
The product is available in English, French, German, and Japanese. Captivate projects can be exported to Flash, and the SWF files can be used with other products (like Dreamweaver and Acrobat) that support that file format.
Negatives
RoboHelp 6 owners must pay for the upgrade to version 7 if they want support for Word 2007 – I think that, while the upgrade price is reasonable, that this support should have been provided at no cost.
Adobe includes RoboSource Control, but I prefer Visual Studio Source Control and believe many companies or agencies will already have a source control application in place for development projects and RoboHelp source files will probably use that system instead of RoboSource Control.
Recommendation
Definitely recommended. The software is easy to install and use, the interface is quite intuitive, and the variety of supported help content is excellent. Adobe’s online help – both included with the application and available online at their website - was extensive and useful. The typical audience will be companies with internal and external online products and services, and government agencies.
Review By
Mike Hubbartt
Some ways help content was traditionally provided was to hard code the help content into application code and websites, but the disadvantages are obvious. To update the content, the application or website needs revision, with the potential of introducing unwanted bugs that impact users. And many organizations have stringent testing processes that Quality Assurance departments must run prior to releasing updates, adding work and expense, as well as slowing down the release of content changes to customers.
An alternate approach to hard coding help content is to use a standalone application to generate help. This content would be simpler to update and require less testing than modifying an entire application or site, so getting changes out to customers would be easier and less expensive and faster.
RoboHelp 7 is one product from Adobe used to create online and printed help. RoboHelp was a package Adobe inherited when they acquired Macromedia in 2006, and Adobe wasted no time updating it. Aware this product was popular since it was released in the early ‘90s, Adobe did not abandon RoboHelp users but instead chose to release two updates: first 6.0 and now 7.0. Let’s get started with the review of RoboHelp version 7.0.
Getting Started
RoboHelp 7 requires Windows 2000 or Windows XP or Windows Vista, at least a Pentium IV CPU, 256 MB RAM, and 800 MB space on the hard drive; internet access is useful. Supported authoring environments include: Dreamweaver CS3 or Dreamweaver 8, FrontPage 2003, HomeSite 5.5, and MS Word 2000/2002/2003/2007.
I installed the software from a disk, instead of downloading the file and ran it on an HP laptop running Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 2, a 2GB CPU, 1.25GB RAM and a 100 GB hard drive. The installation process was simple and error-free. A new directory was created under C:\Program Files\Adobe: Adobe RoboHelp 7.0, which took up around 285 MB after the installation, only 5 MB more than RoboHelp 6.0. RoboSource Control 3, which I installed with RoboHelp 6.0, was not updated.
Using the Product
I started testing RoboHelp to create a help system for a web application I built with Dreamweaver. I approach online help systems the same way I approach creating websites: modular, not linear. I created separate pages for each category of help content, created individual pages with examples for the item details, then linked the items to the categories. Next, I created an introductory page and built a TOC page, and linked both to the content created earlier. Then I added pop-ups to appropriate items to provide online definitions where ever appropriate, which I use to augment (not replace) glossary terms. And then I created a new glossary for my help system.
A note about RoboHelp glossaries. You can create a glossary and save it for use in other help systems. Now this is a nice feature for organizations that want a unified glossary in multiple help systems that span an entire product line of goods or services.
To complete this test, I generated HTML Help. The help application was built fast and it was easy to test and verify the content was available. For the next test I had RoboHelp generate HTML and WinHelp for the same help content. While it took longer (which makes sense), I didn’t need to do anything beyond chose the second output file. I tested the WinHelp content and it functioned as expected (just like other WinHelp files).
The next test was to create new help content for a different application – a Windows application I wrote, with the help content embedded in the source code. I remmed out the help content in the source, created the WinHelp file and tested as before and again was happy with the results.
There are several benefits of removing help content from the source code.
Smaller source code (depending on the amount of help content).
Separate help content provides a means for a dedicated help author to contribute to a project without needing to learn the development environment or tool. Faster and easier to roll out help content updates.
Since help content changes don’t affect the source code, this means that the application or environment does not need to be tested for minor documentation changes, saving time and money.
I liked the results so far, so I took it to the next step. I decided to use RoboHelp to replace the written documentation as well as the embedded help. To do this, I went into RoboHelp and used conditional formatting to mark some of the materials to be only available for print, while other material was strictly available for online content. It was simple to do, and after I generated the help files the conditional marking worked exactly as expected – no problems or errors. Nice! This makes it much easier to keep help content between different output formats in sync, which is a huge plus to help providers.
I have experience with several versions of RoboHelp and really like the changes to the version 7 UI. I suspect most people will have no transition time getting up to speed on the new release. I didn’t. When speaking with clients this next year, I will recommend it whenever online help systems are needed. And I almost forgot to mention that RoboHelp 7 integration with Captivate (see our review already on our site), FrameMaker, and RoboScreen Capture is improved, especially with the versions of those applications in the Technical Communication Suite.
Conclusion
Many people are choosing to move away from including help material in their application or website source code. Using a system like RoboHelp provides a simple yet easy application to develop new or modify existing help content. The obvious benefit? A more effective way to keep help content in sync between online and printed help systems.
There are a lot of people using RoboHelp. WritersUA website does a yearly reader survey to see what people are using to create help content. In 2006, 63% of the survey respondents used RoboHelp, while that dropped to 56% in the 2007 survey. WritersUA survey respondents use other Adobe products for online help, including Acrobat, FrameMaker, Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Captivate, so it is difficult to ascertain whether 2006 respondents moved from RoboHelp to a different Adobe product or to a help system from a different vendor in 2007.
One other note about RoboHelp 7. Adobe chose to release two versions of RoboHelp 7 – the client and server versions (they did this initially in version 6 of RoboHelp). This review does not include information about the server version, but you should be aware of two things about RoboHelp Server. It is installed and run on a server, not on a workstation.
To create help content, you need to purchase a copy of the client software.
Positives
As much as I enjoyed using RoboHelp 6.0, I was unhappy it did not support Word 2007. I held off purchasing Office 2007 since I needed to use RoboHelp at my clients, so I am relieved version 7 does support Word 2007, in case I need to move away from Word 2003. I found it easy to use to create a wide variety of online help systems, including HTML Help, FlashHelp, JavaHelp, Oracle Help, WinHelp and printed documents (in Word and PDF format). This support allows help content authors work with a number of platforms without needing detailed knowledge of those platforms.
I really appreciated the ability to incorporate conditional build tags to generate different types of materials from a single source. I used the tags to create HTML help and print help content (for the iconoclasts that preferred handling paper over reading the information on a computer screen) and WinHelp files. Being able to generate different types of help at the same time was a real time saver.
While I have other screenshot software, it was a good idea for Adobe to include RoboScreenCapture at no charge. It was simple to use, took shots of full screen or windows as needed, and supports a variety of image file formats (). I did not encounter any errors with this application nor the images during my tests.
RoboHelp’s support for multiple languages, command line compilation, hyperlinks, pop-ups are good, and the number of supported import/output formats are reasonable. In the future, I would like to see Adobe support importing content from other help systems vendors.
The product is available in English, French, German, and Japanese. Captivate projects can be exported to Flash, and the SWF files can be used with other products (like Dreamweaver and Acrobat) that support that file format.
Negatives
RoboHelp 6 owners must pay for the upgrade to version 7 if they want support for Word 2007 – I think that, while the upgrade price is reasonable, that this support should have been provided at no cost.
Adobe includes RoboSource Control, but I prefer Visual Studio Source Control and believe many companies or agencies will already have a source control application in place for development projects and RoboHelp source files will probably use that system instead of RoboSource Control.
Recommendation
Definitely recommended. The software is easy to install and use, the interface is quite intuitive, and the variety of supported help content is excellent. Adobe’s online help – both included with the application and available online at their website - was extensive and useful. The typical audience will be companies with internal and external online products and services, and government agencies.
Review By
Mike Hubbartt
Adobe RoboHelp 7 Server Software Review