15-Minute Reviews :: HelpSmith v1.3b8.202

today’s 15-Minute Review is on HelpSmith version 1.3 build 8.202 by HelpSmith.com – An application in a WYSIWYG form to build CHM Windows HTML Help files.

Software Description

As Giveaway of the Day states:

“HelpSmith is an innovative help authoring tool allowing you to easily create CHM HTML Help files and Printed Manuals. The HelpSmith’s ultimate toolkit with its visual approach takes the process of writing technical documentation for your software to a new quality level.

The powerful WYSIWYG (“What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get”) text processor, support for Unicode, advanced approach to working with graphics, live spell checking, and many other useful features make HelpSmith the complete help authoring solution.”

Quick Pros

• Easy-to-use interface
• Manipulation of Topics, Table of Contents and Keywords is very easy
• Decent number of formatting options
• Built-in review system to ensure quality topics
• Ability to create a printed manual from the help file a plus

Quick Cons

• No drag and drop support for reorganizing
• Could use a managed style structure
• Requires use of external compiler such as Microsoft’s HTML Help Workshop (Not included in download)
• Help could be more detailed on a system for managing context numbers and IDs

Expansion

The focus with this application appears to be maintaining a simple way to build your CHM files all the way through the application. Upon your first launch of the application, you will see a layout much like a Word Processor for most of the window, with two side boxes containing the Topic and Table of Contents controls, with a set of button bars along the top. These two areas have their own button bars on the top of each for managing the addition, removal and editing of each item. There are positioning arrows for both area because unfortunately there is no drag and drop support – Not too big of a deal unless you start handling large help files.

As mentioned above, the majority of the application is based around the WYSIWYG design of the help topics. There is most of the common formatting options here you’d expect to see in an editor; Font controls, alignment, image and link insertion, tables and more. It is very quick to toss together your work on a help file; Much easier than other tools out there. The application could have had a style system so that instead of trying to maintain a look and memorizing what look goes where, you could simply predefine styles and then apply them, also for making quick changes far easier, especially on larger help files.

There is a lot of little features that add to this application. First off, there is a review system built directly into the application. Every topic item can be flagged as In Progress, Waiting Review, Marked, and Complete; For any size help file, this could definitely be helpful to have someone review your work before you publish it (We know how typos and errors can creep in anywhere). It might be interesting to include a commenting system into this application for review and note-taking by multiple reviewers, so that the editor can then take action from there. There is also the capability to create a printed manual from the help files, and actually quite powerful with controls over some of the building of the print file, including header, footer and other options. This could be handy for creating a PDF or even a printed manual.

While the application is good, there is a a concern that quickly comes up during your first compile of the CHM file; You need to have a CHM compiler to actually compile your help file into a final package. The one recommended by the author is Microsoft’s HTML Help Workshop – It is unfortunately not bundled into the software download and is needed as an extra download. HTML Help Workshop itself is a CHM builder or sorts as well, but it is definitely not a pleasant experience.

While most of the application is relatively self-explanatory, some may struggle with the Context and IDs of topics. While it isn’t too difficult, there isn’t much explanation on the subject in the helpfile, and some may find keeping a logical organization and good naming convention with these a bit more difficult; It may make sense on having a help topic on these two items alone and how it could benefit them from a development point of view to have a good system to these.

Final Verdict

Overall, besides what seems to be a few minor oversights, this application is actually quite nice. This style of application is a stark contrast from Microsoft’s tool or other applications, and could make a difference in effort and resources into developing and maintaining a healthy help file. For free, if you are working on any personal projects (School applications, freeware, etc), this may be a great tool to snag right now while it is free. As for paying $199 for this title, the application is good and does do a good job, you just need to decide on if your budget can afford it, and if $199 worth of software can save you that much in time, effort and money. The title would definitely make more sense to a developer who does a few applications or does regular upkeep on their help files.

Posted by BladedThoth on Thursday, February 07, 2008