Help File and Help Software for Windows

Help Development Studio
$94.95 - Divcom Software

All modern software applications, no matter how large or small, need to have clear, concise, well-structured, and easily navigated Help systems. Generating such a system is often considered to be a difficult task, however, creating a help file can be as easy as writing a document in a word processor. All you need to do is simply select the most appropriate help authoring program for the job!
Help Development Studio is a popular help authoring tool, designed to create WinHelp (.HLP), HTML Help (.CHM), and Web Help (.HTML) files from the same source. This is a full-featured, stand-alone, complete help authoring tool, which includes all that's necessary for the quick and easy creation of high quality help documentation for your software application. There is NO need to know any of the technical aspects of creating help files, working with the help compiler, or editing the help topic source code in RTF or HTML.
Help Development Studio is the only help authoring tool to offer such power combined with simplicity of usage. There is also no need to use a variety of tools from different programs while working on a help file because Help Development Studio is a fully integrated environment. All the inbuilt tools, from the text processor to the Contents and Index editors, interact with each other to allow the automation of various actions. In other words, Help Development Studio allows you to write help topics, create the Table of Contents and Index, and use any WinHelp- or HTML Help-specific objects and features.
The great features included in Help Development Studio, as well as its easy-to-use interface and affordable price, is the reason why the program continues to gain more and more popularity among independent developers, software development companies, technical writers, and help authoring professionals.
If you require a quality tool to create help files for your applications, give Help Development Studio a try! Download your copy now and get a FREE 30-day trial!

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HELLLP! WinHelp Author Tool for WinWord
$39 - Guy Software

* User works entirely within Word (English or non-English versions). You never have to touch a context string, or an HPJ or RTF file (unless you want to).
* Can generate topics from Word Heading Styles, or user can identify them by pointing.
* Generates a table of contents automatically, for display in the main window, a secondary window or a PopUp with jumps from it already in place.
* User adds additional jumps and PopUps by highlighting the text or graphic to jump from and pointing to the topic to jump to. Mid- topic jumps are supported.
* Generates search keywords automatically (user can edit) in lower, upper, or mixed case.
* Can generate browse sequences automatically.
* Generates and tracks context strings automatically (user can edit).
* Can set sizes of main and secondary windows independently, both on initial display and on topic change. Can determine windows for initial display - main, secondary or both.
* Set background colours for scrolling and non-scrolling text.
* Set hotspot colour for cultures where green is not suitable.
* Add sound effects by playing WAV files.
* Launch other processes from within Help File by clicking text or icons.
* Automatic multi-file project builds.
* Generation and mapping of topic numbers for HELPCONTEXTID and other context-sensitive needs.
* Incorporation of additional WinHelp macros by dialog box selection.
* Expert users can supply a file of [sections] to be merged into HPJ file on each build.
* Customised button bars for main window, secondary windows, PopUps or embedded in text. Button-top text in any language. Buttons call or PopUp any topic, WinHelp macro or launch another process.
* Automatic generation of a "Glossary" topic if desired with an alphabet button box at the top.
* Generation of additional menus and menu items on the Winhelp menu bar. Even omission of the whole menu bar.
* Customisable "copyright" line for WinHelp about box.
* Generation of CNT file.

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MGTEK Help Producer
$395 - MGTEK

MGTEK Help Producer is a help authoring tool for Microsoft Windows that allows you to create professional HTML help files and web based content from a Microsoft Word document.

Help Producer is an add-in that is seamlessly integrated into the user interface of Microsoft Word, which makes authoring a help file as easy as writing a regular Word document. With a click on a button, Help Producer will analyze your Word document and generate all files necessary to build a help file, such as project files, table of contents files, index files, HTML topic files, and graphics.

Help Producer can take advantage of many of Microsoft Word's existing editing and formatting features, including colors, fonts, styles, lists, tables, embedded pictures or objects, and even auto-shapes. In addition to the ability to leverage off the authoring features offered by Microsoft Word, Help Producer has many innovative and exiting features that will help technical writers create professional help files.

As the first help authoring tool in the industry, Help Producer can generate help files from Microsoft Word documents authored with the document template MSDN20, a template provided with the Visual Studio Help Integration Kit (VSHIK); However, Help Producer can be customized to work with many other document templates.

Help Producer has support for the popular Microsoft HTML Help 1.0 format, as well as for the new Microsoft Help 2.0 introduced with Visual Studio .NET. A build-in project editor allows you to make changes to any properties found in Microsoft HTML Help 1.0 and Microsoft Help 2.0.

In addition to all standard features found in HTML Help, such as table of contents and index generation, we have added support for more advanced features, such as K-links and A-links, text popups, conditional topics, topic IDs, and much more.

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Source Help Builder
$49 - FeatherySoft

Source Help Builder is a powerful tool to create help files for components based on source code to integrate it with Delphi IDE help system. It's designed to quickly and easily create and update help files for Delphi components and component library. Help file created with Source Help Builder looks professional, like help files supplied by Borland. It can be generated as popular Help formats (HLP and CHM) so printed documentation in PDF format. Source Help Builder also can save help topic text back into source files as in-source help comments. That makes your source code self-documented.
The main features of Source Help Builder are:
- adding any source modification to help project;
- creating different help formats;
- visualization of the help writing process;
- fully functional word processing (WYSIWIG mode);
- multi language help and documentation.

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ChmDecompiler
$39.95 - GuohuaSoft

ChmDecompiler is an Chm file or ebook decompiler,it can decompile .Chm file or ebooks (ie.'Compiled Windows HTML Help files') and extract all source files from the ebook!
A batch decompiler for Compiled Windows HTML Help files (*.chm). ChmDecompiler can extract all/any source files in a MS .chm file or ebook easily and quickly,ChmDecompiler is also a easy-to-use .chm file viewer.

Features:

Decompile a CHM Html help file or CHM ebook quickly and easily.
Recover the .HHP project file perfectly.
Decompile all MS CHM files / CHM ebooks in batch processing.
Extract a/any files from a chm file or chm ebook.
Convert any chm files to html freely.
Manage CHM Html help file like a zip file.
An excellent CHM file viewer or CHM file reader.
Integration with Windows shell.
Multilanguage support.
Built-in chm files decompiler with batch processing.
Easy-to-use interface.

How does it work?
Simply select an .CHM file, press the 'Extract selected from a .chm' or 'Extract all from a .CHM' button, select a folder for output,and in a short time you'll get all source files of the .CHM file (these soucre file are saved in the folder you've selected)!

With ChmDecompiler, you also can decompile .CHM files in a batch: select 'Batch decompilation' from the file menu,and select the in/out folder that contains Chm file or ebooks ,then select a output folder,press the 'Start' button,all ebooks are decompiled quickly.

What can I do with it?
Extract all source files from a Chm file or ebook ,then you can edit and recompile those source files,that's all.ChmDecompiler support decompile .CHM in a batch,and it's also a 'CHM Reader' or 'CHM Viewer'.

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HelpWriter
$39.95 - Asele Service Center

HelpWriter is an help file editor.You can easy create help files and content files.
You can put graphics select fonts,colors,sizes

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