Re: Help on Help

[Dick Margulis <margulis -at- fiam -dot- net>]

Yaacov,

<semi-jocularity> Using a tape recorder with good audio quality (or,
better yet, a digital recorder), interview your most articulate SMEs in
a quiet room with decent acoustics. Ask specific questions about how to
accomplish tasks. Edit the resulting material into separate files that
you can fit on a CD and play back individually in response to Help
requests. Name each file with the topic title, and organize them on the
CD in TOC structure and order (you may need to precede each title with a
number to do this). Voila. AFter the user brings up an Explorer to
locate the Help topic, you won't be using any screen real estate, except
for a little playback control box. And you don't even have to write
anything, so management should be delighted. </semi-jocularity>

Dick

Yaacov Garber wrote:
> 
> I am documenting a medical software application (MSA) and trying to find a
> valid Help solution to what appears to be an impossible situation.
> The parameters that I have been presented with are as follows.
> 1.      The MSA UI must be displayed and active at all times.
> 2.      Messages (i.e. alerts and warnings) and current data generated by
> the MSA must not be obscured by a Help window.
> 3.      The MSA does not have DLLs, so context sensitive Help is not an
> option.
> 4.      Building Help objects in the MSA development cycle is not a
> feasible option.
> The MSA runs on Windows NT only.
> The powers that be see this Help project more as an online user guide and
> not a situation specific Help system. Additionally, they don't see it as
> being particularly important so money and time allocated to it would be
> minimal.
> Any suggestions would be appreciated.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Develop HTML-based Help with Macromedia Dreamweaver! (STC Discount.)
**NEW DATE/LOCATION!** January 16-17, 2001, New York, NY.
http://www.weisner.com/training/dreamweaver_help.htm or 800-646-9989.

Take XML and Tech Writing courses online!  Our instructor-led courses
(4-6 hrs/wk) give you "hands on" experience at your convenience. STC members
get 20% off!  http://www.online-learning.com/index.html.
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit 
http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.