Re: Configurable On-Line Documentaton: Tools and Technologies
Does anyone on the list know of bibliographic and/or consulting
resources that exist about authoring configurable on-line help? I am
documenting a leading-edge application with several licenseable modules
and numerous configuration options. A client licenses different modules
and configures different options based on their unique business
requirements. The on-line help must automatically reflect the modules
and options in use by a given client. It must also automatically
configure itself to present particular levels of help based on user
role. In addition to this automatic configurability, it must be possible
to output documentation for a given client-configuration to turn into
training materials suited to that client.
I would appreciate learning about any resources that list members are
aware of that could help me determine the feasability of doing this and
identify the technologies that would make it possible. My company might
be willing to pay for consulting resources, if there are any availalbe,
so references to appropriate experts would be appreciated. Thanks.
This is the point at which you go back to the requirements team and say, "I'd like to revisit our requirements for the help system if I may."
Here's how we handled a similar situation:
First, we made the decision to publish a single help system that would be accessible to all customers no matter what modules they purchased. Our reasoning was that they might learn about features that would be helpful to them and then come back to us to purchase the additional modules.
Second, in our Web application, we popped up page-level help throughout the system. As access to particular pages was controlled by user role and the associated permissions and role-based navigation, users would naturally reach only the help that pertained to their own roles. In instances where a particular page might be used by different roles, the help was written in such a way as to make it clear who could do what on the page.
I recommend that you seriously consider this approach, as it is much less complex than the one you envision and therefore easier to maintain and less likely to slow down release cycles.
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References:
Configurable On-Line Documentaton: Tools and Technologies: From: Tony Rocco
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