Format
The format in which documents are presented depends on factors such as client requirements, content, the intended audience and reading environment. One or more of the following formats may be appropriate. Click the document type to display an example.
- Printed Manual
- A printed manual is often required for a packaged product. We can provide templates, styles and page layout advice as well as writing the manual. We do not specialise in the printing process.
- Quick Start Guide
- A one page Quick Start or visual reference guide is a great way to present enough information to get most users started, or the fundamentals of a product sufficient for more experienced users. It has the advantages of being simple, user friendly, and cheap to produce and print. This kind of guide along with a more detailed electronic manual (Help or PDF) is often sufficient for a product.
- PDF
- Most electronic and printed formats can be quickly converted to Adobe PDF which maintains the page layout and hyperlinks. PDF files can also be secured to prevent modification or text extraction, or include links to web pages.
- Web Page
- HTML is a platform-independent format which can be provided on the local client or an intranet or internet site. Static text can be linked to live data or other systems. We write plain HTML and do not specialise in ASP, DHTML, Java, Javascript, SWF or other programmatic page presentation. We can also provide clear style sheets for browser and platform-independent viewing.
- Help file
- A compiled Help file is the most common way of providing on-line software documentation. It minimises production and printing costs and is easy to update, release and distribute as product versions change. A Microsoft Compiled Help file (CHM) can be generated and indexed from HTML pages, or updated from a previous HLP file.
- We can also provide context-sensitive Help text (tool-tips and pop-up help) for software products.