Tool for XML -> Online Help

[Jeremy H. Griffith]

On Tue, 2 May 2006 16:46:31 -0700, "Angela Akridge" <angela.akridge at gmail.com> 
wrote:

>I've never worked with setting up an Online Help system. I know how to write
>in raw html/sgml, but that's about the extent of my experience with Online
>Help. I'm familiar with single-source authoring (using Epic) to create
>customized documentation, but have NO experience designing a help system  I
>currently edit existing context-sensitive online help. I don't use an Online
>Help application (JavaHelp or RoboHelp). I simply have some hooks in the
>code that call some html files (nothing sophisticated).
>
>I'd like to use the content that I produce in manuals to produce online help
>topics. If this means that the Online Help can no longer be context
>sensitive without a lot of infrastrucuture, then so be it (although a hybird
>would be ideal). My company is okay with dumping the manual into a clean
>collection of individual procedures (modules) if the design provides a
>search box. What tool will take my Frame xml output and generate a pretty
>look-and-feel for online help? I like MS Word's Online Help.

First, there's another list that's devoted to Help, that
you may want to join and ask on.  The Welcome message gives
you a set of questions to answer about your needs that
you can use to make up a good query:
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HATT/

One of the regulars there has developed a grid of Help
tool comparison information:
  http://www.helpstuff.com

That said, for single-sourcing from Frame, there are really
two choices: Mif2Go (our product), and WebWorks Pro.  Both
have free eval versions, and you may want to try both:
  http://www.omsys.com/
  http://www.quadralay.com/

HTH!

-- Jeremy H. Griffith, at Omni Systems Inc.
  <jeremy at omsys.com>  http://www.omsys.com/