TOOLS OF OUR TRADE

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This page contains a listing and description of the software tools used in most technical writing/publications positions. 

PTC’s information delivery software streamlines how authors manage and deliver product information on demand. And when combined with PTC’s Windchill solution, Arbortext offers the industry’s only Dynamic Information Delivery Solution that associates your product and service information directly with sophisticated product data, linking your information with real-time product design, which ensures information accuracy and relevance to the task at hand 

Author-it is another XML based authoring process that supports multi-channel publishing, and implements version control mechanisms designed to meet technical writing needs.

Best features:

• Multi-Channel Publishing: Ensures that content is accessible across different platforms and devices.
• Collaboration and Review: Allows multiple authors to work on a project simultaneously and offers easy review workflows.
• Translation Management: Support multi-language authoring and publishing for diverse audiences.
• Content Reuse: Enhances efficiency by allowing users to create content once and use it across multiple documents.
• Analytics Integration: Offers advanced analytics and reporting possibilities to track user engagement with the documentation and gather insights for continuous improvement.

If you are concerned about writing content and re-using the existing content, known as single source authoring, then you can consider Adobe FrameMaker for your requirements. FrameMaker is suited for industrial standard documentation for documents spanning over 200+ pages.

You can generate structured documentation with an XML framework that’s 100% DITA compliant. FrameMaker is a DITA-friendly authoring tool with the built-in Print a PDF option.

Additionally, you can define templates and draft content according to the templates. You can generate the automatic hyperlinks, Table of Contents, List of Figures, and List of Tables in just a few clicks.

Help+Manual is an authoring tool that has gained respect among technical writing departments for its multi-format publishing capabilities, customization options, and collaboration support.

Best features:

• Multi-Format Publishing: Allows users to produce documentation in all relevant formats, including online help (HTML, CHM), printed manuals (PDF, Word), ePub, and more. This multi-format publishing capability ensures that content is accessible across different platforms and devices.
• Collaboration Support: Multiple users can edit the same project simultaneously if they are on the same local network.
• Version Control: Because the tool’s version control interface is fully scriptable and open, you can set it up to synchronize with any version control system that allows scripted access.

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MadCap Flare is a defense industry standard content management tool. It's ability to enhance work processes, support multi-channel publishing, and facilitate efficient collaboration among team members makes it a tool you need to know.

Best features:

• Single-Source Authoring: Madcap Flare offers advanced single-source content development capabilities to maximize authoring efficiency through content reuse.
• Multi-Channel Publishing: The tool supports multi-channel publishing to various formats like HTML5, WebHelp, PDF, Word, XHTML, EPUB, DITA, and more.
• Content Import: The software offers easy import of legacy content from various sources like Microsoft Word, Excel, Atlassian Confluence, Adobe RoboHelp and FrameMaker, DITA, Author-it, Markdown, and more. This simplifies the migration of existing content onto the platform for further editing and publishing.
• Collaboration and Project Management: Madcap Flare includes features for project management and team collaboration. It allows users to work together on projects efficiently while maintaining version control and ensuring seamless collaboration among team members.
• Analytics Integration: Offers advanced analytics and reporting possibilities to track user engagement with the documentation and gather insights for continuous improvement.

RoboHelp is an application that publishes online documentation. It is one of the most popular Help Authoring Tools (HAT) developed and published by Adobe Systems to help technical writers develop help projects and render them across different formats. RoboHelp is used by businesses to deliver online help content and knowledge-based articles. 

You can use RoboHelp to generate output in the following formats —

• HTML5 help format
• XML
• Printed documents
• Mobile App formats
• WebHelp formats
• eBook

When it comes to content writing, Microsoft Word is the first tool that comes to mind in a flash for any technical writer. Microsoft Word is definitely a technical writer’s best friend. What makes it so popular is its simple and elegant look combined with a rich set of features.

According to a report from Microsoft, 1 out of every 7 persons uses Microsoft Word either for his/her professional or personal work. Statistics also say that about 80 percent of students use Microsoft Word for individual work, while 13 percent use it for group work.