Technical Writing Tools

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

PTC’s information delivery software enhances the way authors manage and deliver product information on demand. When integrated with PTC’s Windchill solution, Arbortext provides the industry’s only Dynamic Information Delivery Solution. This innovative approach connects your product and service information directly with advanced product data, linking your information to real-time product design. This ensures accuracy and relevance, making it an ideal choice among authoring tools, documentation tools, and technical writing software for effective information management.

Author-it is an advanced XML-based authoring tool that supports multi-channel publishing and incorporates version control mechanisms tailored for technical writing needs. 

Best features:

Multi-Channel Publishing: Ensures that documentation is accessible across various platforms and devices.

Collaboration and Review: Allows multiple authors to work on a project simultaneously, enhancing the experience of using documentation tools and offering seamless review workflows.

Translation Management: Supports multi-language authoring and publishing, catering to diverse audiences with its technical writing software capabilities.

Content Reuse: Improves efficiency by enabling users to create content once and utilize it across multiple documents, a crucial feature for effective authoring tools.

Analytics Integration: Provides advanced analytics and reporting options to track user engagement with the documentation, ensuring continuous improvement and insights.

If you are concerned about writing content and re-using existing material, known as single source authoring, consider Adobe FrameMaker for your needs. This powerful technical writing software is ideal for industrial standard documentation, especially for documents spanning over 200+ pages.

With FrameMaker, you can generate structured documentation using an XML framework that is 100% DITA compliant. As a DITA-friendly authoring tool, it includes a built-in Print to PDF option.

Moreover, you can define templates and draft content according to these templates. In just a few clicks, you can create automatic hyperlinks, a Table of Contents, a List of Figures, and a List of Tables, making it one of the most efficient documentation tools available.

Help+Manual is a leading authoring tool that has earned respect among technical writing departments for its robust multi-format publishing capabilities, extensive customization options, and strong collaboration support. 

Best features:

Multi-Format Publishing: This feature allows users to create documentation in various relevant formats, including online help (HTML, CHM), printed manuals (PDF, Word), ePub, and more. Such multi-format publishing capabilities ensure that content from your documentation tools is accessible across different platforms and devices. 

Collaboration Support: Multiple users can edit the same project simultaneously when connected to the same local network, enhancing teamwork within technical writing software projects. 

Version Control: The tool’s version control interface is fully scriptable and open, enabling synchronization with any version control system that permits scripted access.

MadCap Flare is a standard content management tool in the defense industry, recognized for its robust capabilities as one of the leading authoring tools. Its ability to enhance work processes, support multi-channel publishing, and facilitate efficient collaboration among team members makes it an essential tool for anyone involved in technical writing. 

Best features:

Single-Source Authoring: MadCap Flare provides advanced single-source content development capabilities, maximizing authoring efficiency through content reuse, which is vital for effective documentation tools. 

Multi-Channel Publishing: This tool supports multi-channel publishing to various formats such as HTML5, WebHelp, PDF, Word, XHTML, EPUB, DITA, and more, ensuring versatility in technical writing software. 

Content Import: The software simplifies the migration of existing content by offering easy import from various sources like Microsoft Word, Excel, Atlassian Confluence, Adobe RoboHelp, FrameMaker, DITA, Author-it, Markdown, and others, making it easier to transition to a modern documentation tool for further editing and publishing. 

Collaboration and Project Management: MadCap Flare includes features for project management and team collaboration. It enables users to work together on projects efficiently, maintaining version control and ensuring seamless collaboration among team members. 

Analytics Integration: The software offers advanced analytics and reporting capabilities to track user engagement with the documentation and gather insights for continuous improvement.

RoboHelp is a powerful application that serves as a leading Help Authoring Tool (HAT) for publishing online documentation. Developed by Adobe Systems, this technical writing software enables technical writers to efficiently create help projects and deliver them in various formats. Businesses utilize RoboHelp as one of their essential documentation tools to provide online help content and knowledge-based articles. 

With RoboHelp, you can 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 for any technical writer. As a leading choice among authoring tools, Microsoft Word is definitely a technical writer’s best friend. Its popularity stems from a simple and elegant interface combined with a rich set of features that enhance productivity, making it one of the preferred documentation tools in the industry. 

According to a report from Microsoft, 1 out of every 7 persons uses Microsoft Word for either professional or personal work. Statistics also reveal that about 80 percent of students utilize this technical writing software for individual tasks, while 13 percent use it for group projects.