Features: syntax highlighting, topics and keywords Trees, click-insert text and image hotspots, includes as a sample all files used to create the Cheetah help file. Find/Replace, Print, AutoComplete, import component source; Instant Delphi Component help; smart replace; import pascal source as rtf; import existing RTF topic files; visual contents designer, single topic editor, autocreate project, follow link, quick preview; help Context Mapping and LinksTree.
 
Fully functional
Source: None

Doc-O-Matic Express is a command line tool, it generates Web Help/browser based Help, HTML Help and Help 2 output directly from the source code and in-source comments.

It provides a light-weight configuration utility that help setting up projects quickly and in a straight forward way. No need to fiddle with configuration files and awkward syntax.

With Doc-O-Matic Express you will:

• Create high-quality documentation with features like graphical class hierarchies and much more.
• Produce Help that can be integrated into other systems like the MSDN Help System.
• Integrate the documentation generation process in your tool chain.

It is a single source HAT featuring Web Help/browser based HTML, HTML Help, Help 2, PDF, Windows Help and XML output. It comes with a rich feature set for authoring and management of projects of any size.

Project management features include a visual TOC designer that gives you full control over the exported topics, multiple configurations per project with different topic sets as well as a fully fletched integrated topic editor.

Authoring and text-reuse features include snippets, labels, text variables, automated snippet insertion, conditional text on character, section and topic levels and many more.

With Doc-O-Matic for Authoring you will:

• Author online Help, user manuals and all sorts of documentation including web pages.
• Write all company documentation from read me files and flyers to large Help systems consisting of thousands of topics with the same tool.
• Generate fully cross linked documentation in fully customizable Web Help/browser based Help, HTML Help, MS Help 2, PDF print documentation and XML output, all from one source.
• Import existing information from HTML, text files and XML documents.
• Reuse text with features like snippets, text variables and labels.
• Completely separate the authoring process from the documentation look and feel design.
• Tackle projects of any size with a clear, professional and easy-to-use user interface that doesn't let you down.
• Work like you are used to with the integrated topic editor.

Dr.Explain is ideal for software developers, ISV, micro ISV and technical writers. It handles all the complexities of help formatting and generation, allowing them to concentrate on pure writing. This saves them days that would otherwise be wasted. Dr.Explain is also great to keep help documentation in sync with software updates. Since all data is stored in a single source file, developers can easily edit or update any portion of an existing file. In doing this, they are not required to rearrange the entire help or generate a new file. Developers will also benefit from the opportunity to customize the appearance of their help file to make it match their corporate style. They can customize its visual elements, menus and page layout. On top of all this is an affordable price, which is lower than with the majority of other software documentation tools.
 
Fully functional
Source: None
Price: $125
Exe-Demo Included

Supported help file formats:

• Standard Windows Help File (HLP)
• HTML Help Format (CHM)
• Web Help without Style Sheets (HTML)
• Web Help with Style Sheets (HTML)
• Web Help with/without frames (HTML)
• Web Help with JAVA (HTML)
• ANSI Text Format Manual (TXT)
• Unicode Text Format Manual (TXT)
• Rich Text Format Manual (RTF)
• Electronic Book (Win32 Executable).

• HTMLHelp (.CHM);
• WinHelp (.HLP);
• Website Help;
• Printable Manuals;
• MS Word Manuals;
• PDF;
• PocketPC Help.

Fast-Help International does everything that Fast-Help does but has one important extra feature - The Translation Assistant. This is a tool that simplifies the complex task of translating your help files into multiple languages.

Evaluation version contains contains both Fast-Help and Fast-Help International in one. You will be able to switch between each product to see the differences.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: None
Price: $299

It can produce WinHelp and simple HTML output.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: None
Price: $60

GenHelp scans your source code and produces a 'Bare bones' help framework that can be installed into Microsoft and Borland IDEs. If you have comments in your code it can use these comments to improve the help file. You can alternatively edit the GenHelp file to add your own documentation which will be kept when you next import your source files.

GenHelpPro includes a lot of productivity enhancements such as linked topics and linked examples for use when topics or examples have the same description.

GenHelpPro also includes a table of contents editor. GenHelpPro has a WYSIWYG editor so that it is easy to see the final output format. Templates are provided for Borland and Microsoft IDEs, but adding other unsupported output formats is possible using the built-in template editor. Full help is provided on the template structure. Using GenHelpPro, you can provide output files for several different formats using the same topic file. Generating Help files, Manuals and Web Site files is just a case of clicking 3 buttons. Command script files may also be used to automate this process from a makefile. The scripting language allows, import of source files and generation of output files in a fully documented process.

GenHelpPro is used by many of the top component companies.

GenHelpPro supports PasDoc formatted comments and can output web pages similar to PasDoc.
 
Partially restricted
Source: None
Price: $189

• Smart mechanism to map the WinHelp commands to the HTML Help commands.
• An easy to use wrapper around the HTML Help API.
• Customizable attributes of the Html Help pop-up window (color, font, etc).
• Automated, smart mechanism to position HTML-Help pop-up windows on the screen.
• Possibility to use WinHelp engine to display pop-up topics in the HTML Help mode.
• Several ways to specify texts of the HTML Help pop-up topics:
  • String resources;
  • Text file;
  • TStringList object;
  • OnHHGetPopupText event handler.
• Many more...

While it is as easy to use like a normal word processor, Help & Manual gives you the full power of a true WYSIWYG XML editor.

All the tools you need are at your fingertips in a single intuitive environment, and the program handles all the complex, technical aspects of the process for you. Instead of wasting countless hours "programming" your help you can focus all your energy on actually writing your documentation, so that all your working time is productive time.

All the output formats supported by Help & Manual are generated from the same project. This means you only have to edit your help and documentation once. Forget about the nightmare of "converting" your documentation every time you change anything.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: None
Price: $599

• Inserting topicID and title footnotes
• Adding Keywords (standard, ALink, custom B "Delphi" keywords)
• Automate creating of multiple topicIDs from a topic list. Borland Delphi note: Create topics (parse code) from list of components and map for context-sensitive help
• Insert entry macros
• Specify window style for topics displayed from index & find tabs
• Setting browse sequences
• Creating build tags.

The main strength of the program is in its simplicity. The program contains several controls that make it easier to generate help files. Just write, check spelling, insert keywords, and print or compile. Or use it as a text editor; convert the files to HTML pages or HTML help files.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: None
Price: $65

HelpBreeze HTML Help/JavaHelp Edition offers a powerful WYSIWYG HTML editor integrated with drag and drop tools for creating the table of contents, index and other elements of HTML Help systems. You can choose to use HelpBreeze's HTML Editor, or the product will integrate directly with the 3rd party editor of your choice (DreamWeaver, FrontPage, etc). You can preview, compile and test your help files from within the authoring environment. HelpBreeze automatically generates the files required to link your HTML Help file to an application, and makes it easy to add online help to Delphi and C++ Builder programs. HelpBreeze also allows you to automatically generate printed documentation from your help project so that you can create online help and a printed manual from the same source documents.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: None
Price: $199

Writing help files for your applications is easy with Helpmatic. Using the help context property in Helpmatic you can easily integrate your help files with your applications. No matter what language you use, Visual Basic, Delphi, Visual C++, C++ Builder, in fact any programming language that supports help context id's.

Features:

• What you see is what you get' editing
• Support for up to 255 help windows
• Text styles
• Project Explorer and Topic/Pop-up List windows
• Export and Import features including HTML
• Context sensitivity
• A fully graphical Contents Designer for creating contents tabs
• Support for a wide range of link types
• Creation of push buttons
• WinHelp macro support
• Multimedia support with Video and Sound
• One click compilation and viewing of help files
• Full on-line help
• Setup and uninstall.

HelpNDoc provides a clear and efficient interface to build the most amazing CHM help files, WEB based documentation, PDF and Word documents from a single source without worrying about the inner working of help file generation. You just have to enter or import your documentation in the built-in word processor and hit the "Compile" button to obtain a fully functional help file which looks exactly as you designed it.

Forget about bloated user interfaces and incomprehensible tools. HelpNDoc has been engineered to provide the most advanced functionalities in their simplest form: creating and maintaining html help files, Word and PDF documentation is usually a painful process but thanks to HelpNDoc you may surprise yourself enjoying it. You know how to use your favorite word processor? Then you already know how to use HelpNDoc: it's that easy. Add to that many powerful features such as live spell checking in a fully WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) environment and you'll begin to imagine how fast and easy it will be for you to create your next help file and how professional it will look like.

It's time to stop paying for overpriced and useless tools.
 
Fully functional
Source: None

You can write full-featured help files with the built-in editors for SHG files (hotspot bitmaps), WinHelp macros, contents tree, browse sequences, etc.

If you have previously used another help authoring tool, you can reuse your work by importing the HPJ+RTF files created with the other tool or by a decompiler.

With the help files you make with HelpScribble you can provide context-sensitive help with your Window applications, no matter which development tool you use. If you are using Borland Delphi or C++Builder, you will like the way HelpScribble's HelpContext property editor integrates with them to make assigning Topic ID values to HelpContext properties very easy.

HelpScribble is a stand-alone tool. It does not depend on MS Word or any other third party package.
 
Partially restricted
Source: None
Price: $99

• Visual word processor with dynamic styles.
• Templates.
• Text variables.
• UNICODE support.
• In-built spell checker.
• Single media repository.

You need to have Microsoft Help Workshop installed on your computer.
 
Evaluation (time-limit)
Source: N/A
Price: $39.95

Requires HCW version 4.3 or greater.
 
Fully functional
Source: None

Helpinator Features:

• Generate CHM, PDF, RTF and websites from single source.
• Template engine allows you to change look and feel of your documentation easily.
• Template Builder allows you to create HTML templates without any knowledge of HTML or CSS.
• Store multiple languages in one project file. No need to maintain different projects for different languages
.
• Conditional compilation allows you to compile different variations of original source. This is very useful for branding your software projects.
• With image library you can reference the same image from several topics and update image in all of them at once.
• Shape editor allows you to add annotations to images easily.
• Text snippets are similar to image library. Create portions of text then reference them from several topics. Update text snippet and changes will reflect in all topics that reference it.
• Helpinator creates professionally looking PDF files with front page, table of contents, header, footer, page numbers and outline.
• Command-line utility allows you to compile help from command line and batch files.
• Auto index your content. Just enter list of keywords and Helpinator will automatically assign them to topics.
• Tasks and to-do allow you to keep track on what has to be done in your project.

Using the help context property in Helpmatic you can easily integrate your help files with your applications. No matter what language you use, Visual Basic, Delphi, Visual C++, C++ Builder, in fact any programming language that supports help context id's.

Features:

• "What you see is what you get" editing
• HTML code editor, edit the HTML directly
• Export your help file to Web Help so you can put your help file on your webserver
• HTML Help Workshop project import
• WinHelp project import
• Spell checker
• A fully graphical Contents Designer for creating contents tabs
• Real-time Browser window
• Topic List for managing large help projects
• What's This Help editor
• Text styles using Cascading Style Sheets
• Context sensitivity
• One click compilation and viewing of help files
• Full on-line help
• Setup and uninstall.

• Extensive support for HTML source code editing, such as code completion. The HTML Clean system lets you remove extra code in existing HTML pages created in other editors, including Microsoft Word. The HyperText Studio maintains your tags and attributes, ensuring the integrity of your data in both editors.
• Topic styles let you apply common content to multiple pages. When you make changes to the topic style's content, The HyperText Studio applies those changes automatically to all pages that use that topic style.
• Create and edit rollovers without touching any JavaScript.
• Create expanding regions in a totally WYSIWYG manner.
• Predictive linking saves develeopment time.
• See all links into and out of a file with Link Management.
• Manage your project graphics on one tab.
• Import existing RoboHelp and ForeHelp projects.
• Use Find and Replace to search for and/or replace content. You can replace text with other text, or add links or keywords automatically.
• Many more features.

• IHW uses HTML templates to unify appearance for all topics.
• IHW allows to view document pages by means of embedded IE browser.
• External HTML editor should be used for editing of topics content. This feature gives developer an opportunity to choose an editor he prefer.
• IHW allows to compile and view resulting CHM file at any stage of document creation.
• There is an example, written on PHP and JavaScript, that demonstrates possibility for document web publishing without any overpatching. These scrips automatically create HTML code, allowing for search engines index all pages in a document.

Help Producer is an add-in that is seamlessly integrated into the user interface of Microsoft Word, which makes authoring a help file as easy as writing a regular Word document. With a click on a button, Help Producer will analyze your Word document and generate all files necessary to build a help file, such as project files, table of contents files, index files, HTML topic files, and graphics.

Help Producer can take advantage of many of Microsoft Word's existing editing and formatting features, including colors, fonts, styles, lists, tables, embedded pictures or objects, and even auto-shapes. In addition to the ability to leverage off the authoring features offered by Microsoft Word, Help Producer has many innovative and exciting features that will help technical writers create professional help files.

Help Producer Project EditorAs the first help authoring tool in the industry, Help Producer can generate help files from Microsoft Word documents authored with the document template MSDN20, a template provided with the Visual Studio Help Integration Kit (VSHIK); However, Help Producer can be customized to work with many other document templates.

Help Producer has support for the popular Microsoft HTML Help 1.0 format, as well as for the new Microsoft Help 2.0 introduced with Visual Studio .NET. A built-in project editor allows you to make changes to any properties found in Microsoft HTML Help 1.0 and Microsoft Help 2.0.

In addition to all standard features found in HTML Help, such as table of contents and index generation, we have added support for more advanced features, such as K-links and A-links, text popups, conditional topics, topic IDs, and much more.
 
Partially restricted
Source: None
Price: $395

• Supported formats: CHM/ MsHelp2.x/ Word/ WebHelp/ JavaHelp/ OracleHelp/ EclipseHelp...
• Supported import formats: COM TypeLib/FileSystem/...
• Team Working feature makes develop-team works more orderly, efficiently, and cost savely, the quality of software document will be increased. MagicTopic feature enables you extending MagicHelp to other fields, such as project management, requirement management and transaction assistance. One can develop different kinds of extensions to extend application of MagicHelp, e.g. database tables design.

Features:

• Fully integrated text editor.
• Hierarchical tree view allows for easy construction/navigation of topics.
• WYSIWYG Editing.
• Embedded Bitmaps.
• Context-sensitive help.
• Embedded URLs.

Precision Helper works natively with the Microsoft HTML Help projects format (HHP) and allows to publish resulting help to the CHM, WebHelp, PDF and the "single doc" formats.

Precision Helper is designed for advanced developers and authors, but user-friendly environment enables creating help projects also by novice users.

What's included?

• Easy editing of the contents and the index
• Context-sensitive help editor
• Visual window type designer
• Wide support for clipboard and drag & drop
• Publishing into the CHM, WebHelp, PDF, ...
• CHM file decompilation
• Global searching, CHM Viewer and other tools
• Project files management, topic browsing in tabs
• and many more ...

This version includes freeware, enhanced nonwindowed controls. ProHelp 2.0 is fully compatible with HTML Help Pack 2.0. Demo included.
 
Fully functional
Source: N/A
Price: $49

New user interface with English, Russian, French, Italian languages support.
 
Partially restricted
Source: N/A
Price: $59

SHM makes old-fashioned hlp files, not chm files (HTML based help files). It runs on all Windows versions, including XP.

Microsoft Help compiler required.
 
Fully functional
Source: None

• Save time and money
• Synchronize the documentation with your schema
• Easily target different audiences.

Unique Features:

• Create page header/footer as in the Word document.
• Create page navigator and related topics.
• Convert cross-reference to hyper-link.
• Add index entries to CHM index.
• Command line and project supports, and much more.