Hey! You there! Yes, you! You’re an independent developer (aka, computer programmer, aka, geek) and you need to generate Help files for your latest software project. You need to create HTML Help and Help Web sites without much of a learning curve or expense.

Instead of going with expensive commercial practices, try HelpNDoc, a free, WYSIWYG Help generator that walks you through creating a project and generating the appropriate format for your software.

The interface is Word-familiar, and the toolbar is easy to navigate. We liked how easy it was to insert images like screen captures into our docs. We generated both .chm and .html files with HelpNDoc, though the free version appends the message “This help file has been generated by the freeware version of HelpNDoc” to every page - understandable, from our viewpoint. Both formats were easy to use and nearly identical.

HelpNDoc also provides for code-generation formats, including Visual Basic, C++, Delphi, and Fortran. The spelling checker and background option helped us customize our sample Help file so we could use our official Shareware Report colors.

The commercial version offers more bells and whistles, and is poised to compete strongly with the big guns like RoboHelp and MadCap Flare.

Where to Get it: http://www.ibe-software.com/products/software/helpndoc/

Price: Free for personal use (for non-profit and non-commercial uses).

Requirements: Any computer running Windows XP or Vista

Bill Dubie and Dave Sciuto are industry columnists. They recommend
strongly that you read the end-user license agreement on any software
you download, as the program could contain spyware or other utilities
you don’t want on your computer.

Tags: Shareware Report