The new Author-it Web Help is a great leap forward from the frame-based HTML previously output by Author-it. I am a fan of it and we are starting to use it in our new help systems where I work.

However, while it has a slick new look with clever dynamic elements, it is not as easy to customise as the old-style HTML output. Basic configuration (such as hiding buttons or setting the default home page) requires you to delve into the stylesheets and HTML. For authors not comfortable with HTML and CSS my Author-it Web Help Configuration Wizard attempts to take away the pain to do this basic configuration.

The next level of configuration – to create a brand new theme – requires delving even deeper into the CSS of the Web Help. Be prepared to get your hands dirty...

The basic process I use to create a new theme is to:

1. Make a copy of the original Web Help template folder for the new theme.
2. Duplicate the Web Help objects in Author-it and point the new objects to the new Web Help template folder (for example, a new Book template, Media object, and Publishing Profile).
3. Update the images in the \extjs\resources\images\default folders for your new theme. Alternatively, you could try getting a theme from Ext JS http://www.extjs.com/ (the web component used by the Web Help). Try this search: http://www.google.com/cse?cx=001733999371871106761%3Ajgc8jk2xgwe&ie=UTF-8&q=themes&sa=Search
4. Update the ext-all.css stylesheet in the \extjs\resources\css folder (or the stylesheet for the theme downloaded from EXT JS). This is where it gets tricky because there are nearly a thousand elements in this file. It takes patience to locate the right element to update! The specifics of what needs to be updated in the stylesheet is too detailed for this post.
5. Update the images in the images folder (for example, the feedback and edit buttons).
6. Publish and test.

As you can see, the trade off for the new slick help is a more complex method to customise a new theme. But it is not too much of a stretch if you have intermediate CSS skills, basic image manipulation skills, and an ability to ferret through the stylesheets and comprehend what they are doing.

You can see the results of my efforts here. If you would like to use this theme, or if you have requirements for a theme of your own, contact me.

A bit slow getting started this year, but here are the details of the next Qld Tech Writer event. If you are interested in giving a short 20 minute presentation to the group, please let me know and we can arrange a suitable venue.

Details

Date: Wednesday, 10 March 2010
Time: 5.30pm
Venue: TBA 
RSVP: Friday 5 March 2010 - http://bit.ly/asWjzd

The Author-it Web Help Configuration Wizard has been updated to be compatible with the latest Author-it release (5.3.209.6248).

Specifically, it has been updated to support the new option to specify the default text to be used in the feedback email.

Access the wizard here: http://www.hamishblunck.com/authorit/aitconfig/

If you have used the wizard before and you entered your email address, you can re-enter it to retrieve your settings (and then make the update for the feedback text).

A word of warning: Backup your template folder before copying the new configuration files across. Also, if you have made additional changes to the index.htm or webhelp.css files you will need to merge these back in.

A not-so-serious look at technical communication through some random stats pulled from the internet.

References:

• http://www.bls.gov/oco/ocos319.htm
• http://www.stc.org/about/index.asp
• http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/27-3042.00
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WinHelp
• http://www.readthefuckingmanual.com/
• http://comm6480rpi.blogspot.com/2009/09/clippy-misunderstood-animated.html
• http://tinathetechwriter.blogspot.com/
• http://www.historyofscience.com/G2I/timeline/index.php?id=419
• http://www.laynetworks.com/history2.htm
• http://www.stc.org/about/history01.asp

I have updated my Using Author-it Variants for Multi-release Software document with information about removing older releases and an FAQ. It has also been tested against Author-it v5.3.207.6063.

Go here to read the document.

If you use this solution, please register for updates. 

An invaluable tool I have been using for the last year or so is Texter. Developed by Lifehacker (also a great blog in itself) it saves you loads of time by replacing a pre-defined abbreviation with text as you type.

How it works: Texter monitors what you type. When you type in a pre-defined series of keystrokes (a ‘hotstring’), Texter replaces those characters with a longer section of text. For example, if your company name is Primatech Paper Company, you could set up a hotstring of ppc. When you type ppc, Texter replaces it with Primatech Paper Company.

Texter works with any Windows application.

An example I use at work is below.

Tip: To avoid inadvertently inserting expanding text mid-word I use the full stop (or period) before all of my hotstrings. It is unlikely that I’ll type a key sequence of a full stop and then a letter directly after it and not want it expanded.

I was lucky enough to spend another week at Sunshine Beach. Here are some more photos of Sunshine Beach, Coolum, and Noosa National Park.

Looks like the plan has been foiled :)