What it does
HelpSmith is an XML-based help-authoring tool for creating CHM and web help, printed manuals, PDF, Word documents, ePub, and Markdown. Its official site describes importing documents, working with images and videos, and collaborating on a help project through version-control systems such as Git or Subversion.
Keep help topics in a project source
A software team can write topic-based help in HelpSmith, attach images or video, and generate several delivery formats from the same project. The vendor specifically lists CHM, web help, printed manuals, PDF, Word, ePub, and Markdown, and describes importing content from HTML, Word, CHM, and other formats. For group authoring, the product site says help projects can be worked on collaboratively with version-control systems.
This is a dedicated authoring application rather than a hosted wiki; teams should check which edition and output types match their platform before adopting it. The product page also advertises automatic topic drafts for UI documentation, but this research did not generate or inspect such a draft. No project file was created or exported.
Strengths
- One help project can be published to several web, print, and ebook formats.
- The vendor documents import paths and collaboration through version-control systems.
Best for
- Technical writers producing application help, user manuals, and printable documentation