Doc-To-Help includes everything you need to create and publish documentation, manuals, and other information through multiple channels. Below are the most popular features our customers are using.

Get Help from the Best Support in the Industry

  • Free Support and Upgrades for License Holders

    Every Doc-To-Help license includes a one year subscription delivering these benefits:

    • Free upgrades for a year
    • Knowledgebase access
    • Email and online support
    • Forum support
    We also offer a Platinum level that adds unlimited phone support and 24-hour FastTrack response.

  • Free Support for Evaluators

    We provide the highest level of support to people using trial versions or just getting started. Download and test drive Doc-To-Help with peace of mind knowing that you have a team of experts behind you.

Authoring in Microsoft Word

  • Write in Word and Keep it in Word

    Doc-To-Help uses styles to break your document into topics and determine everything about the project, which means you don’t have to convert your documents or add any markup. Word content can stay in Word. Doc-To-Help even installs a toolbar in Word so Doc-To-Help’s features are always available. Doc-To-Help also includes a converter for those who wish to convert their Word documents to XHTML for use in the built-in editor.

    Related Articles:

  • Use Existing Microsoft Word Manuals/Documents

    Use virtually any Word document (or documents) you already have and you can publish outputs instantly. Since Doc-To-Help uses your document structure to transform it into different outputs, you usually don’t have to do anything to get a basic output.

  • Access Doc-To-Help Features with the Integrated Toolbar

    The Doc-To-Help toolbar is automatically installed in Microsoft Word. It is used to create topic links, add index keywords, apply conditions, insert variables, apply styles, create topics, add Glossary terms, and more.

  • Use Built-in or Custom Templates

    When you author in Word, templates control the look and behavior of your outputs. Doc-To-Help includes Word templates that work right out-of-the-box; customize them to create your own unique outputs. If you already have your own templates, just move the Styles into your Doc-To-Help template.

    Related Article: Guide to Templates and Styles

  • Easy Flash Movie Integration

    Quickly insert a Flash movie into your Word files with a click. Doc-To-Help will embed the movie and automatically apply conditions that exclude it from printed manuals and other outputs that do not support Flash. (Flash movies can be created with DemoWorks, also available from ComponentOne.)

  • Margin Notes That Work in Both Print and Online

    Add margin notes in Word with the click of a button. These notes can be designated to appear as popups in online Help.

    Related Article: Creating Margin Notes

  • Automatic Conditional Links and Cross-references

    Create links for online output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into cross-reference for print. Alternatively, create cross-references for print output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into links for the Web and desktop.

    Related Article: Handling Links in Manuals

  • Design Image Maps

    Use the image map editor to add make your graphics interactive.

    Related Article: Creating Interactive Graphics with Image Maps

  • Drag, Drop, and Link

    Drag items from Doc-To-Help's Topics grid or Table of Contents and drop them into your content to automatically create links.

Use Content You Already Have

  • Use Existing Microsoft Word Manuals/Documents

    Use virtually any Word document (or documents) you already have and you can publish outputs instantly. Since Doc-To-Help uses your document structure to transform it into different outputs, you usually don’t have to do anything to get a basic output.

  • Convert RoboHelp Projects

    Whether your project is a legacy RoboHelp Word or HTML project or a newer Adobe project, Doc-To-Help will convert it, retain its settings, and the clean up the code.

    Related Article: Creating and Converting Projects

  • Convert WinHelp Projects

    Decompile your existing generic projects and Doc-To-Help will retain settings, formatting, table of contents, links, and more. Related Article: Creating and Converting Projects

  • Upgrade Legacy Doc-To-Help Projects

    Use Doc-To-Help’s Doc-To-Help 2000 converter if you have legacy Doc-To-Help projects. If your projects are newer, then Doc-To-Help will automatically upgrade them.

    Related Article: Creating and Converting Projects

  • Convert OpenOffice Documents

    Save your OpenOffice documents as .DOC and use them with Doc-To-Help just as you would any Word document.

    Related Article: Open Office Files and Doc-To-Help

  • Use MediaWiki Content

    Export MediaWiki content to OpenOffice, save it as .DOC and use it with Doc-To-Help. This essentially turns MediaWiki into a community authoring tool for Doc-To-Help.

    Related Article: Using Mediawiki Content in Doc-To-Help

Add Interactivity to Your Outputs

  • Choose from a Variety of Linking Options

    Link to other topics with standard links, pop-ups, or cross-references (for example, "See more on page 5") using Doc-To-Help’s link dialog. This dialog, available in all editing environments, helps you link to a variety of objects including topic title, glossary, term, or bookmark. You can even show the link as a button. If you change the name of the linked item, Doc-To-Help will automatically update everything for you.

  • Add Expanding, Drop-down, and Pop-up Text

    Make your content dynamic by adding more information in an expanding, drop-down, or pop-up element. All you need to do is use the toolbar available in Word, Doc-To-Help’s editor, Dreamweaver, and FrontPage.

    Add Expanding, Drop-down, and Pop-up Text
  • Design Image Maps

    Use the image map editor to add make your graphics interactive.

    Related Article: Creating Interactive Graphics with Image Maps

  • Organize Your Information with Expanding/Collapsing Sections

    Increase the readability of your online Help topics by including collapsible/expandable sections complete with "+" and "-" icons. Doc-To-Help makes this as simple as clicking a button; no special code is needed. This feature is available in Word, Doc-To-Help’s editor, Dreamweaver, and FrontPage.

    Organize Your Information with Expanding/Collapsing Sections
  • Automatic Topic Creation

    If you have an existing manual or would rather write in book format, Doc-To-Help will automatically break into topics for you. Your document’s heading structure determines topic/sub-topic creation. You can even use custom heading styles.

    Related Article: Structuring Documents for Doc-To-Help

  • Automatic Related Topic Links

    When Doc-To-Help creates topics, it automatically includes a customizable list of “See Also” links to its subtopics.

    Related Article: Managing Related Topics

    Automatic Related Topic Links

Automatic Formatting and Navigation

  • Margin Notes That Work in Both Print and Online

    Add margin notes in Word with the click of a button. These notes can be designated to appear as popups in online Help.

    Related Article: Creating Margin Notes

  • Automatic Conditional Links and Cross-references

    Create links for online output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into cross-reference for print. Alternatively, create cross-references for print output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into links for the Web and desktop.

    Related Article: Handling Links in Manuals

  • Automatic Topic Creation

    If you have an existing manual or would rather write in book format, Doc-To-Help will automatically break into topics for you. Your document’s heading structure determines topic/sub-topic creation. You can even use custom heading styles.

    Related Article: Structuring Documents for Doc-To-Help

  • Automatic Table of Contents

    Doc-To-Help uses your document structure (when using Word) or your topic hierarchy (when using HTML or the built-in editor) to create a customizable TOC for you.

    Automatic Table of Contents
  • Automatic Related Topic Links

    When Doc-To-Help creates topics, it automatically includes a customizable list of “See Also” links to its subtopics.

    Related Article: Managing Related Topics

  • Automatic Breadcrumbs

    When creating online and desktop outputs, Doc-To-Help automatically includes breadcrumb links.

    Automatic Breadcrumbs
  • Automatic Glossary Links

    When creating online outputs, Doc-To-Help automatically links glossary terms to a pop-up with its definition the first time it appears in any topic.

  • Automatic Index Creation

    Doc-To-Help can create an index for you. This is based on topic titles, so most use the index editor to enhance it with more keywords.

  • Automatic Index Inclusion/Exclusion

    If an index exists, Doc-To-Help adds it to the NetHelp and Mobile outputs. If it does not exist, Doc-To-Help omits it.

Publishing for Any Platform/Need

  • Publish Multiple Formats and/or Versions from One Project

    Doc-To-Help’s key purpose is to allow you to use one set of content to produce as many different versions for as many different platforms as you need. This means you can write once and produce a student and teacher manual, you can create online Help and a print manual, or whatever combination you need. Just select your output and click Build.

  • Publish Documentation on the Web

    Produce NetHelp, Doc-To-Help’s most popular output, which is a self-contained Web site that includes navigation, search, and index. All you need to do is copy it to a Web server.

    Publish Documentation on the Web
  • Produce Microsoft Desktop Help Formats

    Create Microsoft Help formats (HTML Help, Microsoft Help Viewer 1.0, Help 2.0, and WinHelp).

  • Produce Print-Ready Books and Manuals

    Many tools like Doc-To-Help list printed manual as their output, but all you get is a printout of the web-based deliverables. Doc-To-Help produces a complete manual ready for print. See Doc-To-Help’s manual for an example.

    Produce Print-Ready Books and Manuals
  • Produce Eclipse Help

    The Eclipse IDE is quickly growing in popularity, but few tools output its Help format. Rest assured that you can easily get Eclipse Help with Doc-To-Help.

  • Produce JavaHelp

    One click gets you JavaHelp. No coding or formatting required.

    Produce JavaHelp
  • Produce Help for Visual Studio (all formats)

    Developers who need to integrate documentation with Visual Studio can choose from Help 2.0 or Microsoft Help Viewer.

  • Save an Unlimited Number of Output Templates

    Create as many targets as you need. Each target can have specific content, settings, and styles mapped to it.

Web Publishing Tools

  • Publish Documentation on the Web

    Produce NetHelp, Doc-To-Help’s most popular output, which is a self-contained Web site that includes navigation, search, and index. All you need to do is copy it to a Web server.

  • Create a Mobile Site (Mobile Help)

    Deploy Mobile Help, a site designed for mobile phones. It includes easy navigation, search, TOC, index, and multi-touch support.

  • Simple Web Deployment

    You don’t need to be an IT pro to publish NetHelp to the Web. NetHelp is self-contained, so all you need to do is copy it to a Web server. Doc-To-Help can even output directly to a folder on your server.

  • Give Your End-Users Full-Featured Search

    Enjoy exact phrase, fuzzy, Boolean, and synonym search. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything. It is automatically built into every NetHelp output.

    Related Article: Optimized NetHelp Search in Doc-To-Help 2011

  • Produce Section 508 Compliant (Accessible) Content

    Doc-To-Help creates a version of NetHelp and Mobile Help that is compliant with Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act.

  • Embed Headers, Footers, or Code into Every Topic

    Use XHTML or HTML to inject content or code into every topic. You can designate this code to go in the header, beginning of the topic, or the end of the topic. This feature is commonly used for analytics code, headers, and footers.

    Embed Headers, Footers, or Code into Every Topic
  • Easily Brand and Customize Your Output

    Doc-To-Help gives you many customization options. Use the Theme designer to choose from a collection of color and style schemes, add your logo, and specify a header. Edit the style-sheet, layout files, and jQuery scripts for complete control.

  • Choose from Nine Languages for NetHelp’s Interface

    Doc-To-Help ships with nine languages to choose from when producing NetHelp 2.0. Just choose your language and publish.

  • Publish Right-to-Left Output

    Choose Doc-To-Help's right-to-left theme and produce outputs appropriate for languages such as Hebrew and Arabic.

  • Include Google Analytics and Google Search

    Embed Google scripts to use their analytics or search features.

    Related Articles:

  • Include the Mark of the Web for Web-based Output

    Applying the "Mark of the Web" ensures that you will not get the ActiveX warning in Internet Explorer when running NetHelp locally. Doc-To-Help will include it in Web-based outputs for you.

    Related Article: Making Browser-Based Help (NetHelp) Work Locally using “The Mark of the Web”

Desktop Help and Tools for Software Documentation

  • Organize Your Information with Expanding/Collapsing Sections

    Increase the readability of your online Help topics by including collapsible/expandable sections complete with "+" and "-" icons. Doc-To-Help makes this as simple as clicking a button; no special code is needed. This feature is available in Word, Doc-To-Help’s editor, Dreamweaver, and FrontPage.

  • Automatic Breadcrumbs

    When creating online and desktop outputs, Doc-To-Help automatically includes breadcrumb links.

    Automatic Breadcrumbs
  • Create HTML Help (CHM)

    Output HTML Help, Microsoft's standard desktop Help format (also called .chm files).

  • Create WinHelp (HLP)

    Output WinHelp, Microsoft's legacy desktop Help format (also called .hlp files).

  • Produce Eclipse Help

    The Eclipse IDE is quickly growing in popularity, but few tools output its Help format. Rest assured that you can easily get Eclipse Help with Doc-To-Help.

  • Produce JavaHelp

    One click gets you JavaHelp. No coding or formatting required.

    Produce JavaHelp
  • Produce Help for Visual Studio (all formats)

    Developers who need to integrate documentation with Visual Studio can choose from Help 2.0 or Microsoft Help Viewer.

  • Give Your End-Users Full-Featured Search

    Enjoy exact phrase, fuzzy, Boolean, and synonym search. The best part is that you don’t have to do anything. It is automatically built into every NetHelp output.

    Related Article: Optimized NetHelp Search in Doc-To-Help 2011

  • Produce Section 508 Compliant (Accessible) Content

    Doc-To-Help creates a version of NetHelp and Mobile Help that is compliant with Section 508 of the US Rehabilitation Act.

  • Easily Brand and Customize Your Output

    Doc-To-Help gives you many customization options. Use the Theme designer to choose from a collection of color and style schemes, add your logo, and specify a header. Edit the style-sheet, layout files, and jQuery scripts for complete control.

    Easily Brand and Customize Your Output
  • Include the Mark of the Web for Web-based Output

    Applying the "Mark of the Web" ensures that you will not get the ActiveX warning in Internet Explorer when running NetHelp locally. Doc-To-Help will include it in Web-based outputs for you.

    Related Article: Making Browser-Based Help (NetHelp) Work Locally using “The Mark of the Web”

  • Implement Context Sensitive Help

    Choose to have Doc-To-Help create context ID’s or create them yourself to map topics to software or Web interfaces.

    Related Article: Integrating Your Documentation into Your Application

  • Get Automatic Reference with Microsoft Sandcastle

    Microsoft's Sandcastle utility automatically creates MSDN formatted reference documentation from .NET source code and XML comment files. Doc-To-Help integrates Sandcastle's XML output into your projects, automatically creating topics, index, TOC, and other Help elements. You can build on this information by editing/adding your own topics, and linking to namespaces. This content integrates with the Help system in Visual Studio .NET (Help 2.0 and Microsoft Help Viewer 1.0).

  • Use Doc-To-Help with Inedo BuildMaster

    Inedo BuildMaster automates the software building process and integrates with Doc-To-Help to automatically build your documentation projects when software builds are executed. Learn more about Build Master.

  • Embed Help Into Your Applications

    Doc-To-Help includes the ComponentOne Dynamic Help control. With it, .NET developers can embed a dynamic Help pane into your application’s interface. You can then visually map your Help file (HTML Help or NetHelp) to the interface. See it in action in Doc-To-Help.

Print Publishing Tools

  • Margin Notes That Work in Both Print and Online

    Add margin notes in Word with the click of a button. These notes can be designated to appear as popups in online Help.

    Related Article: Creating Margin Notes

  • Automatic Conditional Links and Cross-references

    Create links for online output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into cross-reference for print. Alternatively, create cross-references for print output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into links for the Web and desktop.

    Related Article: Handling Links in Manuals

  • Template and Style Sheet Compatibility

    Doc-To-Help includes a collection of complete templates and style sheets to transform your content to print-friendly outputs. You can customize these or even use your own.

  • Control Page Breaks

    Set preferences to control page breaks. These include starting chapters on new pages and specifying that blocks of content do not break across pages.

  • Create PDFs for Online or Print Use

    Even though PDFs produced with Doc-To-Help are press-ready, you may want to design them for on-screen use instead. In this case, Doc-To-Help will use live links instead of cross references. You can also choose to include both.

Tools for Productivity and Project Management

  • Design Image Maps

    Use the image map editor to add make your graphics interactive.

    Related Article: Creating Interactive Graphics with Image Maps

  • Easily Brand and Customize Your Output

    Doc-To-Help gives you many customization options. Use the Theme designer to choose from a collection of color and style schemes, add your logo, and specify a header. Edit the style-sheet, layout files, and jQuery scripts for complete control.

    Easily Brand and Customize Your Output
  • Intuitive Microsoft Office-Style Interface Reduces Learning

    Doc-To-Help is designed to be familiar to Office users. If you can use Microsoft Word (or Outlook), you can use Doc-To-Help.

  • Schedule Builds

    Use a convenient interface to schedule one-off or recurring builds; great for agile teams or generating large projects off-hours.

    Schedule Builds
  • Set up Batch Builds via Command Line

    Use a few commands to set up regular batch builds. Similar to the build scheduler, this is great for agile teams or generating large projects off-hours.

    Related Article: Building Doc-To-Help Targets from the Command Line

  • Manage Your Content with the Topics Grid

    Doc-To-Help’s unique Topics grid allows you to view your topics and their settings at a glance. Set preferences one by one or en masse.

    Manage Your Content with the Topics Grid
  • Drag Topics to Create a “See Also” List

    Doc-To-Help automatically creates “See Also” links in Help based on styles. You can augment those links, or remove selected ones if you wish. The Related Topics pane makes this possible using drag-and-drop.

  • Drag, Drop, and Link

    Drag items from Doc-To-Help's Topics grid or Table of Contents and drop them into your content to automatically create links.

    Drag, Drop, and Link
  • Duplicate Projects to Reuse Settings and Content

    A Save Project As feature copies your entire project so you can backup projects or create new projects from a base that is set up the way you want it. This saves time and helps you ensure accuracy by reusing work you have already completed.

  • Import Project Settings from Other Projects

    Ensure consistency among projects with a click. You can import settings from another project when you create a new project, or after it is already created. Project settings include templates, style sheets, themes, project properties, targets, variables, and more.

    Related Article: A Different Kind of Reuse: Reusing project settings in Doc-To-Help

    Import Project Settings from Other Projects
  • Open Multiple Projects at Once

    You can work more efficiently when you can open multiple projects to copy items and compare projects.

Single Sourcing and Content Reuse

  • Margin Notes That Work in Both Print and Online

    Add margin notes in Word with the click of a button. These notes can be designated to appear as popups in online Help.

    Related Article: Creating Margin Notes

  • Automatic Conditional Links and Cross-references

    Create links for online output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into cross-reference for print. Alternatively, create cross-references for print output and Doc-To-Help will turn them into links for the Web and desktop.

    Related Article: Handling Links in Manuals

  • Publish Multiple Formats and/or Versions from One Project

    Doc-To-Help’s key purpose is to allow you to use one set of content to produce as many different versions for as many different platforms as you need. This means you can write once and produce a student and teacher manual, you can create online Help and a print manual, or whatever combination you need. Just select your output and click Build.

  • Use Conditions to Map Content Where You Want It

    It is possible to conditionalize text, topics, or even entire documents. That content can then be flagged for specific output types, Targets, or by fully-customizable attributes. You can create outputs for multiple audiences or formats from a single project.

  • Modularize Your Projects

    Combine multiple projects into one with a single table of contents. This enables you to mix and match modular content for uses such as addressing specific audiences and dividing responsibilities among your team.

    Related Article: When & How to Create a Modular Help System

  • Use Variables to Manage and Reuse Content

    Using Variables, you can create content in one place and reuse it across your project. Text Variables are used for any amount of unformatted text; Rich Content Variables allow you to store formatting along with text. Additionally, topics can easily be reused in a single project as well as across multiple projects.

    Related Articles:

  • Save an Unlimited Number of Output Templates

    Create as many targets as you need. Each target can have specific content, settings, and styles mapped to it.

  • Create Tables of Contents for Specific Outputs

    Doc-To-Help automatically creates a table of contents, but you may want to tweak it for certain outputs or audiences. Doc-To-Help’s TOC editor allows you to customize the TOC for specific outputs.

Localize Your Outputs

  • Generate Output in Any Windows-Supported Language

    Write in any language that Windows supports and Doc-To-Help will be able to generate the output correctly.

    Related Article: Setting Up Doc-To-Help for Languages Other Than English

  • Use Unicode Characters

    Doc-To-Help supports the Unicode character set, so rest assured that your content will be compatible.

Advanced Features

  • Get Automatic Reference with Microsoft Sandcastle

    Microsoft's Sandcastle utility automatically creates MSDN formatted reference documentation from .NET source code and XML comment files. Doc-To-Help integrates Sandcastle's XML output into your projects, automatically creating topics, index, TOC, and other Help elements. You can build on this information by editing/adding your own topics, and linking to namespaces. This content integrates with the Help system in Visual Studio .NET (Help 2.0 and Microsoft Help Viewer 1.0).

  • Script Your Own Features

    Use Visual Basic to create custom scripts and assign them to styles to develop your own features.

  • Use XML Transforms to Customize Outputs

    Use XSLT or .NET to add your own topic features in XHTML-based outputs.

  • Deep jQuery customization for NetHelp

    Use jQuery to create your own NetHelp features or even an entire Help system from scratch.