Best Software Documentation Tools for Visual Studio

The Help Generator is a tool that allows you to create help files, browser-based help, and printed documentation. The modern Office-style help editing environment features many features that will make you more productive and ensure quality output. Edit with WYSIWYG Help Editor (HTML). The modern Windows fluent ribbon makes it easy to use. The Help Generator help authoring program can be used to create standard windows help files. Also known as chm files, compiled html help files, or chm files, as well as browser-based help for any Windows application. The Help Generator addin creates a descriptive topic page for each form in your application. This page includes a title, screenshot and image map as well as sections for all controls. The pages created by the add-in have been integrated into your application automatically so you can get instant F1 support for context-sensitive help. Visual Studio.NET, Visual Basic 6 or Microsoft Access add-ins are available.

Doc-O-Matic allows you to quickly and easily create source code and API documentation. It also allows you to author general purpose documentation in many formats and styles in a short time. Doc-O-Matic can take source code and comments and add conceptual topics and external input to create documentation. Doc-O-Matic's single-source approach allows it to generate many types of output from one documentation base. Doc-O-Matic creates HTML-based Help files, including HTML Help, Help Viewer 2.x, and browser-based Web Help. Doc-O-Matic can also create printable documentation in RTF and PDF formats. XML output is ideal for post-processing. Doc-O-Matic documentation is rich in features. It automatically cross-links all documentation, including source code, and provides tabbed and collapsible sections. Your Help bridges this gap by seamlessly integrating into existing library documentation.

Document! X is an automated documentation tool that can also be used as a full authoring environment. It can be used to create, publish, and maintain professional quality documentation for.NET and Web Services, Databases. Document! X is more than a tool for creating documentation. It also includes a complete documentation authoring environment that allows you to add to the content automatically generated. Document! X supports a wide range of solution elements. All your technical documentation needs can be met by one consistent, customizable, and comprehensive tool. Document! Document!

A complete help authoring tool to create CHM HTML Help documents, Web Help systems and printed manuals. HelpSmith is a powerful help authoring tool that can create a CHM HTML help file, online Web Help system, and PDF manual. It also has a built-in screenshot tool that allows you to automatically create help dialog windows. HelpSmith allows you to create a CHM Help file, a fully responsive Web Help System compatible with desktop computers as well as mobile devices, Printed Manual and PDF documents, ePub eBooks, and Microsoft Word documents from a single source project. A built-in word processor allows you to create topic content. It also includes a spellchecker and dictionaries for many languages.

Help+Manual is a fully featured documentation tool. It is as simple as a word processor but much more powerful. It gives you the power and flexibility of an XML editor. This tool also includes powerful features to generate and edit help and documentation files, including full support of multimedia and complex modular projects. It doesn't matter if you want to publish documentation for desktop, mobile, iOS, Android, Windows help, or PDF user manuals. Help+Manual makes it easy! Single source documentation is more than simply putting the same information in different formats. Conditional tags can be used to mark content and create different outputs for each publication channel. No post-processing is necessary. Help+Manual takes care of the complicated aspects of documentation generation. However, power users can access the code to modify topic and layout templates, and much more. Help+Manual offers the best of both worlds.

Multi-step procedures are often needed in Technical Documentation. We use bullet lists, and we also add screenshots and text. We add more information, and readers are more likely to lose track. An Xplain, or as we call it, a series of slides that are freely arranged on a large canvas to spark your imagination. HelpXplain is ideal for embedding slideshows into web pages or technical documentation. You can create animated tutorials and quick instructions in minutes, instead of hours. HelpXplain creates animated screenshots that can be edited and replaced at any time. HelpXplain can also record multiple-page screencasts of programs that are running in autoplay mode, just like a video. It is much easier to record and edit them than creating a video. All Xplains comply with HTML5 and Javascript standards.