Which type of online manual is best for you

So, the mandate has come down from senior management to "put those manuals online!" Now what do you do? As you know, there are many types of online manuals—but which is best for your situation? This article discusses the options in the following sections:

	Adobe Acrobat .PDF
	HTML
	Windows Help
	Questions to Ask
	Quick Comparison of Online Options

Adobe Acrobat .PDF

Adobe Acrobat .PDF manuals offer a single-source solution, which means that a single file serves as the foundation for both the online and hard copy versions of a manual. A single file is much easier to maintain than dual versions (i.e., online and hard copy) and ensures that all versions contain identical information and formatting.

If a manual already exists in electronic media, converting it to a .PDF file is a relatively straightforward process. This makes .PDF an excellent solution for converting legacy documents to an online medium.

A definite advantage of .PDF is that the online version and the hard copy version will look exactly alike (with the same page breaks, page numbering, etc.). Although users must have Acrobat Reader to view or print the online version of the manual, the Adobe Acrobat Reader program is available for free from the Adobe web site.

Note: To create or modify .PDFs, however, you need to purchase the full version of Adobe Acrobat (approximately $249).

Although early versions of .PDF files were merely reproductions of the hard copy manual, Adobe has added numerous enhancements to Acrobat that make it easier to put "bells and whistles" into .PDF files. For example, a Word document can be converted into a .PDF file that has a scrolling Table of Contents displayed in the left column, with hyperlinks to the topics within the document. Here's an example of a familiar document, converted into a .PDF file.

One negative in regard to converting a manual into .PDF format is that the resulting file can be large, and therefore may take time to download from the Internet. This problem can be easily solved, however, by splitting up large .PDF files into smaller files and then linking one to the other.

HTML

Hypertext markup language, or HTML, is the language commonly used to deliver information via the Internet. As such, it is appropriate for online manuals if users have access to a browser, such as Netscape or Internet Explorer. Here's an example of an HTML-based online manual.

Note: Keep in mind that HTML-based manuals can also be put on CD or a computer's hard drive, so users don't need access to the Internet to view these manuals. All that's needed is a browser.

HTML-based manuals are usually constructed of small files and thus, if accessed over the Internet, they are typically faster to download than their .PDF counterparts.

Also on the plus side, HTML files can be easily incorporated into Web-based applications as online help - something that's difficult to do with .PDF. Here's an example of Web Help.

However, if there's a need to produce an online manual that is identical to a hard copy manual, HTML may not be the format to choose. Page breaks (and page numbering) will not be the same in the online and the hard copy versions. Further, if the entire manual needs to be printed out, it can be cumbersome to print all the HTML files that make up the manual. Finally, it is somewhat more complicated to convert legacy documents into robust HTML documents.

The bottom line is that HTML-based manuals are better for new (i.e., non-legacy), small manuals that will be read online.

Windows Help

Windows Help is appropriate for Windows-based applications. Windows Help can be easily integrated into software applications and offers many attractive features, including pop-up graphics, full-text search, and context sensitivity. In addition, most users are familiar with Windows Help and are comfortable using it to find information.

The downside of Windows Help, however, is that it is primarily intended for use with Windows software applications and not appropriate for such stand-alone documents as policies and procedures manuals. Additionally, to convert an existing manual into Windows Help is a fairly labor-intensive process.

Questions to Ask

When deciding on the platform that will best suit your needs, there are a number of basic questions you should ask:

1.	Does the manual already exist in electronic format or does it still need to be written? If the manual already exists (even if it needs to be updated), you may be better off putting it into Adobe Acrobat .PDF format. This is especially true if your existing manual is in Microsoft Word or Adobe FrameMaker—since both of these formats can be easily converted to .PDF.
2.	Will users need to print out a hard copy of the manual? If so, Adobe Acrobat .PDF may be a better solution because, in most cases, there are fewer files to print out. Also, with Adobe Acrobat .PDF files, the printed copy and the online copy look exactly alike, with the same pagination and few formatting surprises.
3.	Do users have the viewers they need to read and print the online manuals? For HTML and Windows Help, there is no downloading or installation required since the software is installed on most PCs. For Adobe Acrobat .PDF files, users may need to download the Adobe Acrobat Reader.
4.	Is the purpose of the manual to explain how to use a software application? If it is, you may be better off using Web Help or Windows Help (depending on the software). Either Windows Help or Web Help allows you to provide context-sensitive information that can be seamlessly integrated into the application. Adobe Acrobat .PDF may be a better choice if the manual is not associated with a software application (e.g., a policies and procedures manual or a technical reference). Back to Top

Quick Comparison of Online Options

Online Option	Easy to convert legacy documents	Easy to print whole manual at one time	Speed of access on the Internet	CD or Internet	Can be seamlessly integrated into software application as Help	Good for policies/procedures or tech reference manuals
.PDF	Yes	Yes	Can be slow depending on file size	CD and Internet	No	Yes
HTML	Fair	Not usually	Good	CD and Internet	Yes	Fair
Windows Help	No	No	N/A	CD	Yes	No

There are other questions as well that may guide your choice of online platform. TechWRITE would be happy to advise you in this regard—so give us a call (856-848-6593) or send an
e-mail and we can chat about your options.

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