The project library is a centralized location within HelpNDoc’s projects where technical writers can store and manage their help content, such as images, documents, videos, bar codes, equations, HTML code… Reusing items from the library in multiple topics within a help documentation project has several benefits. It improves consistency, saves time and effort, reduces the risk of errors, saves disk space, and keeps the project organized. By using the same items, users can create documentation more efficiently and make changes more easily. Overall, the library is an essential tool for creating high-quality, well-organized documentation.
To access the Project Analyzer, click Analyze Project in the Project section on the Home ribbon tab. Then click Analyze in the lower left-hand corner to view project stats and other helpful information.
You can then click the Library items tab to review library items in the current project. Each library item, its properties, and its usage are displayed in four columns:
Kind displays the type of library item Caption is the name assigned to the item in the library Source refers to the way in which the library item is rendered.
Note: Image maps are only compatible with the CHM and HTML documentation formats as well as some ePub readers.
Step 1: Access image map editor You have two options to complete the first step:
Option 1 Click Add item in the Home ribbon tab.
This displays a menu. Select Add image map.
Option 2 Right-click your library panel to display a menu.
Select Add item.
This displays a menu. Select Add image map.
When you need to remove a library item, there are two easy ways to delete it:
Option 1 Select the item in your library panel and then click Delete in the Library section of the Home ribbon tab.
This displays a window, confirming that you’d like to permanently delete the item. Click Yes.
This removes the item from your library panel.
Option 2 Right-click the item in your library panel that you’d like to remove.
Note: When you insert a library item into your topics, you are actually inserting a pointer to that item in your library. As a result, when you update an item in the library, all occurrences of that item automatically reflect that update. You do not need to manually update each occurrence.
You have three easy options when inserting an item from your library into your documentation:
Option 1 Place your cursor in the topic editor where you’d like the library item to be inserted.
HelpNDoc's stunning user interface has been carefully designed to be as clean and easy to use as possible. It presents the minimum needed to be as fast and effective as possible in writing and producing help files, user manuals and eBooks; Yet it provides advanced features for power users such as the ability to move, resize and place panels wherever you'd like. Let's see how this can be achieved in this article.
There are four easy ways to rename a library item:
Option 1 Select the item in your library panel and then click Rename in the Library section of the Home ribbon tab.
This switches the item name into “edit mode” allowing you to update it.
Enter the new name and press enter to save it.
Note: Some items such as system variables can’t be renamed. Therefore, if you select a system variable in the library panel, Rename remains gray, prohibiting you from clicking it.
Managing media assets such as pictures throughout help files, documentation projects or ebooks can be a daunting task and this is why the HelpNDoc help authoring tool implements a centralized library: media assets are managed from the project's library, and changes are automatically applied to every instances throughout the project. But some settings (such as dimensions, positions, alterative texts...) can be customized for each instance, making them hard to update for frequently used assets. Thankfully, HelpNDoc includes a fantastic timesaving feature: it is able to instantly apply updated picture properties to every instances throughout the project. Let's see how this can greatly simplify and speed up the work of technical writers.
To update an item, you have three simple options.
Option 1 Select the item in your library panel and then click Item properties in the Home ribbon tab.
This opens the window that displays the properties you had defined for that item.
Enter your update and click OK to save your change.
Option 2 Right-click the item in your library panel that you’d like to update. This displays a popup menu.
In the ever-evolving world of documentation and help authoring, the arrival of HelpNDoc 9.1 marks a significant milestone. This latest update isn't just a routine enhancement; it's a game-changer, introducing groundbreaking dynamic content capabilities that set a new benchmark in the realm of help authoring tools. With HelpNDoc 9.1, technical writers and documentation specialists now have a powerful new feature at their fingertips: the ability to create dynamic, responsive, and highly personalized content with unparalleled ease. The dynamic content library item, the centerpiece of this update, empowers users to craft HTML content that is interpreted at generation time. This means that the final output, whether it's a web page, a PDF document, a Word file... can include content that changes based on a variety of factors, such as the current date, the project structure, external file content, or specific project settings. This innovative feature opens up a plethora of possibilities, from creating time-sensitive instructions to tailoring documentation to specific audience segments.
We are glad to announce the release of HelpNDoc 7.9, a major update of the popular help authoring tool which can be downloaded completely free for personal use and evaluation purposes. This major update includes many new features and enhancements such as the ability to update every pictures with their default settings; A new font selector with recently used fonts, font preview and search support; An improved Word importer; A new API method to list library items used in a specific editor; and much more… Read on to learn more and download your free version of HelpNDoc now.
