Help Writer's Assistant for Windows is a visual help authoring package 
with features only normally seen in expensive products - at a price that 
you can afford.  Help Writers Assistant for Windows is a WYSIWYG help 
development environment.  HWA/w works the way you do, not forcing you to
change the way you work.

Previously, building help files under Windows had to be done either by
coding RTF commands by hand, or by using a word processor that understood
RTF.  There were problems with this.  You had to remember the context
string of the help topic you wanted to link to, and you had to enter
footnotes.  At the best of times, it was a pain!  Word Processor macros
helped make the task easier, but they didn't provide everything you
needed. Help Writer's Assistant for Windows (HWA/w) does that and  helps
to make Windows help authoring visual and exciting!  This saves a 
considerable amount of time when developing help files.

This version is available as a public beta by request of many people.

HWA/w has a wide variety of uses:

* To help a user use a program (a traditional help file)
* To teach a user to use a program (a tutorial)
* To teach a user about anything by using hypergraphic jumps
  (that is files created with the Hotspot editor) and
  hypertext jumps.
* To store commonly used information like in a database 
  (such as company policies)
* Training about programs or about anything can be made easier by 
  using help files.

System requirements:

* MS-DOS operating system version 3.1 or later
* Any of the following (must be acquired separately):
* Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1 or later
* Microsoft Windows for Workgroups version 3.1 or later
* Microsoft Windows NT operating system version 3.1 or later
* Personal computer using a 386 or higher processor
* 2Mb of Memory (4Mb or greater recommended)
* 2Mb of Hard disk space
* A 3.5" or 5.25" disk drive
* EGA or higher resolution monitor compatible with Windows 3.1
  or later
* Microsoft Mouse or compatible pointing device recommended

HWA for Windows has many powerful and useful features:

Topic Management

* Drag & Drop topic management through hierarchical topic tree 
  (topic listbox).
* Properties window for editing all topic properties.
* Support for all help topic properties, including: titles, entry 
  macros, comments, keywords, multichar keywords and more!
* Topics can be easily moved around through dialogs.

Ease of use interface

* Right mouse button displays context-sensitive menus.
* Toolbars above editors and topic listbox as well as a
  general toolbar.
* Toolbar buttons to move to previous/next, first/last topics.
* Links listbox which lists the topics that the current topic
  links to - making it easy to change to those topics.
* Preference information (Help compiler, Hierarchical view, Auto 
  Browse Sequences etc...) can be made default for all new
  projects but can be changed for each specific project.
* List of the 4 most recently used files is easily accessible
  from the file menu.
* Goto dialog has the same look and feel as all dialogs dealing
  with topics (e.g: link and move dialogs).  All use the same
  hierarchical topic tree used in the main window - decreasing
  learning time.

Visual editor

* The visual editor is used for editing the text of topics. It
  allows multiple fonts, colors, styles, justification,
  indentation and line spacing.  No need to know anything about
  RTF!
* Visual editor displays links just has they look under the help
  system.
* Editors for both scrolling and non-scrolling regions.
* A ruler for easy placing of tabs.
* Optional displaying of paragraph marks.
* Different default fonts, sizes and styles for both the
  scrolling and non-scrolling regions.
* Can view and edit hidden text associated with topics - for
  power users.
* Click on a link while holding down the Control key to go
  to that topic.

Time Savers

* One click duplicating of topic title in Non-Scrolling region.
* Keyword Sets which make it possible to use commonly used sets
  of keywords simply by selecting them from a list.
* List keywords, build tags or multichar keywords for comparing
  and editing.
* Auto browse sequences - forget completely about your browse 
  sequences!  There are two levels of control.  Auto Numbering
  where you provide the characters and using a topic hierarchy
  can forget completely about browse sequences!
* Can create indented contents lists of child topics of any topic
  in the file.
* Can create a jump or pop-up link using the title of the topic
  being linked to as link text (hotspot text).
* Can create a new topic while linking.
* Use selected text for title of a new topic when creating a new
  topic while linking.
* Stores the last topic used so you can go back to it.
* Preview of topics while linking, or from the goto/move dialogs.
* Can insert RTF or ASCII text file into scrolling or
  non-scrolling region.
* Choose macros easily and visually from a dialog.  Enter
  parameters from easy to use edit controls.
* Simply choose your pictures from a dialog.  Supported types: 
  Windows metafiles, bitmaps, segmented hypergraphics,
  multi-resolution bitmaps.
* Dialogs to visually choose the topic to link to.  
* The same dialogs used to create links are used to edit links.
* Fast removal of links.
* Find & replace across all topic text in a file.
* One click bullet creation.

Basic Usage Learning

* Full, context sensitive online help
* Includes a full tutorial to learn how to develop windows help
  files the easy way with HWA/w

Compiling

* Reads & Writes in Rich Text Format providing maximum
  compatibility with the Windows Help compiler.
* Windows Help compiler and hotspot editor included in disk based 
  version
* Build and display the help file from within the HWA/w
  environment.
* Can create a header files for context sensitive help.
  (for C/C++, Pascal and Visual Basic).

The product is priced at just $85NZ ($50US) per copy and will be  available
by the end of May 1994. Users purchasing Beta III before  the release of
Beta IV will have a free upgrade to Beta IV and  Version 1.0 and Version
2.0.

A Windows NT(Win 32) version will follow soon after!

To contact Olson Software or to order HWA/w fax +64 6 355 2775 

Stefan Olson
Olson Software

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