HelpSmith 3.5.3 (Build 11.1214)

Every software, no matter how simple or complex it is, has a help file included in the program directory. The purpose of it is to make the user familiarize with the software and also to explain the program's functions. Let's suppose you are a programmer and you want to launch a software on the market, but you want to make sure that anyone will be able to use it. Of course, you would have to build a help file. The question is how. HelpSmith can solve this. It's an innovative help authoring tool allowing you to create CHM HTML help files, Web help, PDF, and printable documentation using the same source.

The program is very easy to install, as the entire operation is point and click. Also, it supports every version of Microsoft Windows and can run even on older computers, as the system requirements are low.

The interface looks a bit crowded and complicated at first, especially from the point of view of a beginner, but one should not worry about because every option is intuitive and well placed. First of all, the user needs to create the topics that will appear in the table of contents and then he can write the actual help. HelpSmith allows adding pictures and movies to the help file, to illustrate better the features of the program the help file addresses to. Besides creating the help file from scratch, the user can also import various document formats into HelpSmith.

The interface helps the user organize the help file easier, as it is split into three sections, namely topics, table of contents and the actual help. After the user is done writing, he can save the help file in various forms, for example, he can create a HTML help file or a printable manual. Either way, the result will surely please any user.

Pros:
It allows the user to create help documents or import various text file formats and save them as standard help files.

Cons:
The creation of HTML help requires an external HTML compiler which is not included in HelpSmith. Also, the multitude of options may confuse a first time user.

HelpSmith is the ultimate program for creating perfect help files for any application.

HelpSmith has been reviewed by Jerome Johnston on 31 Jan 2012. Based on the user interface, features and complexity, Findmysoft has rated HelpSmith 4 out of 5 stars, naming it Excellent