There are various technical writing tools available in the market that are being used in creating high-quality end-user documents, online software help guides, and image capturing and editing. The tools help a technical writer in representing the available information in a well structured and understandable format. Technical writing tools can be divided in the following categories:
• Publishing Tools
These are the very basic tools of technical writing. A technical writer must have hand on experience of using at least one of the publishing tools. These tools help a technical writer to perform tasks, such as creating a technical document, formatting text for easy readability, and inserting tables and graphics in the documents. The most commonly used publishing tools are MS-Word and Adobe FrameMaker.
• Image Capturing and Graphics Tools
A technical document may contain graphics and illustrations to diagrammatically represent the information. A technical writer does not need to be an expert in using the image capturing and graphics tools but should have basic knowledge about capturing, editing, and creating illustrations. Some of the most commonly used image capturing and graphics tools are: SnagIT, FullShot, Adobe Photoshop, and Corel Draw.
• Help Tools
These tools are used to create desktop or Web-based software help files in various formats, such as .htm, .rtf, and .chm. Some of the help tools are: RoboHelp, ForeHelp, HTMLHelp Workshop, and Doc to Help. But, RoboHelp is widely used in technical writing because it provides various templates to create element specific help, such as JavaHelp and OracleHelp.
• Web Tools
These tools are used to design Web pages; therefore, to use a Web tool, a technical writer must have good knowledge about Hyper Text Markup Language (HTML). It is the basis of designing WebPages. The most commonly used Web tools are: DreamWeaver and MS-FrontPage.
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