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Action Plan for Online Help Task Force
Task Force Chairperson: Lee Butler
Report Issued by: Lee Butler
Date: April 29, 1993
Task Force Members:
Denny Dixon
Tom Ewart
Larry Holmes
Charlie Terrasi
Bob Govoni
Peter Wiitanen
1 INTRODUCTION
This task force will to research and document the process and guide-
lines for writing online help. The need for these guidelines arose be-
cause engineering is developing software applications that have graphic
user interfaces (GUI's) that support online help. One project, HUB-
watch V1.1, has just been completed that includes online help in the
GUI. Additionally, projects that use GUI interfaces with online help
are currently underway in the DECmcc area.
2 Specific Goals
1. Identify current online help guidelines for our group for the var-
ious platforms that support online help. Currently, Motif windows
and Microsoft windows are of primary concern.
2. Define guidelines for the format and content of each option in help
pull-down menu.
3. List a sample of help authoring tools for the various platforms.
4. Provide sample source files that can be used to build an online help
bookreader file. These files should help writers understand the cod-
ing and building process for online help.
5. Describe how the writing team works with the engineering team to
integrate the help file into the application.
6. Write guidelines for testing online help on bookreader and on the
application.
3 Non Goals
The non-goals for the online help task force include:
1. We will neither consider nor provide guidelines for the Apple Com-
puter's MacIntosh platform.
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2. We will not write a book on how to write online help. Instead, we
will refer to the book written by Ed Baechtold and Barb Mathers:
"Creating Help for Digital Motif Applications."
3. We will not create an architecture for writing online help. What
we write will be considered guidelines.
4 Deliverables/Implementation
Deliverables include:
o A written document that addresses the six goals listed above.
o A presentation on the results of this task force at the quarterly
meeting in December 1993.
Implementation and pilot will be the the development of online help
for the HUBwatch MS-DOS and DECmcc projects.
5 Schedule
Milestone Start Date End Date
-------- ---------- --------
Submit Action Plan to Core Team April 1, 1993 April 12, 1993
Commence Development April 15, 1993 April 15, 1993
Quarterly Status Report April 29, 1993 April 29, 1993
Produce First Draft April 15, 1993 August 1993
Quarterly Status Report July 29, 1993 July 29, 1993
Produce Final Draft August 1993 October 1993
Quarterly Status Report October 28, 1993 October 28, 1993
Signoff of Final Draft October 1993 November 1993
Present Taskforce Results December 30, 1993 December 30, 1993
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