4.ST HelpServer announces the release of Workflow Management, DITA Support and Snippets
This announcement was prepared by 4.ST.
Leuven, Belgium - January 20, 2010 - 4.ST HelpServer
, a web-based enterprise content management system for help and documentation, announced the release of their new Workflow Management module earlier today and immediately looks forward to March when DITA Support and Snippets will be released.
HelpServer is a web-based content management system that enables companies with dispersed authoring teams to work closely together on documentation-projects through a web-based platform.
The additional value of workflow to HelpServer is substantial since it will enable companies to execute documentation projects more efficiently and it will help documentation teams to improve the quality of their documentation while increasing automated communications within the company.
The Workflow Management module will allow HelpServer administrators to define the flow of tasks to be performed by different team-members on folders and topics. A HelpServer workflow object distinguishes two kinds of workflow contributors.
- A supervisor who can:
- define and change the workflow object;
- initially start and restart the workflow and can stop and resume it at any point in the flow;
- run through (perform) all the tasks.
- The performers who can:
- complete, reject, skip only the tasks in the flow that are assigned to them;
- receive a notification message the moment they need to start their task(s).
With HelpServer's task-based workflow mechanism it is possible to automatically assign e-mail notifications to these task transitions. For example we could assign a notification e-mail to each task transition of the creation of a new manual. When a manual then moves on from the initial editing task to the review task an automatic e-mail notification is send to the person who will need to review the contents of our manual. Also each team-member can easily generate task lists which tell them exactly what tasks to perform in which part of the project. Finally When all tasks are performed, workflow stops, the project is locked against unauthorized changes and can be released by publishing it to your documentation web-portal from where it can be browsed, exported to static html or dynamically printed to always up-to-date PDF.
The HelpServer team is not standing still and is currently working on the next release that is to be expected in March 2010. That major upgrade will contain DITA Support and Snippets.
- Snippets
Snippets are pre-set chunks of formatted content that can be reused in topics of a HelpServer project. This prevents redundancies and increases conformity and quality. Snippets can be suggested while you type. Authors will also be able to search the content for phrases and replace phrases by a snippet or you can simply insert a snippet object from the HelpServer project gallery in topics. Release date: Begin March 2010
- DITA Support
The Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering modular information.
With HelpServer it will be possible to import content from files that have the .dita or the .ditamap extension. You can also generate output that produces DITA files.
Note however, that HelpServer does not yet validate against the DITA scheme. However, you can use a third party tool such as XMetal to create your structured DITA files. If you import content from DITA files you can further develop it and generate various types of web-based and print-based output. You can of course send the HelpServer content back out to DITA to import it in another tool. Release date: Begin March 2010
If you are interested in finding out more details about HelpServer please contact marketing@helpserver.eu or download a full featured trial version.
About 4.ST - HelpServer
As an important provider of end-user support management systems, 4.ST founded in 1987 strives to leverage leading-edge technology to improve the quality of online user assistance and documentation.
HelpServer is their web-based enterprise content management system for help and documentation. This web-based team-authoring tool enables companies to deliver audience based help and documentation via the web to their customers. HelpServer is equipped with an extremely easy to use editor and lets dispersed authoring teams easily contribute content over the web to a central server and database from where it can be browsed, exported and printed to PDF by end-users.
Like much software that powers the web, HelpServer doesn't run in the way that most traditional documentation and help authoring software works.
HelpServer sits on a web server (your own proprietary server) ready for action and it flies into action when that web server receives a page request from a visitor (end-customer).
HelpServer then responds to the request by interacting with the information that has been stored in the database by your authoring teams, puts the requested content together and sends the dynamically tailored output to the browser or to a PDF file.
This server- and web-based approach of HelpServer has some important advantages:
- all content is stored in one database;
- all content can be kept more easily up to date by dispersed authoring teams throughout your company;
- the distribution of help & documentation is only a matter of clicking a publish button;
- content can easily be tailored to certain end-user profiles by making use of variables;
- HelpServer generates PDFs dynamically at the server side, those PDFs are therefore always tailored to the profile that requested the PDF file and are always up-to-date.
For more information visit http://www.helpserver.eu or contact marketing@helpserver.eu.
All product and company names mentioned are trademarks of their respective owners.
