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Extensible context-sensitive help structure in a web application

For the web application we are currently working on, we will have to think in advance about how to deploy it to several different user groups. On the functional side, it is important to have a documentation system that can be used to create user manuals and context-sensitive help from the same source files.

We planned to use DITA as a documentation system and are now thinking of a simple and extensible way to let developers specify elements that provide context-sensitive help and can be filled in by technical authors and trainers.

Based on DITA, we would like to create a PDF user guide and context-sensitive help integrated into a JSP-based web application. What recommendations do you have?

We are already in the process of evaluating a commercial application that has the following features.

  • development tool for identifying elements on a web page that will be filled with background information.
  • integration with learning management systems
  • support for non-web server applications

Do you have any framework recommendations? In addition to the above, it would be great

  • integrate with DITA (in any way possible)
  • user group content (the user is retrieved from the web application)
  • can be used from a simple web application to display tool tips (html).
  • associating the help context with the following hierarchy: application> page> element (HTML id?)
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DITA is a document architecture, not a tool. Thus, this does not limit your choice for a development tool or for creating PDFs and online help from your DITA source. It's unclear what kind of on-line help you have in mind, but it looks like you want HTML pages that can be displayed by the application itself than trypanes like CHM.

There are several tools that will generate your exits from DITA. DITA-OT (Open Toolkit) is a Sourceforge FOSS tool that can create XSL-FO, from which you can create PDFs, as well as HTML, CHM and a few more. Then there is the free DITA2Go http://dita2go.com , which makes Word RTF for PDF production, as well as HTML and several forms of online help; it uses the theme identifier attribute as part (or all, if you want) of the HTML file name. In addition, there are commercial programs, although not with a big advantage over DITA2Go.

It’s best not to think that PDF is an on-line delivery format, but just like a version that customers can print and use as a hard copy. And tooltips really suit your web application more than a help creation tool.

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Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/1312992/

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