If you need to document an Application Programming Interface or Software Development Kit, you can do this quickly and easily with Doc-To-Help. With Doc-To-Help, anyone can create MSDN-style Class Library documentation for .NET applications, plus add additional content if needed.

The 5 ways Doc-To-Help make creating API/SDK doc simple:

  1. Doc-To-Help integrates with and provide an interface for Microsoft Sandcastle. (The first Help Authoring Tool to do so.)
  2. With Doc-To-Help, you create MSDN-style reference documentation using only 2 project files.
    • .NET Assembly file (.dll)
    • XML comments file(s) (.xml)
  3. If you wish, you can add your own content (an introduction, tutorials, etc.) and link it to namespaces in the reference documentation with the click of a button.
  4. You can create 6 different types of outputs:
    • The new Microsoft Help Viewer 1.x output (integrates with Visual Studio 2010)
    • Help 2.0 (integrates with Visual Studio 2007 and 2005)
    • HTML Help
    • NetHelp (browser-based Help)
    • WinHelp
    • JavaHelp
  5. Doc-To-Help automatically creates the Table of Contents, Index, and Search for you.

The ability to add additional narrative information such as an introduction, examples, tutorials, etc. is very powerful, as is the fact that you can link this information directly to specific namespaces in the reference documentation. This is useful for documentation that is used internally or externally. And if you use Doc-To-Help’s Conditions feature, you could create documentation for both audiences in a single project! Creating an internal version of your API with contact names, background information, specifications, etc. could be very useful for onboarding new team members.

A video that demonstrates how to create API/SDK documentation with Doc-To-Help can be found on Vimeo. There is also a webcast that you can sign up for on the Doc-To-Help website.

To create SDK documentation, create a single Doc-To-Help project and include each API reference section within it. Add the narrative for both the entire SDK, and each API as desired.

By the way, do you need to spell-check your code? Take a look at ComponentOne Intellispell. :-)

 

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