Sandcastle Assist

Sandcastle Assist project aims to provide a library that will make it easier to use the Sandcastle tool, a documentation compiler for managed libraries from Microsoft.

Microsoft's Sandcastle is a set of help or documentation compilers for managed class libraries. It enables managed class library developers to create accurate, informative documentation with a common look and feel.

The Sandcastle Assist project will provide extension libraries and utility classes to help make the process of creating a documentation with the Sandcastle tools easier. It will be the Sandcastle SDK, and we will work hard to make it good!

Announcements

July 17, 2009 - Sandcastle Assist Blog
We are now blogging on this project: http://sandcastleassist.blogspot.com/

More Announcements...

Main Packages

The Sandcastle Assist will consists of a number of packages or assemblies. Currently, we are working on the following:

• Sandcastle Common: All the base classes, the utilities classes, configurations classes and more...
• Sandcastle Builders: A complete library for building reference and conceptual documentations. It is a task based build library, and will expand to support both MSBuild and Team Build.
• Sandcastle Build Components: A number of custom build components, which enhance and improve the documentation build system.
• Sandcastle Controls: A number of custom controls to help editing various parts of the Sandcastle configurations and settings.
• Sandcastle Helpers: A simple but complete help builder library - Lite Builders!

Application Packages

The Sandcastle Assist will provide ready to use applications for help developments.

• Sandcastle Workshop: A generic GUI application, which will be a replacement of the current Sandcastle generic tool, and will be based on the Lite Builders. This will be the Sandcastle equivalent of the HtmlHelp Workshop. Unlike the current Sandcastle generic tool, it will support conceptual help and more customization.

Tools Packages

Finally, Sandcastle Assist will provide some utility and tool packages that might be useful to the help developer. These are separated from the main and other packages because of differences in licensing; most of the utilities are based on existing libraries that are under LGPL. These will be place in the Development folder in the source control, and will be under the LGPL license.

• Sandcastle TextEditors: A plain and XML text editors customized to speed up working with help files, especially conceptual help topic files.
• Sandcastle Viewers: Simple help previewers for compiled helps; the HtmlHelp (.chm) and the MSDN Help (.hxs).
• Sandcastle HelpRegister: This is a Help 2.0 registration library, written in C#, and it is freely redistributable.
• Sandcastle HelpRegister Application: This is a ready-to-use application for Help 2.0 registration and more.