CTP Release

We are pleased to announce the availability of the patterns & practices Documentation Tools. These are the tools that have been used to create the accompanying documentation for many p&p projects, including the Enterprise Library, Smart Client Software Factory, Web Client Software Factory, and Web Service Software Factory. The tools allow authors to create guidance using Word 2007 and produce documentation in HTML, Help 1.0 (CHM), or Help 2.0 (HxS) format.

Project Overview

The patterns & practices: Documentation Tools project includes a Word 2007 template and tools that you can use to convert Word documents to HTML, Help 1.0 (CHM), and Help 2.0 (HxS). It also includes a tool that helps you manage your table of contents for large documentation sets. You can use these tools to create your own documentation guidance or take existing patterns & practices Word documents, modify the content, and then convert the content to your desired output.

The Documentation Tools include three binaries that you can install:

Content Template. This is a Microsoft Word 2007 add-in and template that provides the p&p Content ribbon bar and pre-defined styles to create and format content.
Master TOC Tool. This tool allows you to specify one or more Word documents to be converted by the conversion tools.
Conversion Tool. This tool consists of transforms and Powershell scripts that convert your content (written in the Word template and specified in the Master TOC) to HTML, Help 1.0 (CHM), or Help 2.0 (HxS) format.

Resource Links

Overview of the DocTools in PowerPoint
Download the Word 2007 Template (includes custom ribbon bar)
Download the Master TOC Tool and Conversion Tool
Download the overall documentation (includes known issues)
Demo files

Roadmap

There will be no support for this release. The plan is to evaluate any feature requests or bugs whenever we need to evolve the tools for internal use.

Feedback

If you have any feedback on the tools, please let us know. Post questions, bugs or suggestions here

Downloads

Recommended release:

1. Word 2007 Template and Ribbon Bar

Wed Mar 19 2008 at 8:00 AM

2 ratings

3102 downloads, 1 review

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Recent reviews

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Microsoft patterns & practices License for Documentation Tools.

This license governs use of the accompanying software. If you use the software, you accept this license. If you do not accept the license, do not use the software.

1. Definitions

The terms “reproduce,” “reproduction,” “derivative works,” and “distribution” have the same meaning here as under U.S. copyright law.

A “contribution” is the original software, or any additions or changes to the software.

A “contributor” is any person that distributes its contribution under this license.

“Licensed patents” are a contributor’s patent claims that read directly on its contribution.

2. Grant of Rights

(A) Copyright Grant - Subject to the terms of this license, including the license conditions and limitations in section 3, each contributor grants you a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free copyright license to reproduce its contribution, prepare derivative works of its contribution, and distribute its contribution or any derivative works that you create.

(B) Patent Grant - Subject to the terms of this license, including the license conditions and limitations in section 3, each contributor grants you a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license under its licensed patents to make, have made, use, sell, offer for sale, import, and/or otherwise dispose of its contribution in the software or derivative works of the contribution in the software.

3. Conditions and Limitations

(A) No Trademark License - This license does not grant you rights to use any contributors’ name, logo, or trademarks.

(B) If you bring a patent claim against any contributor over patents that you claim are infringed by the software, your patent license from such contributor to the software ends automatically.

(C) If you distribute any portion of the software, you must retain all copyright, patent, trademark, and attribution notices that are present in the software.

(D) If you distribute any portion of the software in source code form, you may do so only under this license by including a complete copy of this license with your distribution. If you distribute any portion of the software in compiled or object code form, you may only do so under a license that complies with this license.

(E) The software is licensed “as-is.” You bear the risk of using it. The contributors give no express warranties, guarantees or conditions. You may have additional consumer rights under your local laws which this license cannot change. To the extent permitted under your local laws, the contributors exclude the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

(F) Platform Limitation - The licenses granted in sections 2(A) & 2(B) extend only to the software or derivative works that you create that run on a Microsoft Windows operating system product.

(G) Microsoft Corporation (“Microsoft”) is the contributor of the original software. If you give Microsoft any feedback about the software, you give to Microsoft, without charge, the right to use, share and commercialize your feedback in any way and for any purpose. You also give to third parties, without charge, any patent rights needed for their products or services to use or interface with any specific parts of Microsoft’s software or services that include the feedback. You will not give feedback that is subject to a license that requires Microsoft to license its software or documentation to third parties because Microsoft includes your feedback in them. If Microsoft provides you any support or other services related to the software, it may collect and use technical information gathered as part of those support or services to improve its products or services or provide customized services or technologies to you. Microsoft may disclose this information to others, but not in a form that personally identifies you. The rights in this section 3(G) survive this agreement.

Revised Dec. 2006

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patterns & practices: Documentation Tools