Technical Writing Tools Writing , editing, and design skills form the foundation of technical writing.

But these skills only get you started. You need to know how to use publishing programs, help authoring tools, web design, and graphics packages. Software skills can be hard to acquire, but you can learn the tools if you are willing to invest the time and money. Walter Hanig of NetManage, Inc. has some software suggestions for students. There are four types of programs that new technical writers need to know:

A "working knowledge" of specific software tools is the minimum requirement for most jobs. Realistically, you need to be an expert user of at least one major product and familiar with some of the others. If you are eligible, you should buy academic software. If you can't, many companies offer demos so you can at least aquire a "working knowledge" of a product. Whatever you do, make sure to compile your work in a portfolio. It is much more impressive to show, rather than tell, a prospective employer that you are competent in a specific application. Publishing Programs Though technical writers write online help systems, design web sites, and deliver multimedia training-- publishing programs are the basic tools of the industry. There are few jobs for people who do not have an expert understanding of at least one or more of these programs. Expert knowledge means that you understand how to use features that most people aren't even aware of--borders, conditional text, conversion filters, document management features, frames, formats, graphics, indexing, macros, tables, styles, etc.

If you don't own a major publishing program, buy one, or find some way to work with one--volunteer anywhere just to get some practice. I am not endorsing any particular product or products--these are just the programs I see consistently in job ads. The links go to the companies' product page. To buy something direct, email or call the companies.

Adobe FrameMaker is the most requested tool in this industry. If you don't know it you need to buy it or really work with the demo. The Windows academic version is relatively cheap. A demo is available from Adobe Customer Service at 1-800-843-7263. The demo version is the full program except it will not print or save files. The demo version is designed to be used for business trials, so try it in your business.

Love it or hate it, MS Word is second in job ads. Though not a true "publishing" program, it is a good word processor in spite of its bugs. Just stay away from multilevel numbering, shut off the automatic style updates and never use the Master Document "feature"!

Not really common, but popular with some shops. An extensive XML/SGML authoring suitevery expensive. I don't know about demo or academic versions.

Another top-end XML/SGML authoring program. Also very expensive and not seen in many ads.

Rarely requested in technical writing listings, but in almost all marketing and magazine posts. The tool of choice for shops doing four-color work.

Used mainly for smaller documentation projects, but great graphics and layout features. Graphics Programs

Techwriters are not expected to be professional graphic artists, but they are expected to understand basic graphics. If you plan on documenting any type of software, you need to know how to do screen captures and edit them for use in a manual or Help screen. Again--I am not endorsing any particular product. Please email me if you know of a product that you feel should be included.

Not called for in many tech writing jobs, but one of the most popular for technical illustration.

One of the more popular drawing programs. Unfortunately, it is getting pretty bloated these days.

Undoubtedly the #1 photo program in the world. All the cool effects, but expensive. You can get a demo version and a lite version.

For us mere mortals who can't afford a $300 graphics programs, there is Paint Shop Pro. This program began life as a shareware program and has developed into a feature-rich paint program without the high price tag. I find it especially useful for web work and highly recommend it for its ease-of-use. Help Authoring Programs You need to learn at least one Help authoring program if you plan on documenting software. Academic software is available, but you will probably have to ask your bookstore to order it order it directly from the companies. You can also download demos and use them for thirty days. You will probably need every bit of the thirty days, so install one when you have some time. Microsoft has stated that HTML Help will be the standard, so it would be good to download one of the HTML demos to see how they work. Try to create one self-contained Help doc for your portfolio. One of the things employers want to see is that you know how to compile complex documents into a usable format. This doesn't mean you need to compile a complete Help system, just

ensure that the document is completely functional within the limited scope of your project. There are three major Help packages available. Experience in any one of them will get you started.

RoboHELP is the most requested help tool in ads.

Another that is often requested.

ForeHelp is also seen in ads, and one of the few that works independently of Word. Web Design This page is unique because the Web is such a different medium. There are a couple of programs that you should be familiar with, but you need to know much more than just a program. The foremost thing you need to understand is Hyper Text Markup Language or HTML. HTML comes in many flavors at the moment, but a thorough understanding of HTML 3 is good enough for most positions. If you really want a Webmaster job, you'll need to know Active X, CGI, DHTML, HTML 4, Perl, Java Script, and more. Whatever you decide, study layout and design first. The Web is an interesting, fastpaced adventure, but good design principles still hold true. Programs

Front Page is the most requested program. It does write some proprietary code (Supported by MS Internet Explorer but not Netscape) so check the pages on Netscape too.

A really terrific program for web site creation. Pure HTML without any proprietary code. Both text and 'drag and drop' editing.

For large commercial sites check this full featured program. Goes beyond any techwriter's needs.

A great alternative to FrontPage. If your company doesn't have a program yet, this is a great choice. Advanced, yet easy-to-use site management and scripting tools. Now comes bundled with Homesite!

I have never used this one, but BBEdit is supposed to be the only program for Mac authors.

My favorite FREE HTML authoring tool. Easy enough for beginners, yet allows for expert customization. Web Resources

The HTML writer's guild is a terrific place to learn just about anything about web design.

This is where you can find out what is official in HTML. If you follow these standards, you won't go wrong.

This is the best HTML tutorial site that I have found. Some seriously bad jokes though!

Another good tutorial site.

Not interested in learning Java, but still want to put some action on your pages? Here's a great place to find Java and CGI scripts. (Minor tweaking still required.)

Need more links? Eskimo North has an extensive list.