APIs and SDKs: Breaking Into and Succeeding in a Specialty

MarketEd Marshall

2007 STC - Philadelphia Metro Conference

Copyright 2007

APIs and SDKs

API = Application Programming InterfaceSDK = Software Development Kit

• Typical users and why they use them• Typical producers of these products• Examples

Typical Documentation Deliverables

• Programmer’s reference guides• Online help (in some format, more later)• Programmer’s guides• Data dictionaries• API and SDK installation manuals• System administrator's guides• User configuration guides

Ideal Information for SDKs

• Provide an overview of the SDK• Describe the tools and components in the SDK

and how they relate to the APIs• Describe each tool in detail• Describe any sample programs included in the

SDK

Ideal Information for APIs

• Break each component into the various families

• Describe each API completely, including cross-references to any types used in the definition

• Provide and explain examples that show both trivial and complex use of the class / API

Reference Information for APIs

• Brief description• Syntax• Examples, examples, examples!• Error messages• Cross-references

Examples of API / SDK Documentation

• Visual Basic ActiveX Control Help Sample – print and online help

• C++ API Help Sample – print and online help• Typical SDK documentation – Guide to Tools,

Programmer’s Reference, Programmer’s Guide, etc.

Key Programming Concepts

• Data types / variables• Program control – loops, conditions, etc.• Logical operators

Benefits to the Writer

• Do more advanced technical writing: Higher pay Higher status

• Good if you like to play with software at the code level, create / test examples, talk / write in gibberish

• Work more closely with developers

Drawbacks to the Writer

• Possibly restrictive / repetitive writing• Possibly less contact with users as they are

developers / programmers themselves• Possibly, more technically challenging

development / build environments

Knowledge / Personality Traits that Work Well

• Some knowledge of programming languages BUT you don’t have to be a programmer!

• Willingness to work with advanced / programmer types of tools – Use software instead of specs

• Desire to work at the code level and write for developers who work at the code level

Knowledge / Personality Traits, cont.

• Willingness / confidence to work closely with senior developers

• Ability to develop context-sensitive level help at a lower-level than typical end-user (window-level) help

Breaking into this Market

• Get training to develop the skills: - Courses - Self-paced training - On-the-job training

• Make your own sample help systems, with context-sensitive help coded

• Write some sample programs

Education / Training Opportunities

• Programming courses at local colleges• STC conferences / workshops

Self-Paced Training• Manuel Gordon’s API materials (

www.gordonandgordon.com)• Documenting APIs: Writing Developer

Documentation for Java APIs / SDKs – James Bisso / Victoria Maki (www.bitzone.com/book.html)

• Deitel & Deitel “(C / C++ / C# / Java) How to Program”

• Sams “Teach Yourself…” • Sample projects, such as the HTML Help API

Other Resources

• MSDN – msdn.microsoft.com• RoboWizard Web site – www.robowizard.com • Flare forums – www.madcapsoftware.com• RoboHelp / Flare Web site – www.grainge.org/

Listservers (Yahoo Groups)

• STC API – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/svcstcapi/

• API writers – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/APIWriters/

• NetTechWriters – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nettechwriters/

• HATT – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HATT/

Listservers (Yahoo Groups), cont.

• MSHelp 2.0 – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MSHelp2/

• Eclipse – http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eclipse_tw/

Ways to Get Information

• Reading the specifications• Using the software• Attending demos• Running automated tools against the software• Providing fill-in-the-blank templates to

developers

Build and Deployment Issues

• Use of automated build systems• Use of source code control systems• Other tools to do file comparisons, advanced

text editors, multi-file search and replace, etc.

Automated Tools

• JavaDoc• DOXYGEN• Others

Help Authoring Tools

• Flare• RoboHelp – It’s back, as of Jan. 2007 • WebWorks ePublisherPro – for Frame / Word• Doc-to-Help • AuthorIT

Advanced Text EditorsNoteTabPro and EditPadPro:

• Both tools have: Spell-checking. Big plus if you work in a mixed OS environment: Neither tool inserts Windows-style line feedcharacters in Unix files.

• NoteTabPro has an auto-complete option for html tags and other languages.

www.notetab.com $19.95, Lots of other tools here.

• EditPadPro has color-coding for custom html tagswww.jgsoft.com $39.

JG Soft has other tools too such as a PowerGrep tool, Registry editor, and others.

Search and Replace Tool

Funduc: Will search & replace both folders and zip files. Will also search & replace ASCII and binary files. Some cautions about using it with binary files but my initial tests with Word .DOC files worked fine.

www.funduc.com $25

Many other tools here also.

File / Folder Level Comparison (Differencing Tools)

• Beyond Compare - Folder and file level comparisons, ASCII and binary. Can detect that ASCII or binary files are different but can only show the differences in ASCII files, not binary files. Highlights the specific characters different between 2 ASCII files.

http://www.scootersoftware.com/

Retail price: $30

• Araxis Merge - Folder and file level comparisons, ASCII and binary

http://www.araxis.com/merge/index.html

Retail price: $129

Determining Which Help Format to Use

• Platforms • Browsers• Minimum versions required by your product

Common Help Formats

• WinHelp – Not in Vista but…• HTMLHelp 1.x• HTMLHelp 2.0 (used with Microsoft

VisualStudio.NET)• WebHelp / Web Help• JavaHelp• Vista help – Not initially available to us in Vista

Context-sensitive Help

• Need to determine if it is necessary• Need developers to implement / hook to the

API• Have to use the appropriate API for the help

format• Mapping of context IDs to numbers / text

strings• Need to test all links from the product

Sample Context ID Mapping for HTMLHelp

• Sample .h file entry:

// Properties and Methods #define CloseSpeech_PM 2001

• Sample .ali file entry:

CloseSpeech_PM=CloseSpeech_Method.htm

Summary

• Description of APIs / SDKs • Benefits to writers• Drawbacks to writers• Training• Writing considerations (i.e., tools, formats,

issues for context-sensitive help)

Closing

• Thank you.• Questions?

Ed Marshall

ed.marshall@verizon.net978-339-3095