Dr.Explain Features | Help Authoring & Documentation Tool

Online documentation is convenient, but sometimes users need offline access. Give users the option to download documentation in PDF or DOCX format for printing. They will have user guide available anytime, anywhere.

Online help is the most common format for user guides.

By publishing a web-based guide on your site, you let users learn about your software's features even before they download it. A detailed, well-crafted user manual not only builds trust with potential customers but can also boost your site's SEO.

You can create this web-ready help in Dr.Explain with no coding or technical expertise required.

CHM help files are compressed collections of web pages in a single file. This format is widely used for help documentation because it can be integrated directly into your application, providing users with context-sensitive help without needing to open a separate program or file.

CHM files typically include:

• a table of contents and index for easy navigation;
• a built-in search function;
• support for hyperlinks between topics;
• easy portability — can be emailed or transferred between computers.

They offer quick access to information, user-friendly navigation and rich content formatting — all in one compact file.

Built-in screenshot capture tool analyzes the structure of desktop application windows or web pages and automatically generates numbered callouts for key interface controls.

You can then fine-tune these screenshots using the dedicated Annotation designer, which offers everything from simple cropping to adding and organizing text labels. For creating a unique look, a wide range of styling tools is also available.

Import your existing documentation directly into Dr.Explain while preserving the complete structure, navigation, and formatting. Supported formats include CHM, HLP, HTML, XML, DOC/DOCX, and TXT.

The import feature is one of Dr.Explain’s most powerful tools, allowing you to bring in not only content but also project settings.

You don’t need to manually highlight interface elements or create annotations. The process is fully automated: the tool captures application windows or web pages, analyzes the structure, and generates ready-to-use screenshots with numbered callouts.

Customize the annotation style using the built-in editor — zoom in or out, reposition arrows, adjust highlight frames, and modify controls. Edit auto-generated annotations or add new ones as needed. Dr.Explain handles the most tedious tasks, so you can focus on what matters.

To help eliminate spelling and punctuation errors, Dr.Explain includes built-in, dictionary-based spell checking.

To make your documentation more comprehensive and engaging, you can enrich it with learning materials like videos, images, code snippets, or links to helpful resources. Dr.Explain’s editor lets you seamlessly embed these elements, improving the quality and clarity of your help files.

Repetitive manual tasks rarely improve efficiency or productivity. Dr.Explain automates many routine processes. For example, text variables eliminate the need to repeatedly type the same content. If you have text that appears across multiple pages, simply store it in a variable and reuse it wherever needed — no manual copying and pasting. Need to update contact information? Just edit the variable once, and the change applies everywhere it's used.

Keyword indexes improve navigation in help files and online guides, helping users find information faster.

When creating CHM or HTML help files, you can add keywords to build an indexed list. Each keyword or phrase links to specific documentation pages, making it easy for users to quickly locate the content they need.

Dr.Explain includes a topic status system that lets you easily track your documentation progress. You can assign a status to each topic, which appears as color-coded indicators in the project tree. This helps you quickly see what’s been completed and prioritize next steps.

This feature turns your documentation structure into a progress heat map, giving you a clear overview of how the project is advancing. With status labels, you can monitor work in real time and plan your next moves efficiently.

Dr.Explain lets you focus entirely on your content — not technical details — by simplifying the documentation process. Built-in safeguards protect your work from accidental deletion or unwanted edits by team members. Lock any topic with one click to prevent changes. This simple feature can save hours of work by protecting your content from accidental mistakes.

Dr.Explain lets you build context-sensitive help systems for your applications. You can assign a unique Help Context ID and text alias to each help topic. It also generates the map files needed to integrate help into your source code — in three standard formats: ".h", ".vb", and ".inc".

Dr.Explain lets you create context-sensitive help by assigning numeric Help IDs and text aliases to each topic. If you already have a help project but it's missing these IDs, Dr.Explain can automatically assign them to all your topics. You just define the naming rule — Dr.Explain will do the rest.

The Help Context ID system lets you create context-sensitive help for your application. Assign unique help IDs to interface controls, and your program will display the relevant help topic when users interact with those elements.

The online manual is a ready-to-use web application. You can navigate between tabs, browse the contents, and search for information — all without writing any code. Dr.Explain handles all the interactive features for you, right out of the box.

You can customize both the page layout and its visual design. If you're familiar with CSS, you can create custom styles to control the look and feel of every element — from headings and paragraphs to images and tables. This gives you the power to create help files with a unique, custom design.

Dr.Explain gives you full control over the visual style of your user guide. Choose from a collection of ready-made themes and use built-in tools to create informative, engaging and user-friendly guides — quickly and easily.

Ready-made documentation templates save you time. There's no need to build a project structure from scratch or learn how to do it. The templates come pre-organized with common headings and topics, so you can start describing your product right away without worrying about the initial setup.

The user manual templates in Dr.Explain are built on best practices from our experience in creating help documentation. The example structure and topic content are not rigid rules but flexible guides that you can easily adapt to your specific needs. This makes the templates suitable for documenting software products across various fields — from engineering and education to healthcare, science, finance, and consumer services.

Web-based versions of the templates feature a modern, responsive design that displays correctly on all mobile devices.

Save time on building your knowledge base structure by using a ready-made template. Dr.Explain will automatically create a project with a pre-built table of contents, complete with headings, subheadings, and helpful prompts to guide you as you add your content.

The corporate knowledge base template in Dr.Explain is an expert recommendation, built on our years of experience in knowledge management and documentation development. The suggested structure and topic content are just a starting point that you can freely adapt to fit the specific needs of your business, products, and services.

Dr.Explain saves you even more time because its templates come pre-equipped with specialized elements like text variables, formatted blocks, and custom text styles. This simplifies the initial project setup and lets you immediately take full advantage of the program's powerful features.

Save time by using our ready-made template instead of building your user manual's structure from scratch. The template comes pre-filled with topics containing sample text and graphics. All you need to do is add the specific details for your web service.

Dr.Explain's user manual template for web services is based on best practices from our years of experience in technical communication. Think of this template as a helpful recommendation, not a rigid standard. You can easily modify its structure and content to fit your project's needs, whether you're in IT, science, education, healthcare, finance, or the service industry.