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Adobe RoboHelp

Help authoring tool for Microsoft Windows

Help authoring tool for Microsoft Windows

FieldValue
nameAdobe RoboHelp
logoAdobe_RoboHelp.svg
captionAdobe RoboHelp
developerAdobe Systems
genreTechnical documentation editor
licenseProprietary software
website
latest_release_version2022.5.28
latest_release_date
operating_system{{Plainlist
  • Windows 10 (64 bit) Version 1903 and later
  • Windows 11 (64 bit)

Adobe RoboHelp is a help authoring tool developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows. RoboHelp was created by Gen Kiyooka, and Blue Sky Software released version 1.0 in January 1992.

Blue Sky Software was founded in 1990 and changed its name to eHelp Corporation on 4 April 2000. Macromedia acquired eHelp Corporation on 24 October 2003. Macromedia was, in turn, acquired by Adobe Systems on 3 December 2005. Adobe Systems has developed and released nine successive versions of RoboHelp since 2007.

Features

Adobe RoboHelp can generate help files in the following file formats:

  • Adobe AIR
  • Adobe PDF
  • EclipseHelp
  • ePub
  • FlashHelp
  • FlashHelp Pro
  • JavaHelp
  • KF8
  • Microsoft Compiled HTML Help
  • Microsoft WinHelp
  • Microsoft Word
  • MOBI
  • Oracle Help for Java
  • WebHelp
  • WebHelp Pro
  • XHTML
  • XML

Revision history

The version numbering systems used by Blue Sky Software/eHelp Corporation, Macromedia, and Adobe Systems induced some head-scratching, especially among longtime RoboHelp users. For example, the first version of RoboHelp released by Adobe Systems in January 2007 was the 14th version of the software, but Adobe Systems decided to continue the numbering convention from Macromedia and thus gave this version the number 6...and dropped the X used in the previous version, RoboHelp X5. This decision caused confusion because Blue Sky Software released RoboHelp 6.0 in 1998. Adobe Systems continued with that numbering system and used versions 7 through 11 for successive versions of RoboHelp released from September 2007 to January 2014. With the introduction of Adobe RoboHelp 2015 in June 2015, Adobe Systems used a new numbering system with the release year instead of a version number and continues to use this convention with successive versions. This new version numbering system has removed any uncertainty about which version is the most recent. The current version, Adobe RoboHelp 2019, is the 22nd version of the software released in RoboHelp's 26-year history.

VersionRelease dateChanges
1.0January 1992First general availability release.
2.0–12.01993–2003Blue Sky Software/eHelp Corporation released 11 successive versions of RoboHelp between 1993 and 2003 that started with version 2.0 and ended with version X4, which was released on 27 May 2003. RoboHelp X4 was the 12th version of the software.
13.027 January 2004Three months after Macromedia acquired eHelp Corporation, Macromedia released RoboHelp X5 on 27 January 2004. Macromedia decided to continue the version numbering convention from the previous version, though RoboHelp X5 was the 13th version of the software.
14.017 January 2007Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 6, which was the 14th version of the software, on 17 January 2007. Enhancements include:
15.027 September 2007Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 7 on 27 September 2007. RoboHelp 7 came in a standalone version and as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 1.0. Enhancements include:
16.020 January 2009Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 8 on 20 January 2009. RoboHelp 8 came in a standalone version and as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2.0. Enhancements include:
17.011 January 2011url=http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2011/01/unveiling-robohelp-9.htmltitle=Unveiling the all new Adobe RoboHelp 9 and RoboHelp Server9! – TechComm Central by Adobepublisher=blogs.adobe.comaccess-date=13 May 2016}} Enhancements include:
18.026 July 2012Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 10 on 26 July 2012. RoboHelp 10 came in a standalone version and as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 4.0. Enhancements include:
19.014 January 2014url=http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2014/01/robohelp-11-launch-blog.htmltitle=RoboHelp 11 is here ! – TechComm Central by Adobepublisher=blogs.adobe.comaccess-date=13 May 2016}} It was available as a standalone product and as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 5.0. Enhancements include:
2015 (20.0)8 June 2015url=http://blogs.adobe.com/techcomm/2015/06/robohelp-launch-blog.htmltitle=Product Launch: Brand new RoboHelp (2015 Release) and Tech Comm Suite (2015 Release) – TechComm Central by Adobepublisher=blogs.adobe.comaccess-date=13 May 2016}} This was the first Adobe-produced version to include the release year instead of the version number. It was available as a standalone product or as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite 6.0. Enhancements include:
2017 (21.0)31 January 2017Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 2017 on 31 January 2017. It is available as a standalone product or as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2017 Release). Enhancements include:
2019 (22.0)22 August 2018Adobe Systems released Adobe RoboHelp 2019 on 22 August 2018. It is available as a standalone product or as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2019 Release). Enhancements include:
2020 (23.0, internally 15)15 July 2020It is available as a standalone product or as part of Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2020 Release). Enhancements include:

Other RoboHelp tools

  • RoboHelp Classic is the classic version of the help authoring tool developed and published by Adobe Inc. for Windows. RoboHelp Classic was first distributed in the Technical Communication Suite version 2019.
  • RoboHelp Server (formerly RoboSource Control) provides version control for and deployment of online help systems on a network. The current version of Adobe RoboHelp Server, version 10, was released on 12 April 2016.
  • RoboScreenCapture is a screen capture tool that can be used for capturing and editing images.

References

References

  1. (2016-09-25). "Interview With Creator Of RoboHelp". Adobe Technical Communications.
  2. (1992-01-20). "RoboHelp and Magic Fields get launched". InfoWorld Media Group, Inc..
  3. "Blue Sky Software, Worldwide Leader in User Assistance Software, Emerges with New Name, ''eHelp Corporation''. - Free Online Library".
  4. "Macromedia to acquire eHelp". actionscript.org.
  5. "Adobe RoboHelp Gets Long-Awaited Update". InternetNews.com.
  6. Corp., Blue Sky Software. "Blue Sky Software's RoboHELP Office Eases the Creation of Windows 98 Help".
  7. (1993-08-23). "New Products". IDG Enterprise.
  8. "eHelp's RoboHelp X4: Making Waves in Help Technology; New Macromedia Flash-Based Help Format Creates a More Effective User Experience".
  9. "Macromedia announces RoboHelp X5".
  10. (2007-01-17). "Adobe Releases Major Upgrade to RoboHelp - CreativePro.com". CreativePro.com.
  11. Madan, Akshay. (2007-09-27). "Adobe RoboHelp 7". TechComm Central by Adobe.
  12. adobe. (2009-01-20). "Adobe Technical Communication Suite 2, FrameMaker 9 and RoboHelp 8 Announced". TechComm Central by Adobe.
  13. "Unveiling the all new Adobe RoboHelp 9 and RoboHelp Server9! – TechComm Central by Adobe". blogs.adobe.com.
  14. Jain, Ankur. (2012-07-26). "Adobe RoboHelp 10 is here!!". TechComm Central by Adobe.
  15. "RoboHelp 11 is here ! – TechComm Central by Adobe". blogs.adobe.com.
  16. "Technical Communication Suite 5 is here! – TechComm Central by Adobe". blogs.adobe.com.
  17. "Product Launch: Brand new RoboHelp (2015 Release) and Tech Comm Suite (2015 Release) – TechComm Central by Adobe". blogs.adobe.com.
  18. "Productopedia 2015 Adobe Tech Comm Product Release – TechComm Central by Adobe". blogs.adobe.com.
  19. Jain, Abhishek. (2017-01-31). "RoboHelp 2017 Launch". TechComm Central by Adobe.
  20. Gentz, Stefan. (2017-01-31). "Adobe Technical Communication Suite (2017 release) is here!". TechComm Central by Adobe.
  21. Gentz, Stefan. (2018-08-22). "RoboHelp 2019 release". Adobe TechComm Blog.
  22. Singh, Amitoj. (2018-08-22). "Technical Communication Suite 2019 Release". Adobe TechComm Blog.
  23. "Adobe RoboHelp Version comparison chart". [[Adobe Inc..
  24. Jain, Abhishek. (2016-04-12). "RoboHelp Server 10 is now available!". TechComm Central by Adobe.
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This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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