Press releases

01.03.2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dennis Zhuravlev (a.k.a. Dennis Crane)
INDIGO BYTE SYSTEMS, LLC
Chief Executive Officer
info-at-drexplain.com

Dr.Explain 4.0 Enables Rapid Creation of Help Systems to Speed up Software Rollouts

Over 10 new major features and enhancements provide ISVs and technical writers with more flexibility to create state-of-the-art CHM Help, Web Help, RTF and PDF manuals.

March 23, 2010 - Indigo Byte Systems, LLC today introduces Dr.Explain 4.0, the most significant release of its innovative help authoring software, with over 10 new features and enhancements, including improved interface usability, customizable page layout, visual styles, on-demand screenshot annotating mode, search and index functionality in HTML manuals, PDF output and more. New Dr.Explain makes it even easier and faster to document software, ensuring faster software rollouts. The new version is available as a free trial from www.drexplain.com.

Unique to Dr.Explain is its innovative approach to making help documentation much quicker than it is with other tools. The program parses a live application and automatically produces screenshots of its windows along with a sequence of explanatory callouts for each control. The process is accurate and fully automated, so the user only has to enter a description for each callout. All screenshots are stored in a single project file. Windows can be grouped by modules, and when something changes in the application, the author can update particular windows, add new screenshots, and update control references without redesigning the entire project. The project can be exported to HTML, CHM Help, RTF or PDF format. The results include screenshots, cross-references, menus and indexes.

"When developers sit down to create help documentation, they start with enthusiasm - which they soon find draining away. The problem is a tedious, time-consuming process that requires countless hours of copying, pasting, linking, annotating and doing many other routine operations. We offer the solution to this problem by introducing auto-capture and annotation technology that allows creating help documentation much simpler and quicker than one could imagine ever before," says Dennis Zhuravlev, CEO, Indigo Byte Systems, LLC.

Improved Flexibility and Efficiency

Dr.Explain 4.0 includes but not limited to the following key new features:

  • Improved usability - The newest version introduces a wide work area, sleek icons and slim toolbars, contributing to increased user satisfaction. Unlike before, there are no separate edit boxes for every control. Content of an entire topic is now presented on a single page and can be edited on the fly.
  • Customizable look - In the new version, the user can rearrange objects and change layout page content remarkably easily in the editor. The format of headings, sub-headings and normal text can be adjusted easily. Besides, it's possible to create custom visual styles and quickly apply them to document parts.
  • On-demand screenshot annotating mode - Now the user can enter the screenshot annotation mode by double-clicking on a screenshot image. The workspace area is grabbed only when required. The floating panels will help the user to organize the workspace layout as needed.
  • Search and Index in HTML manuals - Now Dr.Explain allows the user to integrate search and index functions into HTML manuals to enable quick search through an online manual. This feature doesn't require scripting capabilities on a server and may be used even on websites with free hosting.
  • PDF output - Following the requests from users, the authors expanded publishing output options by implementing export to PDF. Now the user can export help documentation to Adobe PDF with support for national characters, images, hyperlinks, bookmarks and table of contents.

Full list of new features can be found at http://www.drexplain.com/versions/.

Dr.Explain Pricing & Availability

Dr.Explain 4.0 is available for $165 (US) through the Dr.Explain online store (www.drexplain.com/order/) and users who bought the product in 2009-2010 can upgrade to the new version at no cost. A downloadable trial version is available at www.drexplain.com/download/. Dr.Explain 4.0 runs on Microsoft WindowsR 2000 / XP / 2003 / Vista / 7. The program comes with "Compatible with Windows 7" logo, which means Dr.Explain has passed Microsoft tests for compatibility and reliability on Windows 7. Full system requirements, online demo, samples of help systems and more information on Dr.Explain can be found at www.drexplain.com.

About Indigo Byte Systems, LLC

Founded in 2004, Indigo Byte Systems, LLC targets the software market with its innovative help authoring and software documentation technologies. Indigo holds ISV/Software Solutions competency from Microsoft. Indigo's premier product is Dr.Explain, which is adopted by hundreds of software developers and many Fortune 1000 companies, including Hewlett-Packard, NEC, Fujitsu, Bosch, Lockheed Martin, Gartner and Michelin. Indigo Byte Systems was co-founded by Dennis Zhuravlev, Ph.D. in Computer Science (CAD\CAM systems). More information about Indigo Byte Systems, LLC and Dr.Explain can be found at www.drexplain.com.

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NOTE TO EDITOR: A free serial number for Dr.Explain 4.0 is provided to magazine editors, internet columnists, bloggers and webmasters who intend to write a review of the program on their website, blog or column.

Media Contact:

Dennis Zhuravlev
CEO, lead developer
Email: info-at-drexplain-dot-com