|
MS Word
|
Microsoft Word is Microsoft's word-processing application for business documents, templates, styles, review workflows, forms, reports, and professional content production within Microsoft 365. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Adobe Acrobat
|
Adobe Acrobat is Adobe's professional PDF application for creating, editing, combining, reviewing, signing, protecting, and publishing reliable documents. In this portfolio it supports technical documentation, document review, forms, and business-ready file delivery across Adobe, technical writing, and productivity workflows.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Google Docs
|
Google Docs is a collaborative web-based document editor used for drafting, reviewing, commenting, and co-authoring documentation.
- Relevant to technical writing as a collaborative drafting and review tool, especially for early-stage content, SME review, and shared documentation workflows.
- It is supporting rather than core, with broader homes under Collaboration, Cloud, and Productivity.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Adobe FrameMaker
|
Adobe FrameMaker is a structured authoring and long-form publishing tool used for complex technical documentation, reuse-oriented content, and print/PDF publishing. It belongs prominently in Adobe and technical writing because it represents enterprise-scale authoring rather than general word processing.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
MadCap Flare
|
MadCap Flare is a technical documentation and help-authoring platform used to create, manage, review, translate, and publish professional content.
- Relevant to technical writing for online help, knowledge bases, product documentation, single-sourcing, review workflows, and multi-channel publishing.
- It also fits knowledge-management contexts where governed documentation is reused across channels.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Adobe RoboHelp
|
Adobe RoboHelp is a help-authoring platform for creating searchable help systems, knowledge bases, and online documentation. It is retained as a core Adobe technical communication tool because it maps directly to user assistance, documentation publishing, and structured help delivery.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Adobe InCopy
|
Adobe InCopy is Adobe's editorial workflow application for writers and editors collaborating with InDesign layouts. It supports copyfitting, review, publishing governance, and editorial production workflows where written content and design production must stay coordinated.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Author-it
|
Author-it is a component content management system (CCMS) for structured, reusable, governed, multilingual content.
- Relevant to technical writing for single-source authoring, content reuse, localization, governance, and enterprise documentation operations.
- Its strongest homes are Technical Writing & Authoring Tools and Knowledge Management & Content Management Solutions.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Document360
|
Document360 is a knowledge-base and documentation platform for creating, organizing, reviewing, and publishing product and customer-facing documentation.
- Relevant to technical writing for help centers, product documentation, internal knowledge bases, review workflows, analytics, and self-service content.
- It fits both technical authoring and knowledge-management portfolio groupings.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
DITA - Darwin Information Typing Architecture
|
DITA is an XML-based architecture for topic-based, structured authoring, content reuse, and technical-information delivery.
- Relevant to technical writing because it supports reusable topics, maps, conditional publishing, controlled information typing, and consistent enterprise documentation.
- It belongs here as a core structured-authoring capability and also under governance / standards.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT)
|
DITA Open Toolkit (DITA-OT) is an open-source publishing engine for content authored in the Darwin Information Typing Architecture.
- Relevant to technical writing for transforming DITA source into HTML, PDF, Markdown, Help, and other publishing outputs.
- It supports docs-as-code and structured-authoring workflows where writers manage source content and publishing pipelines.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
DITAworks
|
DITAworks is a DITA-focused technical documentation platform associated with structured authoring, content management, and technical-documentation delivery.
- Relevant to technical writing for DITA-based documentation, topic reuse, structured content, and documentation lifecycle support.
- It should remain grouped with the structured-authoring and CCMS tools.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Paligo
|
Paligo is a cloud CCMS for structured technical documentation, content reuse, versioning, translation workflows, and multi-channel publishing.
- Relevant to technical writing because it supports structured authoring, reusable components, review workflows, and enterprise documentation delivery.
- It should remain grouped with other DITA / XML / CCMS tools.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Heretto
|
Heretto is a cloud-native DITA CCMS for creating, managing, reviewing, and deploying technical documentation.
- Relevant to technical writing for DITA-based structured authoring, content reuse, version control, collaborative review, and content delivery.
- Heretto is the current canonical product identity for the former easyDITA platform.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Oxygen XML Editor
|
Oxygen XML Editor is a professional XML editor used for XML authoring, validation, transformation, schema work, structured content, documentation publishing, and data integration workflows. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Altova XMLSpy
|
Altova XMLSpy is an XML and JSON editor used for XML editing, schema design, validation, transformation, web-service work, and structured data integration in web and enterprise systems. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
xMetaL
|
xMetaL is an XML authoring environment used for structured content, DITA authoring, and enterprise documentation workflows.
- Relevant to technical writing for schema-guided authoring, reusable XML content, standards-aligned documentation, and structured publishing.
- It belongs with DITA / XML tools and knowledge-management platforms.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
PTC Arbortext Editor
|
PTC Arbortext Editor is part of the Arbortext technical-publications suite for creating and managing XML and structured service documentation.
- Relevant to enterprise technical writing for XML/SGML authoring, DITA and S-Series documentation, parts catalogs, service information, and technical-publications workflows.
- It belongs in the structured-authoring cluster and Knowledge Management & Content Management Solutions.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
XLIFF - XML Localization Interchange File Format
|
XLIFF is an OASIS localization interchange standard used to exchange source and target text, translation units, and localization metadata between content systems and translation tools. It belongs in content governance because structured localization depends on controlled formats, repeatable workflows, and interoperable translation packages. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Help+Manual
|
Help+Manual is a help-authoring tool for creating online help, user manuals, PDF documentation, eBooks, and web-based documentation from a single source.
- Relevant to technical writing for help systems, software manuals, procedural documentation, and multi-format publishing.
- It belongs in the help-authoring / knowledge-publishing subgroup.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
HelpSmith
|
HelpSmith is a help-authoring tool for creating CHM help files, Web Help, printed manuals, and PDF documentation.
- Relevant to technical writing for help systems, user assistance, software documentation, and multi-format deliverables.
- It is best grouped with other help-authoring tools rather than generic productivity software.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
HelpNDoc
|
HelpNDoc is a help-authoring tool for producing help systems, manuals, websites, eBooks, and PDF documentation from a single source.
- Relevant to technical writing for user assistance, help publishing, software documentation, and multi-output documentation workflows.
- It belongs with current help-authoring and knowledge-publishing tools.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Doc-to-Help
|
Doc-to-Help is a help-authoring and documentation publishing tool historically used to convert source content into online help and manual outputs.
- Relevant as a limited supporting / historical technical-writing tool because it reflects legacy help-authoring experience and publishing workflows.
- Its stronger long-term homes are Knowledge Management and Legacy & Historical Technologies.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Quadralay WebWorks
|
Quadralay WebWorks is a legacy documentation publishing tool associated with transforming authored content into online help and web-based documentation.
- Relevant as a limited historical technical-writing tool for help publishing and legacy documentation delivery workflows.
- It should remain in Legacy & Historical Technologies and Knowledge Management while appearing late in Skill 18 only as supporting context.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Markdown
|
Markdown is a lightweight markup format used for documentation, README files, web content, static-site workflows, API documentation, and technical content handoff. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Notepad++
|
Notepad++ is a lightweight Windows text and code editor used for HTML, CSS, JavaScript, XML, PHP, configuration files, search/replace, and quick code edits. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Sublime Text
|
Sublime Text is a fast, extensible text and code editor used for web development, markup editing, scripting, search, project navigation, and lightweight coding workflows. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
GitBook
|
GitBook is a documentation platform for creating, publishing, maintaining, and improving product, API, and knowledge-base documentation.
- Relevant to technical writing for public docs, API docs, help centers, Git sync, collaborative review, and docs infrastructure that supports both users and AI-assisted discovery.
- It fits Skill 18 and Knowledge Management & Content Management Solutions.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
ReadMe
|
ReadMe is a developer-documentation platform for API documentation, technical documentation, help centers, SDK documentation, and developer experience workflows.
- Relevant to technical writing for API reference, onboarding guides, interactive developer docs, changelogs, and documentation maintained alongside product teams.
- It belongs in Skill 18 as a focused API / developer documentation tool and also fits knowledge-management publishing.
Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Swagger Editor
|
Swagger Editor is an API design and authoring tool for creating, editing, validating, and previewing OpenAPI definitions used in REST API documentation and integration workflows. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
OpenAPI Specification
|
OpenAPI Specification is a structured API definition format for describing HTTP APIs, endpoints, operations, schemas, parameters, responses, authentication, and machine-readable API documentation. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
JSON Schema
|
JSON Schema is a vocabulary for describing and validating JSON data structures, including object shapes, required properties, types, constraints, and machine-readable API or configuration contracts. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
Mermaid
|
Mermaid is a text-based diagramming syntax used to define flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams, entity relationships, and technical diagrams as source-controlled plain text. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
diagrams.net (draw.io)
|
diagrams.net (draw.io) is a browser and desktop diagramming tool for flowcharts, process diagrams, UML-style diagrams, network diagrams, entity-relationship diagrams, and other technical visuals. It is especially useful for documentation workflows because diagrams can be created quickly, exported, and stored with project or documentation assets. diagrams.net belongs under Process, Workflow & Diagramming Tools because it directly supports workflow visualization and technical diagramming. It also fits Technical Writing & Authoring Tools when diagrams are part of documentation deliverables. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |
|
MS Visio
|
Microsoft Visio is Microsoft's diagramming application for process maps, flowcharts, network diagrams, organization charts, system diagrams, and visual documentation. Additional Resources:
|
|
View Details |