Software Alternatives, Accelerators & Startups

Help & Manual VS API Extractor

Compare Help & Manual VS API Extractor and see what are their differences

Note: These products don't have any matching categories. If you think this is a mistake, please edit the details of one of the products and suggest appropriate categories.

Help & Manual logo Help & Manual

Help & Manual is a documentation authoring tool that allows you to create a single source text and convert it into a number of other target formats.

API Extractor logo API Extractor

API Extractor helps you write better TypeScript libraries: It analyzes your exported type signatures and (1) produces an API documentation website, (2) generates a .d.ts "rollup" file, and (3) creates an API report to facilitate PR reviews.
  • Help & Manual Landing page
    Landing page //
    2021-07-07
  • API Extractor Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-28

Help & Manual features and specs

  • User-Friendly Interface
    Help & Manual provides a WYSIWYG editor that is intuitive and easy to navigate, allowing even non-experienced users to create professional documentation without needing extensive training.
  • Single Source Publishing
    The software allows authors to publish documentation in multiple formats from a single source, such as HTML, PDF, CHM, and more, which streamlines the documentation process.
  • Integrated Version Control
    Built-in support for version control systems like Subversion and Git enables efficient collaboration and version tracking, making it easier for teams to manage changes and developments in documentation.
  • Multi-Language Support
    Help & Manual supports multiple languages, making it a versatile tool for creating documentation for a global audience, including features for translation management.
  • Extensive Customization Options
    The software offers a wide array of customization features, including templates and skins, to match the look and feel of documentation to corporate branding standards.

Possible disadvantages of Help & Manual

  • Cost
    Help & Manual can be relatively expensive compared to other documentation tools, which might be a barrier for small teams or individual users with limited budgets.
  • Complex for Advanced Features
    While easy for basic tasks, some users might find the advanced features complex and challenging to utilize fully without significant learning and experience.
  • Limited Mac Support
    The software primarily supports Windows environments, which can be a limitation for teams that predominantly use Mac or require cross-platform compatibility.
  • Resource Intensive
    Help & Manual can be resource-intensive, potentially requiring significant computing power for optimal performance, which can be an issue on older or less powerful machines.
  • Steeper Learning Curve for Customization
    While there are many customization options, the depth of customization available can make it challenging for users to utilize these features without a thorough understanding of the software.

API Extractor features and specs

  • Comprehensive API Report
    API Extractor generates detailed reports of the API surface, which helps developers understand the changes and current state of the API, ensuring all team members are on the same page.
  • API Stability
    By using API Extractor, developers can enforce consistent API patterns and prevent breaking changes, contributing to a more stable and reliable API over time.
  • TypeScript Support
    API Extractor is specifically designed for TypeScript, making it highly effective for projects that rely on TypeScript's typing and interfaces.
  • Markdown Documentation
    The tool supports generation of markdown files for documentation, which can be easily integrated with existing documentation sites, enhancing accessibility and ease of use.
  • Version Tracking
    It allows developers to track API changes across versions, helping to manage deprecation and communicate updates effectively to users.

Possible disadvantages of API Extractor

  • Learning Curve
    API Extractor has a steep learning curve for new users, which can be challenging for teams without prior experience or knowledge of TypeScript toolchains.
  • TypeScript-Only
    Since API Extractor is designed for TypeScript, it cannot be used directly with JavaScript projects, limiting its applicability to TypeScript-based projects only.
  • Configuration Complexity
    Setting up API Extractor can be complex due to its configuration options, requiring time and effort to properly integrate it into a build process.
  • Performance Overhead
    Running API Extractor can add significant overhead to the build process, impacting the overall build time, particularly in large projects.
  • Maintenance
    Regular updates and maintenance of the API Extractor configuration are required to keep in synchronization with updates to the TypeScript language and changes in the codebase.

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Help & Manual and API Extractor)
Document Management
100 100%
0% 0
Documentation As A Service & Tools
Document Management System
Documentation
0 0%
100% 100

User comments

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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, API Extractor seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 5 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

Help & Manual mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of Help & Manual yet. Tracking of Help & Manual recommendations started around Jul 2021.

API Extractor mentions (5)

  • Deploying TypeScript Type Definitions for Umbraco v14 Packages
    Thankfully we can achieve this using third party tool, API Extractor. - Source: dev.to / 10 months ago
  • In-Depth guide for TypeScript Library
    There are many more tools than those listed above. You can check out discussion and comparison of bundling tools. Unfortunately, choosing the right tool among them is a process that you'll have to experiment with and decide for your own project needs. For example, dts-bundle-generator, API Extractor, and rollup-plugin-dts do not support .d.ts.map files. Also, API Extractor and dts-bundle-generator do not have... - Source: dev.to / over 1 year ago
  • I created a game engine using TypeScript. Please roast it.
    I use https://api-extractor.com/ at work and really like it. The problem with it is that the spec it follows doesn’t 100% match VSCode’s behavior. This causes pain when using {@link} fields in descriptions. Typedoc looks fine too, I’ve never used it. Source: about 2 years ago
  • [AskJS] Managing private packages and published types in a monorepo
    I've tried using https://api-extractor.com/ to rollup types but it has some edge cases where it fails. Source: over 2 years ago
  • Do you use JSdocs with TypeScript?
    I use TSDoc extensively at work, along with API Extractor to generate externally-facing documentation from the TSDoc comments. It’s great. Since I’ve gotten used to good intellisense in VSCode I don’t really like working in code that doesn’t have TSDoc comments anymore. Source: over 3 years ago

What are some alternatives?

When comparing Help & Manual and API Extractor, you can also consider the following products

Dr.Explain - Dr.Explain software is a help file authoring tool.

TypeDoc - A documentation generator for TypeScript projects

HelpSmith - HelpSmith is a help authoring tool to create CHM HTML help files, manuals, and PDF documents.

ng-docx - Ng-docx is a library that automatically generates a documentation page to easily and beautifully view your markdowns.

Adobe RoboHelp - Adobe RoboHelp empowers organizations to deliver engaging help and policy content across mobile devices, formats, and platforms.

Docma - Docma is a powerful tool to easily generate beautiful HTML documentation from Javascript (JSDoc)...