Quick Start Guide

Overview

This Quick Start Guide will walk you through the process of creating a Database Reference document using TechWriter. Before starting the walk through, you will need to have TechWriter installed on your computer and have the database connection information available. Once these prerequisites are taken care of, you are ready to begin the process which consists of the following steps:

1. Start TechWriter

Start TechWriter using the Windows Start Menu by selecting Start > All Programs > Adivo TechWriter 2009 > TechWriter for Databases.

2. Create a New Project

Click on the New Project button on the Main Toolbar. This will start a new TechWriter Database project.

3. Add a Database to the Project

To add a database to your project select the Databases tab as shown below:

Databases Tab

From the Databases tab, select the 'Add' button to start the 'Add new Database Source' wizard.

On the first page of the wizard, select the type of database you wish to document, enter the name you wish to use to refer to that database, and click next to proceed to the next page of the wizard.

On the next page of the wizard, enter the connection options for your database. The options you need to enter depend on the type of database you are adding.

4. Select the Database Items to Document

You can specify which tables, views and procedures to include or exclude from your documentation using the Filtering tab shown below:

Filtering Tab

From the Filter tab, uncheck any items in the 'Item Check List' that you do not want to include.

For more advanced filtering, check the 'Use advanced filtering' check box. This will allow you to specify patterns for including or excluding items. For example, if you want to exclude all tables that start with the letter X click on the 'Add' button, select 'Tables' as the item type, enter X* for the pattern, and select 'Exclude' as the filter type. Once you click Okay, this filter will be added to the list and all tables that start with the letter X should now be unchecked.

5. Annotate the Database

Annotations can be used to add missing descriptions, modify them, or supplement your documentation with additional information. To create your annotations select the Annotations tab as shown below:

Annotations Tab

Annotations are organized in a table of contents that matches the structure of the documentation being created. At each level of this structure various titles and descriptions can be specified. TechWriter will assign default titles and descriptions using information extracted directly from the database itself. These defaults are displayed within a WYSIWYG editor that appears to the right. Changes to these annotations can be made directly within TechWriter using this editor.

6. Specify Option Settings

TechWriter provides many options that can be used to control the structure and detail of the documentation that is produced. To modify these options select the Options tab as shown below:

Options Tab

7. Choose an Output Format

Before TechWriter can build your documentation you will need to select an output format using the Output tab as shown below:

Output Tab

8. Save the Project

After you have finished preparing your project, save your project by clicking on the Save Project button on the Main Toolbar. The first time you save your project you will be prompted to choose the file that you want to save your project to.

9. Build the Documentation

Now that you have completed preparing your project, click on the Build button on the Main Toolbar.

Once TechWriter finishes building the documentation, it will automatically attempt to display the results. For the PDF output format, TechWriter will run the Adobe Acrobat Reader to display the document. If you do not have the Adobe Acrobat Reader installed on your computer it can be downloaded for free from http://www.adobe.com/.