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Online help is topic-oriented, procedural or reference information delivered through
computer software Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consist ...
. It is a form of user assistance. The purpose of most online help is to assist in using a
software application Software is a set of computer programs and associated documentation and data. This is in contrast to hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work. At the lowest programming level, executable code consists ...
,
web application A web application (or web app) is application software that is accessed using a web browser. Web applications are delivered on the World Wide Web to users with an active network connection. History In earlier computing models like client-serv ...
or
operating system An operating system (OS) is system software that manages computer hardware, software resources, and provides common daemon (computing), services for computer programs. Time-sharing operating systems scheduler (computing), schedule tasks for ef ...
. However, it can also present information on a broad range of subjects. Online help linked to the application's state (what the user is doing) is called
Context-sensitive help Context-sensitive help is a kind of online help that is obtained from a specific point in the state of the software, providing help for the situation that is associated with that state.US patent 5285709 Context-sensitive help, as opposed to gener ...
.


Benefits

Online help has largely replaced live customer support. Before its availability, support could only be given through printed
documentation Documentation is any communicable material that is used to describe, explain or instruct regarding some attributes of an object, system or procedure, such as its parts, assembly, installation, maintenance and use. As a form of knowledge manageme ...
, postal mail, or
telephone A telephone is a telecommunications device that permits two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most efficiently the human voice, into e ...
(which is expensive). When customers troubleshoot their own problems, quite often they can get to a solution by themselves, saving time and money. More companies can afford this kind of help system, allowing them to compete with the larger companies more effectively.


Platforms

Online help is created using help authoring tools or
component content management system A component content management system (CCMS) is a content management system that manages content at a granular level (component) rather than at the document level. Each component represents a single topic, concept or asset (for example an image, t ...
s. It is delivered in a wide variety of formats, some
proprietary {{Short pages monitor