OmniDocHow to make electronic manual: from document to web version manual
Explain how to organize the written instructions into an online electronic version: first check the source file, then check the content in the web editor, export lossless HTML or generate a sharing link, and check the publishing effect one by one.
Key points of this article
- Electronic manuals are web-based documents that can be read directly in a browser, which are different from translating and downloading PDFs.
- If you already have a draft in Word or Markdown, you can directly import it into a web page editor for sorting, which is more labor-saving than pushing back from PDF.
- Scanned PDF text cannot be selected directly. OCR needs to be performed first, and the recognition results must be checked section by section before use.
- After exporting HTML, open it once on your mobile phone and once on your computer to check the image, table and title levels.
- Sharing links is suitable for external distribution. Before sending out, please confirm whether the content is suitable for the people who get the link to read.
Many teams have a written product manual, installation manual, or employee operating guide on hand, usually in Word or PDF format. When customers and employees open PDFs on their mobile phones, they have to zoom in and out repeatedly, and the table of contents is difficult to find. Making it an electronic manual that can be read directly in the browser is usually more convenient than sending a large file.
This article is written for those who have already completed the manuscript and want to turn it into an online version, such as those in charge of product documentation operations, technical support, and training. After reading, you will be able to distinguish the difference between creating electronic manuals, translating and downloading PDFs, know how to export existing files to web versions, how to generate sharing links, and what to check before publishing.
How to make electronic manual? One sentence conclusion
One sentence conclusion: If you have already completed the draft in Word or Markdown, organize it directly in the UniDoc web editor, then export the lossless HTML or generate a sharing link; only when you need foreign language readers, do the translation first.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| I have already finished the manuscript in Word and want to read it on the web page. | Import editor check and export HTML | Keep original format and export as lossless HTML |
| Manual written in Markdown | Modify directly in the editor and export to HTML | The text structure is clear and the web page reading effect is stable |
| Only PDF, no source file | First use the PDF editor to export to Word, and then do OCR on the scanned document. | The web version requires editable text, and it is easy to misplace the PDF if it is directly transferred to the web page. |
| To be sent to external customers | Generate sharing link | The other party can read it by clicking on the link without downloading and installing it. |
| readers in other languages | Translate into the target language first and then make a web version after verification | Translation and electronicization are two steps, and the translation needs to be manually checked |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
- can the source file be edited? Open PDF and try to select a paragraph of text. Can be selected, can be exported to Word finishing; most of the not selected are scanned pieces, need to do OCR first, otherwise there are only pictures in the web version, can not be searched and modified. - whether the pictures and forms are complete. step screenshots, parameter tables and warning diagrams are often included in the instructions. First confirm in the source file that the picture is embedded in the document, not a temporary link, otherwise the image may be missing after export. - what device does the reader use to see? most people will look up the steps on their mobile phones. Wide forms need to slide left and right on the phone, and consider whether to split them before releasing them. - whether multilingualism is required. Translation is an independent step. The results of machine translation are easy to make mistakes in models, proper nouns and warnings, which need to be checked manually before making a web version. - release scope. after the sharing link is sent, the person who gets the link can open it and read it. Internal training materials and contents containing undisclosed parameters should be confirmed to be suitable for outsourcing before sending them out.
# steps to make a web version of the instruction manual in the UniDoc web editor
- Find the source file of the new version of the manual. If it is a Word file, delete the old comments and revision traces first.
two. Open app.unidoc.top, import the manual file into the editor, and continue editing in Word format.
- Check the title level chapter by chapter, the first-level title corresponds to the chapter, and the second-level title corresponds to the section. It is easy for the reader to locate the chapter when scanning.
- Change the content that needs to be updated, especially the model, version number and safety warning, and check the adjacent paragraphs by the way.
- Check whether the table, formula and picture are fully displayed. If the picture is not clear, go back to the source file and replace it with the original picture and insert it.
- Select lossless HTML export to get a web version file that can be opened directly in the browser.
- If you need to distribute online, generate a sharing link instead and send the link to the person who needs to read it.
- Open it once with your mobile phone and computer to make sure that typesetting, pictures and links can be accessed properly.
# check item by item after completion
| Check item | What do you think? | What if there's a problem? |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter order and title | Scroll from beginning to end to see if the title level is clear and whether the chapter is missing. | Go back to the editor and adjust the title level to make up for the missing chapter |
| Pictures and diagrams | Confirm the display one by one, whether the text is clear after magnification. | Replace it with the original image and re-insert it and export it again. |
| Tables and parameters | Check the number, unit and model against the source file | Reexport after correcting the source file, do not just change the web version |
| Formulas and special symbols | See if it is displayed as the correct character and if it becomes garbled. | Reexport after correcting the corresponding content in the editor |
| Mobile phone display | Open the link with your mobile phone to see if the width table needs to slide horizontally. | Split the width table, reduce the number of columns, or change to a segmented list of parameters |
| Translation (if any) | Spot check terms, product names and warnings | Manual check and revision before release, do not directly go online machine translation |
# Core comparison: translating, downloading PDF and making electronic instructions
| Practice | What does the reader get? | What scene is suitable for? |
|---|---|---|
| Translate the whole document | For documents in another language, the layout is basically retained. | The reader's mother tongue is different from the original text and needs a foreign language version. |
| Download the original file PDF | A fixed format file that can be downloaded and printed | Requires printing, archiving, or completely consistent layout |
| Export HTML or share links | A web version of the instructions that can be read directly in the browser | Online search, search steps on mobile phone, need to be distributed frequently |
These three practices are not mutually exclusive. A common arrangement is to keep a PDF archive of the source document, use the web version for daily reference, and translate it separately if necessary.
# which method is suitable for you?
- instructions for internal employees. priority is given to exporting HTML and putting it in the internal database, so that employees can find it directly on their computers and mobile phones. Product description for external customers. generate sharing links to remove internal comments and revision traces before sending them. Multilingual version of the product is required. * translate and check it manually, and then make a web version of each language separately to avoid mixing all languages into the same document at once.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. What's the difference between an electronic manual and a PDF?
PDF maintains a fixed layout and is suitable for printing and archiving. The electronic manual is in the form of a web page, which can be read directly in the browser, which is more suitable for quickly finding chapters on the mobile phone.
2. Can I turn PDF directly into an electronic manual?
If the PDF text can be selected, you can first export to Word in the PDF editor, and then organize it into a web version. The scanning version needs to do OCR first, and the recognition results need to be checked paragraph by paragraph, and both wrong words and missing words should be corrected.
3. Will the exported web version lose pictures and tables?
Exporting HTML is lossless, but it still needs to be checked item by item, especially complex tables and picture sharpness. Opening it once on your phone and computer before release is more reliable than just looking at it in an editor.
4. Choose the tools to do the web version online, what should you see in the free plan?
It depends on the file size limit, whether the export result is watermarked, how to write the privacy policy, whether the typesetting is retained, and whether you can directly generate a shareable link. These items are a better indication of whether the tool is suitable for things such as specifications than looking at the price alone.
# Summary
The key to the production of electronic manuals is to clean up the manuscripts before exporting lossless HTML or generating sharing links. Translating and downloading PDF is another requirement, which is chosen according to the actual usage scenario of the reader. Check item by item before release, the web version of the manual can be relied on.
