With WinHelp, choosing a set of development tools was simply a matter of choosing a help authoring tool (RoboHelp, ForeHelp, Doc-To-Help, etc.). For HTML Help development, you need additional tools:

• Web graphic tools. The days of hitting Alt+Print Screen and editing in Paint are over. For HTML Help, you need tools for capturing screenshots and editing them as GIFs or JPEG. Some help authoring tools come with graphic tools: ForeHelp converts WinHelp bitmaps into GIF or JPEG files automatically, and RoboHelp includes graphic conversion and editing tools. You should also look at third-party tools like IMSI HiJaak Pro, which can capture screens and save them directly as GIF files, and Paint Shop Pro.
• Script development tools. If you have to do your own ActiveX or JavaScript controls, you will want to look at tools for doing development and debugging. You might want to take a look at Visual Basic, Visual InterDev, and Java development tools. I'm still searching for a good one.
   

 As for the help authoring environment itself, here are a few suggestions on which one to select:

• If your WinHelp software comes with an HTML authoring environment, the easiest path is to stay with the software you have. The conversion from WinHelp to HTML Help is fairly easy within the authoring tool. In ForeHelp, it is very easy, because you stay in the same authoring software and just change modes. Although RoboHelp uses a different authoring tool for HTML-format help, you can import your existing RoboHelp WinHelp projects easily.
• If you decide to change help authoring tools, make the conversion with WinHelp projects. The HTML versions of the popular help authoring tools use their own scripts and conventions for style sheets. When you try to convert an HTML Help project made in one tool into another, the project might not work without extensive revision.
• A number of help authors prefer using a dedicated HTML development tool (HomeSite seems to be very popular) and use the Microsoft HTML Help Workshop to do the compiling and other HTML Help work. This might be a good solution if you need to use standard HTML code without the custom controls the popular help authoring tools use, and if you want more extensive HTML development tools. Keep in mind that if you use a dedicated HTML development tool with HTML Help Workshop, you will lose the linking and debugging tools specific to help that you get with a help authoring tool. An alternative is to bring the HTML documents into a help authoring tool, but the help authoring tool might alter the HTML code you developed. Consider the tradeoffs when selecting a tool.
• Request demo copies of whatever help authoring tools you are considering. Test them and out and see which one best fits your development needs.