Is There a Standard Help Document/Manual in Android?

Question

Hi All, I am writing and publishing my apps on android and would like to provide help document (manual) to users of my apps. I've seen apps open up external web pages as their help, or use html view to open local html documents. Are these the ways we are supposed to deliver manual to our users?

Answer 1

Are these the ways we are supposed to deliver manual to our users?

You can do whatever you want:

• Use WebView directly for local content
• Use Browser directly for remote content (e.g., Web site of documentation)
• Publish your manual in EPUB and load it into one of the available EPUB readers, if the user has one installed
• Publish your manual in PDF and load it into one of the available PDF readers, if the user has one installed
• Use VideoView directly for local (or remote) "screencast" style instructions

and so on.

However, there is no built-in dedicated "help framework" in Android. If you wish to make a name for yourself in the world of Android, consider writing one.

Answer 2

Or, consider writing your apps so there is no need for help content. Obviously, not always possible, especially for highly targeted apps, but you can certainly eliminate a lot of help material with a correctly designed application.