What's New in TechWriter

TechWriter 2022 - Coming Soon

Includes changes to address the following:

• New database support
• New web-based features
• Other fixes to creation of PDFs

TechWriter 2012 17.1.2 - February 12, 2017

Includes changes to address the following:

• TechWriter branding now under new Quarksoft name
• Trial version functionality is now available
• Some internal restructuring to remove "year" based version of the software
• Minor fixes to the web service processing code

TechWriter 2012 2.10 - February 7, 2016

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.10 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• TechWriter fails while trying to generate documentation for a Web Service or XML Schema that includes a complex type with a recursive content model.
• TechWriter fails while trying to generate documentation for Access databases with duplicate indexes.
• Pasting a table into an annotation can result in extra spaces being introduced between words.

TechWriter 2012 2.9 - June 27, 2015

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.9 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• TechWriter fails while processing an Oracle database that has two functions with the same parameter signature but different return types.
• Web service methods with no parameters that include the document/literal wrapped pattern wrapper appear to have a parameter.
• Grouping element and attribute topics under a filtered parent causes TechWriter to crash during build.
• Selecting text that crosses from inside an annotation to outside can sometimes cause TechWriter to crash.
• Attempting to document forms in an Access database fails.

TechWriter 2012 2.8 - April 1, 2015

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.8 includes the following enhancement:

• Schema types embedded inside WADL files are now supported.

This release also includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• PDF, RTF and HTML output types used the wrong styles for section headings and toc entries.
• Oracle datasource overwrites Schema setting with user's default schema..
• Adding SQL Server source to a CS/AS database causes "Invalid object name 'sys.Computed_columns' error.
• User-defined annotations on Element enumerations not rendering when enumeration is defined in a type.

TechWriter 2012 2.7 - January 11, 2015

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.7 includes the following enhancements:

• The Web site output type can now be configured to have all nodes of the table of contents expanded by default.
• Oracle schemas are now supported so a user account other than the owner can be used.

This release also includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Adding multiple methods that return JSON responses to REST service fails.
• Importing annotations using a CSV with two adjacent empty columns fails unless quoting is used.
• Using a URL for the path of the output stylesheet causes TechWriter to crash.
• WADL methods that return JSON responses fail.
• Opening a project with an offline WADL source results in missing methods.

TechWriter 2012 2.6 - September 22, 2014

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.6 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• When importing a CSV, TechWriter does not recognize remarks following the summary annotation.
• Unsupported tags in output stylesheet cause TechWriter to crash during build.
• Multiple spaces in embedded WSDL comments are causing unnecessary indenting.
• HTML tags are not recognized properly in embedded WSDL comments when they have a namespace attribute (xmlns).

TechWriter 2012 2.5 - May 19, 2014

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.5 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Editor allows cursor to be positioned outside of an annotation (at bottom of topic page)
• Pasting from context menu does not work due to focus being lost.
• Pasting cells from Excel into the Annotation editor results in a corrupted table.
• TechWriter should look for attribute descriptions in the attribute definition when generating complex type and element topics if attribute reference is missing description.
• Loading an Oracle source with invalid packages can cause a crash
• TechWriter language file does not allow text to be specified for parent types of XML schema elements and attributes
• Adding a REST service with a method that returns XML causes crash
• TechWriter install does not install sample files.
• TechWriter crashes when processing SQL Server table index
• Columns are not ordered correctly in Oracle views
• Attempting to add a WADL source using a URL causes TechWriter to crash
• LI tags in embedded HTML comments without a OL or UL list tag are not recognized like they were in 2009

TechWriter 2012 2.4 - January 1, 2014

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.4 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Certain user-defined annotations that are bound to a comment tag caused failure during build

TechWriter 2012 2.3 - December 22, 2013

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.3 includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Incorrect character length reported for table and view columns when using multi-byte character set with Oracle.
• TechWriter fails when trying to build documentation for a database that has no table, view, procedure or function topics.
• Hyperlinks missing from PDF output format.
• TechWriter fails when processing foreign key relationships in certain multi-schema SQL server databases.
• TechWriter does not correctly report columns in multi-key foreign key relationships in certain SQL server databases.

TechWriter 2012 2.2 - December 16, 2013

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.2 includes the following enhancements:

• Filter tab now allows entire source to be filtered.
• TechWriter license terms expanded to allow transfers.

This release also includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Changing options under Option tab did not mark project as needing saved.
• Issues loading Access database that had references to missing or hidden subforms.
• Oracle materialized views were not sorted properly.
• Oracle view topics were missing length/precision/scale on column data types.
• TechWriter fails when parsing Oracle views that contain reference to a view in another schema or link
• User-defined annotations that are not bound to a comment tag caused failure during build
• Generated PDF did not view properly on mobile versions of Adobe Acrobat.
• Generated RTF output failed due to mixed content in a bulleted or numbered list
• TechWriter crashed during build of web site output when "Merge" and "Group Local" options were used together for XML Schema Elements and/or Attributes
• Applying the Document Title style caused TechWriter to crash
• Unable to change style from Document Title to Normal on Cover Page
• Annotation tab did not restore caret position when switching back and forth between tabs or another application.
• Various cosmetic issues with the user interface.

TechWriter 2012 2.1 - October 6, 2013

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.1 includes the following enhancements:

• PDF Output now includes option for specifying the number of levels for the Table of Contents
• TechWriter project files are now saved with the XML formatted with line breaks and indentation

This release also includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• XML Schema elements that have complex content but extend a simple type don't link properly to the simple type
• XML Schema element topics missing enumeration values when they are defined by extending a simple type
• Content of user-defined tags in embedded comments missing from output
• Upgraded 2009 projects are missing database trigger headings in the output and can crash when selecting advanced options for triggers
• Pattern restrictions for XML Schema elements and types that contain a vertical bar are truncated
• Input section includes output parameters when RPC-style WSDLs contain multiple output message parts
• Language file does not override text used in the document overview
• Using the XML Schema 'Group topic under parent type' option when the parent type is filtered causes crash during build
• User-defined topic sources that have all topics filtered causes crash during build
• Content of embedded return description in a WSDL method is not being listed under the "Output (Literal)" or "Returns" sections
• Content of embedded parameter description in a WSDL method is not being listed under the Parameters summary or Parameters Detail sections

TechWriter 2012 2.0 - August 8, 2013

TechWriter 2012 Release 2.0 includes the following new capabilities:

• 64-bit version of TechWriter
• Web Site output format enhanced to include expandable/collapsible Table of Contents
• Support for user-defined annotations embedded in source comments
• Support for using relative URLs as external links
• Support for SQL Server 2012
• Support for Access 2013
• Support for documenting materialized views in Oracle
• Improved support for documenting references to database views and tables

This release also includes changes to address the following product stability issues:

• Column width options not displaying
• Table definitions missing computed columns in SQL Server
• XML schema attributes not documented for elements defined by a complex type
• User-defined column not rendered properly in parameter detail content model
• XML schema option for grouping local attributes caused TechWriter to crash
• Copy/paste operation can cause font styling and table borders disappear from annotation editor until TechWriter is restarted
• Selecting a topic node when the Annotation tab is still initializing can cause TechWriter to crash
• Performing a Save or Build from the Annotation tab can cause subsequent edits to the current topic to be lost
• Renaming a user-defined topic source and topic item at the same time can cause TechWriter to crash
• Images in embedded comments do not render in PDF if missing alignment attribute
• Various formatting issues related to bulleted, numbered and indented lists
• Web Service method parameters showing up multiple times when working offline
• Adding more than one JSON source to the same project can cause TechWriter to crash
• Adding more than one XSD that has no target namespace to the same project can cause TechWriter to crash
• Opening a TechWriter 2009 project that contains more than one XSD that has no target namespace can cause TechWriter to crash

TechWriter 2012 includes the following new capabilities:

• Unified Application and Project Format
  Support for documenting databases, websites, web services and XML schemas has been unified into a single application and project file format.
   
• New Layout Engine
  The new layout engine is used by both the Annotation tab and the documentation build process, closing the WYSIWYG gap between authoring and final output and simplifying the annotation process.
   
• User-defined Annotations
  Support for an unlimited number of user-defined annotations at virtually every level of the documentation.
   
• User-defined Topics
  In addition to topics that are generated for databases, websites, web services and XML schemas, you can add user-defined topics.
   
• Customizable Layout of Generated Topics
  The new Option tab provides advanced settings for controlling the order of the sections within a topic, the order of columns within a table listing, and the width of columns within a table listing.
   
• New Import and Export Wizards
  These wizards give you better control over the import and export of annotations including the ability to filter what gets exported, merge annotations, and map to a different source during import.
   
• Filtering Improvements
  The Filters tab now supports editing existing filters and re-ordering filters.
   
• New Build Dialog
  The new Build dialog gives you better control over your build preferences.
   
• Support for Character Styles
  The output stylesheet now supports character style definitions that allow you to control how text is highlighted when it is marked up with a character style tag.
   
• Global Find Function
  The Find function can now search your entire project at once.
   
• Support for PostgreSQL and DB2
  PostgreSQL and DB2 databases can now be documented.
   
• Improved Microsoft Access Support
  In addition to supporting Access 2010, Access Forms, Report, Macros and Modules can now be documented.
   
• Improved Oracle Package Support
  TechWriter is now able to extract comments and definitions for stored procedures and functions located in packages.
   
• Improved SQL Server Support
  TechWriter is now able to extract definitions for stored procedures, functions, views and triggers even if they are encrypted.
   
• Colorize options for Database definitions
  Now you can colorize the definitions for stored procedures, functions, views and triggers, improving readability of your documentation.
   
• Support for nesting Local Element and Attribute Topics
  The Option tab now includes options for nesting local elements and attributes underneath the parent schema object.
   
• Colorize options for XML Schema definitions
  Now you can colorize the definitions for elements, attributes and types, improving readability of your documentation.
   
• Support for WADL
  Web Application Description Language (WADL) files can now be used to document your REST services.
   
• Improved REST support
  In addition to the new WADL source type, the REST source type has been enhanced to allow for more than one method to be defined in a single source.
   
• Web Service Method Parameter Handling Improvements
  Method parameter handling has been significantly improved to better handle different document/literal wrapping patterns.
   
• New Web Service Method Parameter Options
  New options give you the choice of a simple summary listing of parameters or a more detailed listing.
   
• Web Service can reference XML Schema Sources
  You now have the option to add any XML schemas that your web service imports as a separate source reducing duplicate topics in cases where you are documenting multiple web services.
   

Release 6 added the following new capabilities:

• 'Select All' and 'Clear All' buttons
  New buttons added to the Options tab.
   
• New Build Menu option
  Option for opening the output folder after the build.
   
• Improved MySQL Support (TechWriter for Databases)
  MySQL Connector/NET dependencies eliminated.
   
• REST Services that use HTTP Headers (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Support for setting HTTP headers added to REST web service settings.
   
• Local Sub-Elements (TechWriter for Web Services)
  New option for including local sub-elements in content model.
   
• Merge Across Services (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Ability to merge topics across multiple services.
   
• Merge Annotations into XSDs (TechWriter for Web Services and XML Schemas)
  Ability to merge your annotations back into your XSDs.
   

Release 5 added the following new capabilities:

• Topic Merging
  Options for merging topics in order to reduce the overall page count.
   
• Friendly Topic Page Names
  Web output now uses friendly names for topic pages.
   
• Shared Types (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Ability to create a single set of topics for types shared across multiple web services.
   
• Authenticated REST (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Support for Basic Authentication added to REST web service settings
   
• Project-relative Files (TechWriter for Web Services and XML Schemas)
  Support for maintaining references to XSD and WSDL files that are relative to the project file
   

Release 4 added the following new capabilities:

• Customizable header, footer and cover page.
  You can now customize and format what appears on headers, footers and the cover page of your documentation.
   
• External Stylesheets
  Support for external stylesheet to control font styles for all output types is now included.
   
• Formatting Enhancements
  Support for subscripts, superscripts, styles, alignment and number list types is now included.
   
• Field Codes
  Support for field codes including current date, time, page number, page count and document title has been added.
   
• Page Size
  New page size option for PDF, XPS and RTF/Word output formats is now available.
   
• Encoded JavaDoc Tags
  Support for encoded JavaDoc tags is now available as a comment model setting.
   
• Expanded Database Comments (TechWriter for Databases)
  Support for database, index, foreign key and constraint comments is now included.
   
• Examples (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Support for documenting examples is now included.
   
• XSD nil attribute (TechWriter for Web Services and XML Schemas)
  Support for documenting nil attribute on XSDs is now included.
   
• DTD Attribute Definitions (TechWriter for XML Schemas)
  Support for documenting DTD attribute definitions is now included.
   
• Website Authentication (TechWriter for Websites)
  Support for basic and forms-based authenticated websites is now included.
   

Release 3 added the following new capabilities:

• Image Support
  The rich formatting in TechWriter now includes support for images in embedded comments and through the annotation editor.
   
• REST Services (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Support for documenting REST web services is now included.
   
• MySQL Databases (TechWriter for Databases)
  Support for documenting MySQL databases is now included.
   
• SQL Server Compact Databases (TechWriter for Databases)
  Support for documenting SQL Server Compact databases is now included.
   
• JSON Instances (TechWriter for XML Schemas)
  Support for documenting schemas derived from JSON instances is now included.
   
• XPS Output
  In addition to the many different output formats supported by TechWriter, you can now generate XML Paper Specification (XPS) documents.
   

Release 2 added the following new capabilities:

• Table Support
  The rich formatting in TechWriter now includes support for formatting tables in embedded comments and through the annotation editor.
   
• XML/DocBook Output
  In addition to the many different output formats supported by TechWriter, you can now generate XML that conforms to the DocBook 5.0 standard.
   
• Internal Links in RTF Output
  The RTF output format now includes support for internal links through the use of bookmarks that can be used to navigate between topics.
   
• Support for documenting faults (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Web Service method faults can now be documented using embedded comments or annotations and included in the generated documentation.
   
• Namespace Prefixes (TechWriter for Web Services)
  Namespace prefixes for elements, attributes and types can now be omitted from the generated documentation.
   

This major release included the following new capabilities:

• WYSIWYG Annotation Editor
  The Annotation Tab includes a WYSIWYG annotation editor for editing your database comments. The editor supports bold and italic font formatting, numbered and bulleted lists and hyperlinks.
   
• XHTML and XML Comments Tagging
  TechWriter 2007 supported a subset of JavaDoc tagging that could be used to tag database comments. TechWriter 2009 not only expands the JavaDoc support to include all of the formatting options available in the annotation editor, it also includes support for using XHTML and XML Comments for tagging your comments.
   
• Remarks Section
  TechWriter 2009 allows you to create more detailed documentation for your database by including support for a Remarks section that can be embedded as part of your database comments or annotated.
   
• Table Cell Borders in PDF an RTF/Word output formats
  In TechWriter 2007, summary tables did not include borders around each cell. With TechWriter 2009 you have the option to turn these borders on from the Output tab.
   
• HTML (single-page) Output Type
  In addition to the Web Site (multi-page) output type, TechWriter 2009 also includes the HTML output type that represents the documentation in a single HTML page.
   
• Line Breaks in Annotations
  TechWriter 2007 recognized blank lines (double line breaks) as paragraph delimiters and ignored single line breaks. TechWriter 2009 now recognizes and preserves single line breaks, treating them like the HTML <BR> tag.
   
• SAS Datasets (TechWriter for Databases)
  You can now document your SAS datasets with TechWriter. TechWriter 2009 supports SAS 9.0, 9.1 or 9.2. You do not need SAS installed in order to use TechWriter with a SAS dataset, but you do need to have the SAS Local Data Provider installed. You can download this component for free from the SAS website. Click on SAS Providers for OLE DB.
   
• Optional Table Definitions (TechWriter for Databases)
  You now have the option to include the CREATE TABLE definition statement for each table in your documentation. This option can be turned on and off from the Options tab.
   
• Table Row Counts (TechWriter for Databases)
  You now have the option to include the number of rows in each table in your documentation. This option can be turned on and off from the Options tab.
   
• Accessing Web Services via Proxy (TechWriter for Web Services)
  TechWriter now supports accessing web service definitions from behind a Proxy/Firewall LAN setup. TechWriter automatically passes your credentials to the proxy server to allow access to the web service definitions.
   
• XML Instances (TechWriter for XML Schemas)
  You can now document the structure of an XML instance with TechWriter even if you don't have an XSD or DTD for it. Just add the XML instance to your project and TechWriter 2009 will automatically derive the schema.
   
• Optional Namespace Prefixes (TechWriter for XML Schemas)
  Including namespace prefixes on references to elements, attributes and types is now optional in TechWriter 2009. This option can be turned on and off from the Options tab.