HTML-based CHM online help design and implementation
Ni Wei, Zhang Guang
Digest this paper is based on the Yangzi Petrochemical Terminal Production Management System. The design and implementation of HTML-based CHM online help (Online Help) technology in Windows95, 98 is introduced. Keyword management system, online help, design and implementation 1. Introduction With the increasing popularity of the computer, various computer applications have also emerged, and the compilation is rich, and the interface-friendly application software helps have become the majority of software programmer needs to be solved. problem. With the release of Microsoft's Windows98, HTML-based novel help documents (.chm files) have also been developed, it has the following features compared to WinHelP-based help files in Windows95 environment: 1. The CHM file uses web browser Explorer to display the help content, so it can run across platform without re-establishing the CHM file, and supports HTML, ActiveX, Java, Java scripts, VB scripts, and HTML image formatts (.jpeg, GIF, PNG). 2. A typical HTML Help File window is similar to the Windows98 Explorer, which overcomes the shortcomings of the WinHelp System Help File Directory window and the topic window not displayed at the same time. 3. With the URL address, you can contact the Internet so that the CHM file is no longer limited to the packaged content. In view of the above features, HTML-based CHM online help has become an inevitable trend. This paper combines the design and development of online help in the production management system of Yangzi Petrochemical Terminal, introduces the design and implementation of HTML-based CHM online help in Windows95,98. Second, online help design Application Online helps to help users get help information such as the system's description, function annotations, usage methods, and more to help users use the search or click help interface. This section combines Microsoft's HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit, which is an example of HTML-based CHM online help with the Yangtze Petrochemical Terminal Production Management System. 1. The subject's determination (.htm) When determining the subject, first, the overall structure of the system is decomposed into the hierarchy module structure shown in Figure 1, and the function should be used in the premise of each module function. The same topic is a topic. Second, it should ensure the uniqueness, integrity and hierarchics of the subject. Each of its topics corresponds to an HTML file, you can edit with any HTML editor. If you are not familiar with the editing of the HTML file, you can also edit it with Word97 and save it as an HTML file, but you must note that all HTML files must be used The browser checks confirmation. 2. Creating a directory file (.hhc) With the HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit, HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit, HHW.exe establishes the directory file that extends HHC, and the HHC file is similar to the book's directory, which defines the hierarchical relationships and chapters of chapters. Each title corresponds to the HTML subject file or URL address, as the title of the title. In this design, the directory file designed according to the system hierarchy shown in FIG. 1 is shown in Figure 2 (only the hierarchical relationship of the data editing portion) is shown. Creating a directory file is the most critical job of making a CHM file. The directory file should contain all the topics of the CHM file. The title of the chapter should be considering according to the content of the content, you can not add, you can place the required theme file, but to avoid the title of the chapter There is an inconsistency with the corresponding topic.
3. Create an index file (.hHK) Use the HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit help editor HHW.EXE to establish an index file called HHK, the index file (.hhk) is an HTML file, which contains several keywords (so-called keywords) It is the word, word, or phrase that the user may use and associated with one or more helper theme files. When the user uses a CHM file, simply enter a keyword in the index tab, the CHM file is automatically displayed This keyword-related topic list is available for users to find the relevant topics. 4. Creating a project file (.hhp) uses the HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit to build a project file that extends the HHP in Hhw.exe. The project file is a standard ASCII character file, its structure is similar to the structure of WIN.INI and other Windows initialization files, in this design, HHP project files are incorporated herein by reference, [Options], [Windows], [Files], [Alias] , [MAP] and [Text Popups] option consists of Figure 3. Among them, [options], [windows], [files] option is similar to the project file options for the WinHelp system. The main difference between the two is that the former uses the topic file (HTM) in the [Files] option, the latter uses help text (RTF) . In addition, due to the characteristics of the CHM file based on HTML, the default topic page must be specified for the help file, otherwise the compiled help file will be wrong at runtime. In order to help the online help the CHM file have the ability to sense context-sensitive help, the help topic of the program is displayed based on the current active block. In the mthelp.h header file of the [map] option, we map the specified context string number (such as 101) to the corresponding string identifier (ID_MT04) with the #define command. At the same time, the corresponding help theme file is specified for each of the above-mentioned character string identifiers in the [Alias] option, and the character string identifier ID_mt04 is associated with the subject file MThelp04.htm in FIG. Considering the help of the online help CHM file with similar help, in the [Text Popups] option, we designed a custom header file MTHELP1.H and the text file related to the text file Mthelp1.txt (example, Figure 4, 5 shown). However, it is important to note that the subject identifier of pop-up text in MTHELP1.TXT must be unique and prefixed in IDH_. Thus, when compiling the CHM file with the Help Editor, HTMLHELP Workshop will automatically detect the pop-up topics in the project file have been connected to the CHM file. 5. Creating a Help File (.CHM) Using the HTMLHELP WORKSHOP toolkit help editor hhw.exe will contain project files for the topic file (.htm), directory file (.hhc), index file (.hhk) and other resource files ( .hp) Compile into a helper file (.chm). Third, the purpose of realizing online help design is to help apply online to apply to self-developed applications, allowing users to get the maximum technical support when using this software. Take the development tool Microsoft Visual FoxPro5.0 as an example, briefly introduce the implementation of HTML-based CHM online help. To describe convenience, it is assumed that the application software helps files for MTHELP.CHM, located in the C: / Users directory, and enters the online help of enters the form for the artificial inspection as an instance.
