Development of Help Files in accordance with Windows 98 specification · Yong Xi Yong Yan Ming
Windows 98's online help system has a large change compared to Windows 95, which uses a new helper system features a network super text (HTML), which is an HTML Help System. It is a next-generation online help system from Microsoft, which uses Microsoft Internet Explorer's basic components to display the help content, which supports HTML, ActiveX, Java, Scripts (Java scripts and Microsoft Visual Basic scripts) and HTML image format (.jpeg) , .Gif, .png). The extension of the HTML help file is also changed from WinHelp. HLP to .CHM. A typical HTML help system is shown in Figure 1.
figure 1. A typical example of HTML Help System
In view of the above reasons, it is an urgent need to develop the WINDOWS 98 specification. Microsoft HTML Help Workshop is an integrated development environment that Microsoft provides this new help system, using it you can make simple, easy, and quickly develop help files.
1. Create a help topic file
Creating a help file is the most important job is to create a certain topic file you need. The HTML Help The theme file is an HTML file created using a super text language (HTML), its extension is .htm or .html.
You can use Microsoft HTML Help Workshop to create help topic files, but the author believes that using Microsoft Word 97 to create more convenient. Because Word 97 can save the Word document (.doc) file as an HTML file; even Word 97 also includes a bulk file conversion tool that converts the .doc file to an HTML file. This allows you to write a Word document file with your written habits, and then convert to an HTML file without having to face HTML complex source code. In Word 97, you can also use Insert menu to define hyperlinks (called Text Links in HTML Help Workshop) and bookmarks.
2. Create a help project file
2.1 HTML HELP WORKSHOP help project files
The HTML Help item (.hhp) file is a plain text file that opens and edits using any word processing software (such as Windows notepad, etc.). HTML Help item files will create a help file to link all the elements you need. These elements include helping the subject file (.html, .htm), image file (.jpeg, .gif, .png), index file (.hhk), content file (.hc), and other files. It also contains information about how to compile a help project file and help file interface. Finally, HTML Help Workshop compiles all of these contents into a single help file (.chm).
2.2 Creating a Help Project File
Enter Microsoft HTML Help Workshop, select New in the File menu, select Project in the New Dialog box, HTML Help Workshop will start the New Project Wizard, follow the wizard to create a help item file. In the third step, Existing Files should check the HTML Files box (see Figure 2) to ensure that the HTML file that can be created using Word 97 in the fourth step is included in the help item file.
figure 2. New Project Wizard's third step
3. Create a directory (Content) file
3.1 Directory and Directory Files
The directory of the help file is similar to the left half of the Windows Explorer, which is shown in the left half of the window in Figure 1. The directory file is all directories that contain a help file, and each directory contains an entry name (or entry title), jumps to the shortcut of the help topic, and files for each item property, which is a file in an HTML format. When the user clicks on a list of items in the directory page of the help file, the HTML file link to the title of the entry will be opened. 3.2 Creating a directory file
There are two ways to create a directory file:
(1) Open the project file in HTML Help Workshop. On the File menu, click the New option, select Table of Contents, Workshop will create an unnamed directory file to save it. Then click "Chang Project Options" button in the Project tab of the project file window to open the Options dialog and enter the FILES tab (see Figure 3), select the direct-saved directory file in the Contents File column.
image 3. Project Options dialog
(2) If there is no directory file in the project file, click the Contents tab in the window of the project file that is just created, HTML Help Workshop will display the prompts that have not been established with the directory file and allow you to create a new directory file. Or open an existing directory file, select Create A New Contents file (create a new directory file) (see Figure 4), click "OK", HTML Help Workshop Create an empty directory file.
Figure 4. Directory file has not yet established dialog
3.3 Add directory to the directory file
In the Contents tab, click the "INSERT A Heading" button, appear "Tables of Contents Entry" dialog (see Figure 5), enter the entry title in the "Entry title" column of the dialog, and click Add " The button adds a link to the entry to add a link.
Figure 5. "Tables of Contents Entry" dialog
Click the "Advanced" tab, specify the icon for the entry in the "Image Index" column, such as the entry that contains other entries, and other entries, as shown in Figure 1.
Click the "INSERT A page" button in the Contents tab; if you select the entry before clicking the "Insert A Page" button, the HTML Help Workshop will not include other entries and not by other entries. Ask if you want to create a starting entry, otherwise click this button will add a sub-entry.
The functions of the other buttons in the Contents tab include: Delete an entry, changing the location and level of an entry, and modify the properties of the directory.
3.4 Let the directory file contain another directory file
Open a directory file, select an entry, right-click, click "Insert File" in the pop-up menu, select another directory file (.hhc) in the include file dialog box, will be under the entry you selected A statement appears: include: filename.hhc, where filename.hhc represents the directory file name of the path you want.
4. Create an index (INDEX)
4.1 Keyword and Index File
The keyword is the word, word, or phrase that the user may be used and associated with one or more helper theme files. Index file (.hhk) is also an HTML file that contains several keywords. When the user clicks the search page and selects a keyword in the compiled help file, the help file will display the help topic related to this keyword or show a list of titles about the help topic. 4.2 Creating an index file
The method of creating an index file is identical to the created directory file.
4.3 Creating a keyword
Open the project file, click the "INSERT A Keyword" button in the Index tab, appear "Index Entry" dialog (the dialog is very similar to the "Tables of Contents Entry", in the "General" tab, Keyword Enter the name of the keyword in the column, click the "Add" to specify the help topic file associated with the keyword.
4.4 Set keywords to jump to another keyword
Open the index file, select the keyword you need to jump to another, click the "Edit Selection" button, click the Advance tab in the "Index Entry" dialog (see Figure 6), check " Destination is Another Keyword (Destination is a keyword) box. Click the "General" tab, click the "Add", in the File Or URL box, enter the keyword you need to jump to, click OK.
Image 6. Advance tab of the "Index Entry" dialog
5. Enrich the content of helping theme file
5.1 View source code for HTML files
There are two ways to view the HTML file.
(1) On the File menu of HTML Help Workshop, click Open to open an HTML file.
(2) Double-click an HTML file in the "Project" tab of the project file or "Contents" tab or first select an HTML file, and then click the "View HTML Source" button.
The source code of the HTML file will appear on the right half of the project file window.
5.2 Insert HTML Help ActiveX Controls into the HTML file
5.2.1 Introduction to HTML Help ActiveX Control
The HTML Help ActiveX control is a kind of ActiveX control, which is designed for HTML help. Insert HTML Help ActiveX controls in helping the topic files allows you to add features such as shortcuts, related topics, Klinks, and ALINKS for your help file. The features and interfaces provided by the HTML Help ActiveX control can be displayed in a browser that supports ActiveX technology.
5.2.2 General Method for Insert HTML Help ActiveX Control
(1) Open an HTML file in Workshop.
(2) Place the cursor in the HTML file body part you want an ActiveX control to appear.
(3) On the Tags menu, click the HTML Help Control (HTML Help Control), the HHCTRL wizard appears (see Figure 7).
Figure 7. Hhctrl wizard first and
The first step, select a command name you will use in this dialog box, in the ID name of the ID Name column input control; second step Select the display type of the control, the default The display type is button (Button); then follow the prompts to continue the HTML Help Control into the HTML file. Inserting the HTML Help ActiveX control in the HTML file, there is no further details below. 5.2.3 Insert a shortcut to the HTML file (Shortcut)
Use a shortcut to open or initialize an executable program in a help file. For example, users can click on a button or a link (such as Windows 98 Help) to start an executable program such as the Windows Notepad) or dialog (such as Windows Add / Delete the program dialog box). The steps inserting into the shortcut are as follows:
(1) Select "Shortcut" in the Specify The Command column of the HHCTRL wizard (see Figure 7).
(2) Enter the program name (such as NOTEPAD.exe) and parameters to start in the "Shortcut" dialog box (see Figure 8) in the HHCTRL wizard.
Figure 8. HHCTRL wizard "shortcut" dialog
5.2.4 Insert the relevant topic to the HTML file (Related Topics)
The related topic is an HTML Help ActiveX control that appears in a topic file contains links related to the subject file. The steps to insert the related topic are as follows:
(1) Select "Related Topics" in the "Specify THE Command" column of the HHCTRL wizard (see Figure 7).
(2) Enter the title and path of the related topic file in the "Related Topics" dialog box of the HHCTRL wizard (see Figure 9).
Figure 9. HHCTRL wizard "Related Topics" dialog
5.2.5 Insert a keyword link to the HTML file (Klinks)
Keyword Links referred to as Klinks, which is established based on the keywords already added to the help topic file. When the user contains the title of the topic file that contains Keyword (the same as the keyword in the KLINK) when the Klinks button is in the help file. Klinks is also automatically updated when the keyword is added or reducing the keywords in helping the topic files. Use KLINK to jump to the subject files of additional help files.
5.2.5.1 Creating Klinks
The steps to create Klinks are as follows:
(1) Add keyword to the HTML file
1 Open the HTML file and place the cursor to join the key to the Body section.
2 Click "Compiler Information" on the EDIT menu, start the Compiler Information dialog (see Figure 10), click the Keywords tab. Click the "Add" button in the Keywords tab, then specify the keyword; you can specify multiple keywords and separate them separately with a semicolon.
Figure 10. Compilation Information dialog
(2) Insert a keyword link to the HTML file
Inserting a keyword link to the HTML file is actually inserting an HTML file to the HTML file for the HTML HELP ActiveX control, which is described in Section 5.2.1, where the steps need to be described below: 1 in the hhctrl wizard Select "Keyword Search" in the "Specify The Command" field of step (see Figure 7).
2 In the "Keyword Search" dialog box of hhctrl wizard, click the Add button to enter the keyword defined in the Compiler Information dialog (see Figure 11).
Figure 11. Hhctrl wizard's "Keyword Search" dialog
5.2.5.2 Include Klinks keywords in an index file
Cry the "Files" tab of the CHANG Project Options dialog (see Figure 3), "Include Keywords from HTML Files" box, the KLINKS keyword will be included in the index file.
5.2.6 Insert Lenovo Link to HTML File (Alwares)
Associative Links referred to as ALINKS, which is established based on Alink Names that has already been added to the helping topic file. When the user clicks on the ALINKS button or the link when the ALINKS button or the link is displayed, the title of the subject file in Alink Name will be displayed in a dialog or pop-up menu. Unlike keywords is that helping file users can not see Alink Name.
The steps to create Alinks are exactly the same as those of the creating Klinks, and the two points are:
(1) In the Compiler Information dialog box, click the Alink Names tab (see Figure 10).
(2) Select "ALINK Search" in the "Specify The Command" column of the HHCTRL wizard (see Figure 7).
5.2.7 Use the text instead of the button to display the HTML Help ActiveX control
After adding the HTML File to the HTML File as described above, HTML Help Workshop has also joined an Object tag in the HTML file:
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