Copyright: Created with EasyHelp (Tel: 0973 209667)


  EasyHelp User Guide
Version   Support   New   Register

EasyHelp™ is an easy to use system that simplifies in the creation of Microsoft Help files and HTML files (for Web pages) from Microsoft Word documents. EasyHelp is ideal for user manuals and procedures, because the same document can be used to produce both the printed copy and the help file and a HTML file.

With EasyHelp non technical authors can now produce sophisticated hypertext systems without an in depth knowledge of the Microsoft Help Compiler or the HTML tags.

Main Parts to this Manual

Quick Start

More about EasyHelp

Installing EasyHelp

Using EasyHelp

Topics Links Graphics

Shortcut keys

Configuring EasyHelp

The EasyHelp INI file

Frequently Asked Questions

Known Bugs and Limitations

Planned Enhancements

Tips

Terms for the novice

Important Legal Stuff


New Features in this Version

This Version replaces EASY25x.ZIP and EASY26x.ZIP

•	Context numbers now supported, automatically creates C header files

•	Improved graphics handling, automatically replaces bitmaps with references to shg files if they exist etc. Or for HTML replaces with GIF file references

•	Better error trapping.

•	Even easier to use.

•	Improved deleting capabilities

•	Improved installation and presentation

•	Whole set of new example files to get you going quickly.

•	Intelligent detection of topic type when creating links.

•	Example a to z index and graphics included.

•	Open interface to the Topic and Link macros, contact Eon solutions for details

•	Colours are user definable.

•	Auto word selection when creating links.

•	Goto topic/link option.

•	Non UK/US versions of Word are supported, contact Eon Solutions for details.

•	Generally much better than before!


Quick Start

If you are an experienced computer user you may want to get going quickly. If this is the case, at least read this page!

Installing EasyHelp

1	Run a:setup to install EasyHelp.

2	Run the tutorial document from the EasyHelp Program Manager group

Preparing to use EasyHelp

1	Load Microsoft Word.

2	Create a new document based on the EasyHelp template.

or	Load an existing document and then attach the EasyHelp template to it.

3	Quickly check that EasyHelp is configured correctly by clicking on the configure icon on the Word toolbar. (Or select Tools | © Configure EasyHelp from the menu)

Using EasyHelp

1	Create some topics by positioning the cursor on the heading of each topic and clicking the topic icon on the EasyHelp toolbar (Or select Insert | © EasyHelp Topic from the menu)

2	Create some links (to the topic that you have defined) by highlighting the text that is to be used as the link and clicking the link icon on the EasyHelp toolbar (Or select Insert | © EasyHelp Link from the menu)

3	Your document is now 'marked up'. You must now process this 'mark-up' by clicking the process icon on the EasyHelp toolbar (Or select Tools | © Process Mark-up from the menu)

4	Finally build your help file by clicking on the build icon on the EasyHelp toolbar (or select Tools | © Build Help from the menu)

That's it! You have now created a Microsoft Help file by following four simple steps:

  	1. Create Topics	(Ctrl+Shift+T)

  	2. Create Links	(Ctrl+Shift+L)

  	3. Process the 'mark-up'	(Ctrl+Shift+P)

  	4. Build the Help file	(Ctrl+Shift+B)


More About EasyHelp

EasyHelp is a set of macros contained in a template called EASYHELP.DOT. These easy to use macros can be executed either from the toolbar or shortcut keys, and enable you to mark-up a document with topics and hypertext links and graphics. Other macros enable you to process the marked-up document, then build and view the resultant help file directly from within Word.

Apart from the ease of use, EasyHelp allows you to maintain one document that can be printed out as a hard copy manual or can be viewed as a help/html file. No complicated footnotes or extra page breaks clutter the document. In fact the only formatting changes made to the document are coloured text, to let you see where the topics and hypertext links are!

Since the marked up documents are saved as RTF format, any file that you process with EasyHelp can be used together to produce a large help publication. Although this can be done manually, by a constructing a help project file, the next version of EasyHelp will simplify this task.

Other help authoring systems do exist, and some of them are very good. However, EasyHelp was designed for ease of use rather than wide functionality. The rationale behind EasyHelp was to allow topics, links and graphics to be marked as easily as possible, and to be able to produce a help file without any prior knowledge of the Help Compiler.

EasyHelp can be tailored to meet specific needs. Contact the author for more details.


Installing EasyHelp

Installing EasyHelp is easy, simply follow the steps listed below:

1	Put the EasyHelp installation disk in Drive A:

2	Please start Microsoft Windows if it is not already running.

3	Run the setup program from Program Manager as follows:

In Program Manager, choose Run from the File menu. Windows displays the Run dialog box.

Type a:setup in the Command Line box.

Choose the OK button.

Follow the setup instructions on the screen.

4	After installing the EasyHelp files, the Setup program creates a EasyHelp program group containing icons for the tutorial document, the readme file and the on-line help.

5	Follow the tutorial by double clicking on the tutorial icon in the EasyHelp program manager group.

Read the section entitled Details of the Installation Process if you wish to know more about the installation process.


Details of the Installation Process

If you are reading this on-line (as a help file) the chances are that you have already installed EasyHelp on your system. Even so it is useful to know what the installation process did. This will improve your understanding of the EasyHelp system and will be helpful if the installation failed for some reason.

The default location for the EasyHelp system files is C:\EASYHELP. If you wish, you can change this default to any directory of your choice. The directory will be created for you and is referred to as the EasyHelp directory.

Below the EasyHelp directory other sub directories are created:

1	EasyHelp\EXAMPLES containing the EasyHelp Example documents and related files:

2 	EasyHelp\WORD containing a backup copy of EasyHelp.dot the Microsoft Word template file.

3 	EasyHelp\GRAPHICS containing sample graphics.

4 	EasyHelp\HC containing a files to run the help compiler. Put your purchased copy of the help compiler here.

see Important Legal Stuff

EasyHelp will create a Program Manager Group (called EasyHelp.grp by default) at installation time. This group simply gives access to the EasyHelp help file, the EasyHelp tutorial document and the readme file.

EasyHelp will install its own INI file (user settings file) called EasyHelp.ini in your Windows directory. Whist you can change this file with any editor, you are advised to make changes via the configuration dialogs in the EasyHelp template.

The EasyHelp macros are all contained in the file called EasyHelp.dot. This file should be placed in the Microsoft Word template directory. The installation process will attempt to do this for you, but if this did not happen, copy the file from the EasyHelp\WORD sub directory to your template directory using File Manager.


Important Legal Stuff

For legal reasons the Microsoft Help Compiler cannot be supplied with EasyHelp. You are expected to purchase a copy of this yourself.

Note:	The Help Compiler is normally included with language products such as Visual Basic and C compilers from Borland and Microsoft. So check your hard disk - you may already have the required files.

Note:	Please use version 3.10.505 (extended) or later of the Help Compiler. Upgrades to the latest version are readily available from the Microsoft forum on CompuServe.


Using EasyHelp

The best way to get started with EasyHelp is to go through the tutorial document. If you have not already done this please take some time out to do so.

You can activate EasyHelp in two ways:

1	Create a new document based on the EasyHelp template.

2	Attach the EasyHelp template to an existing document.

If you are not sure how to either of the above  please refer to your Microsoft Word documentation.

When EasyHelp active, the EasyHelp toolbar will be added

Besides being able to use the toolbar, there are two other ways to use EasyHelp:

1	Use the menu. You will see that EasyHelp has added some menu items. It is easy to see which are the EasyHelp items: they all have a © symbol to the left.

2	Use the shortcut keys. All the EasyHelp shortcut keys begin with 'Ctrl+Shift'


Preparing to Use EasyHelp

In order to use EasyHelp on new or existing document you will need to attach the EasyHelp template (called EasyHelp.dot) to your document. For new documents you will be prompted for the name of the template to use - simply choose EasyHelp from the list. For existing documents you will need to attach the EasyHelp template to your document (use the File | Template... menu option).


Shortcut Keys

Ctrl+Shift+T	Create or edit a topic

Ctrl+Shift+L	Create or edit a link

Ctrl+Shift+C	Configure EasyHelp

Ctrl+Shift+P	Process document mark-up

Ctrl+Shift+B	Build help file

Ctrl+Shift+D	Delete EasyHelp mark-up

Ctrl+Shift+H	View the on-line help for EasyHelp

Ctrl+Shift+R	View the reults of your built help file

Ctrl+Shift+E	View build errors

Ctrl+Shift+A	Restore text to normal (black) colour


Topics

A topic is a chunk of information that is displayed on the screen when viewed by Microsoft Help. If the chunk of information is larger than the screen, scroll bars will appear. The end of a topic is marked by the beginning of the next topic or the end of the document.

With the topic function you can mark a new topic or edit an existing one. If your text cursor is on an existing topic you will be able to edit the topic.

One more thing to remember about a topic is that there are two types:

1.	A jump topic. This will be marked in a green colour in your document. A jump topic is the most common and can be thought of as a jump to another position in the help file.

2.	A popup topic. This will be marked in a blue colour in your document. A popup topic is normally used to display a smaller amount of information, and is frequently used for definitions and glossary type items.


Links

A link is a branch to a topic. It is normally a word or phase in your document.

With the link function you can mark a new link or edit an existing one. If you have marked the text of an existing link you will be able to edit the link.

Like topics, there are two types of link:

1.	A jump link. This will be marked in a dark red colour in your document. A jump link is the most common and can be thought of as a jumping to another position in the help file.

When viewed by Microsoft Help a jump link will be underlined with a continuous line.

2.	A popup link. This will be marked in a dark yellow colour in your document.

When viewed by Microsoft Help a popup link will be underlined with a dotted line.

Note

All the colours are user definable by changing settings in the EasyHelp.INI file.


Graphics

This is a picture of me. This graphic was inserted as a picture using normal Word facilities. It will show up the same in the built help file. It can be marked as a popup or jump link using the link function of EasyHelp. When inserting a picture in a word document, it is better to insert it as a linked file.

EasyHelp will allow you to use normal bitmaps in the document, and will automatically search for corresponding .shg files and use them in the help file if it finds them in your EasyHelp Graphics Path. This will enable the printed document with graphics to look exactly as the help file. (neat!)


Configuring EasyHelp

EasyHelp can be configured from within Word. To bring up the main configuration dialog click on the [image] icon on the toolbar.

Global Settings

Paths

Give the location of the EasyHelp system files and the Help Compiler. The name of the help compiler is specified here.

Options

Impose formatting allows you to enforce a standard style to the topic headings. If you wish to control the format of the headings to topics, uncheck this option.

Use Document Name if you deselect this option the help file will be created with the name of your project.

Other

Show Configuration allows you to always show the configuration dialog before processing the document or building the help file. You will probably want to uncheck this option as you become more experienced with using EasyHelp.

Generate HTML check this option if you want to produce HTML file for Web pages.

Edit Topic Details File

As you build more sophisticated help files this file is used to specify a more details about your help topics. For example a long description of your help topics and keywords that can be used to search for those topics.

For example keywords are specified by separating keyword with a semi colon.

Projects

The project options allow you to work on different projects and have unique settings for each project. Two projects exist when you first install EasyHelp, default and tutorial.

Tip:	The default project settings are used as the basis of any new projects that you create. Change the default settings to suit your needs.

Project Name

Give a name to your project. A name must be eight characters or less. Your help file will have this name.

Help Title

The title of your help file.

First Help Topic

The name of the help topic to be used as the contents page of your help file.

 Built Files Path

This is where your built help file will be put

Processed Files Path

This is where your Topic Details File resides and your processed documents.

Graphics Path

This is where any graphics files that are used by your help files reside.


The EasyHelp INI File

The EasyHelp.INI file is located in your Windows directory. This file defines your own personal settings for EasyHelp. In later versions of EasyHelp all the settings will be accessible via dialogs, however in this release of EasyHelp you will need to edit the file manually using the notepad editor that comes with Windows

[Projects]

ProjectList=default,examples

Current=examples

[Paths]

EasyHelpPath=c:\easyhelp

CompilerPath=c:\easyhelp\hc

CompilerName=hcp

[General Settings]

Verbose=no

UseDocName=yes

AutoDoc=no (yes for extra documentation)

ScreenUpdate=no

Language=uk  (uk or german or dutch)

OldFormat=no (yes for old graphic support)

[Colors]

JumpTopic=11

PopupTopic=9

InlineTopic=10

JumpLink=13

PopupLink=14

[Help Format]

Html=no

ImposeTopicFormat=no

[Html Format]

SplitTopics=no (yes will create separate file for each topic)

Tables=no (yes will try to format tables but will slow down processing)

[Registration]

Id=?

[German]  (You can add other sections for other versions of Word)

ParagraphMark=^a

ManualPageBreak=^m

[Dutch]

ParagraphMark=^a

ManualPageBreak=^h

[Project default]

HelpOutputPath=C:\EASYHELP\examples

HelpInputPath=C:\EASYHELP\examples

GraphicsPath=C:\EASYHELP\graphics

Contents=contents

HelpTitle=Help: My Help

WindowPosition=(46,53,922,913) (leave bl;ank will use the Windows defaults)

WindowColor=(255,255,246) (leave blank will use the Windows defaults)

TitleColor=(255,255,192) (leave blank will use the Windows defaults)

[Project examples]

HelpOutputPath=c:\easyhelp\examples

HelpInputPath=c:\easyhelp\examples

GraphicsPath=c:\easyhelp\graphics

Contents=contents

HelpTitle=EasyHelp Example

WindowPosition=(46,53,922,913)

WindowColor=(255,255,246)

TitleColor=(255,255,192)


Processing your document

When your document is processed it is converted to an RTF file suitable for input into the help compiler.


Building you help file

The build option will open a window to run the help compiler. Do not worry if there are errors displayed on the screen - these can be viewed at any time by pressing 'Ctrl+Shift+E' or selecting from the help menu.


Deleting Mark-up

Mark-up can be deleted in a paragraph by positioning the text cursor anywhere in the paragraph and using the shortcut keys 'Ctrl+Shift+D', or by selecting '© Delete EasyHelp Mark-up' from the Edit menu or pressing the Delete button on the EasyHelp toolbar.


Frequently Asked Questions

What to do if things are not working as expected?

Why are my paragraphs aligned unevenly?

There must be more to it.

How do you build a help file from multiple documents?


What to do if things are not working as expected?

First check the EasyHelp files are in the places you expect them to be in. Then check the configuration dialog points to the correct locations. Go back and load the example documents and see if these can be processed and built as a help files.

Read through the on-line help file for EasyHelp to see if you can spot any problem areas.

Try reinstalling EasyHelp from the install disk.

Remember that computer programs are only human and contact me. I will do my best to get you working again.


Uneven paragraphs

Normally hanging indents are prone to this. The reason is because the default tab stops have been used. Make sure you mark actual tabs on your ruler.


There must be more to it!

Well there is ... but not much more. Topics and links are the main concepts that you need to grasp. You will notice that any document can be marked up as a hypertext file whilst leaving the document in its original form (except for colour changes!). This is exactly what EasyHelp was designed for: to save trees, by enabling manuals, procedure documents, in fact anything, to be produced in hypertext form.

The best way to learn more about EasyHelp is to work with it for a while. It will eventually become a normal part of your document processing process.

EasyHelp allows you to convert any Word document into a form that can be viewed as on-line help in Microsoft Windows. The way you do this is to 'mark-up' your document with topics and links.


Making a help file from multiple documents

Mark-up your documents. Check the formatting.

Spend some time adding proper descriptions and key words to your mark-up details file. This can be done before you mark up your documents, if you know what how your are going to name your topics.

Then process all your documents.

Then use the help project created by the build process as a guide and add in the file names of all your processed documents. The following is an example of a typical help project file (tutorial.hpj):

[OPTIONS]

root=c:\EasyHelp\examples

bmroot=c:\EasyHelp\examples

errorlog=c:\EasyHelp\examples\tutorial.err

title=EasyHelp Tutorial

contents=contents

[FILES]

tutorial.rtf

List your files here

One after the other

[WINDOWS]

main="EasyHelp Tutorial", (46,53,922,913 ),, (255,255,246), (255,255,192)

[CONFIG]

BrowseButtons()

Then simply execute the help compiler from a DOS window with the help project name as a parameter. As in: HCP project_name.


Known Bugs and Limitations

Not so much bugs, but features that are known to work incorrectly. Most of these will be fixed in the next release.

Symbols do not show up in the help file.

Unfortunately this is a problem with the RTF format that Word generates. Little can be done about this, apart from using bitmaps for the symbols.

The configuration dialogs allow invalid data.

Unfortunately Word only provides rudimentary features for dialogs. Extensive validation of fields is difficult to say the least. I hope you can live with this one for a while. Validation will certainly be improved with version 3.0. Long-term, the dialogs will be a proper Windows style dialogs (written in a compiled language)

EasyHelp does not work with my version of Word.

Versions of Word before 6.0a do not work. Contact Microsoft for your free upgrade.

I would like to see my graphics on the screen in Word and in my printed document.

You can do this by inserting a picture. It is better to use linked graphics as these will be supported fully in version 3.0 of EasyHelp. However if you wish to use pictures with hotspots you will need to make sure a SHG file exist in your graphics path.


Planned Enhancements

If you like EasyHelp and find it useful please let me know. Version  3 is being developed as a fully compiled addin to Word and will be improved as follows:

Faster and even easier to use

Better dialogs and control over your settings

Better support for help macros

Multiple help window support

More control over the formatted help file

Better support for HTML generation


Tips

Large documents or publications

Quickly restoring the text colour to black

Go through the EasyHelp example files!


Large Documents or Publications

It is better to use smaller documents and then merge them into a complete publication. This can easily be done by creating a MASTER document that includes the smaller documents. For example:

{include part1.doc}

{include part2.doc}

{include part3.doc}

The INCLUDE fields are special filed codes that instruct Word to insert into the document the item named in the code. See Chapter 11 or the Word manual for more details.

The following short macro will ensure that the master document is up to date. If you name this macro AutoOpen and save it with the template associated with the MASTER document, it will run automatically every time the MASTER document is opened.

Sub Main

ViewFieldCodes 1

StartOfDocument 0

EditFind .Find = "include", .WholeWord = 0,\

.MatchCase = 0,.Direction = 2, .Format = 0

While EditFindFound() = - 1

    	UpdateFields

    	EditFind .Find = "include",.WholeWord = 0,\

.MatchCase = 0,.Direction = 2,.Format = 0

Wend

StartOfDocument

Super FileSave

ViewFieldCodes 0

End Sub


Quickly restoring the text colour to normal

Mark the text, then press Ctrl+Shift+A or select the 'Normal Colour' menu item on the 'Format' menu.


Terms for the Novice

Program Manager	The front end program to Microsoft Windows.

Program Manager Group	A menu, comprising of a group of icons, which can run programs when the icons are double clicked.

Double Clicking	Clicking the mouse button (left normally) twice in quick succession.

Icon	Small graphic picture.


EasyHelp Template File

EasyHelp.dot is the Word template file. This should be put in the same place as all your other template files.


Help Project File

A file that lists the component files making up a help file and special formatting instructions. Refer to the documentation that came with your help compiler for more details.


Pictures with hotspots

These are called 'Segmented Hyper Graphic Files'. They can be created from bitmaps by using the shed editor included with the help compiler.


Popup Topics

Popup topics are marked with dark yellow colour in your document. In a help file, they look like this. When clicked they appear as a small window; they disappear on the next mouse click.

Popup topics are normally used for smaller pieces of information such as definitions.


Jump Topic

A jump topic is like this. It stays on the screen until you jump somewhere else.


General Information


Support

EasyHelp was conceived and written by James Holroyd of Eon Solutions.

Please direct any queries, problems or suggestions to James Holroyd
at Eon Solutions.

Email:	eon@cix.compulink.co.uk
Tel: 	0973 209667


Version Information

EasyHelp is version 2.70, Feb 1995, with HTML option

Requires version 6.0a of Word or later

Requires version 3.10.505 (extended) of the Microsoft Help Compiler

A version for 2.0c of Word is available


James Holroyd

Eon Solutions (Software, Training and Consultancy)

12 Juniper Rise

Upton Priory

Macclesfield

Cheshire

England

SK10 4XT

Email:	eon@cix.compulink.co.uk

Tel:	0973 209667


Details of the EasyHelp INI file


Colours of Topic and Links

If you want to use different colour for the mark-up change the settings in the ini file but remember you MUST use different colours for each statement.

1	Black

2	Blue

3	Cyan

4	Green

5	Magenta

6	Red

7	Yellow

8	White

9	Dark Blue

10	Dark Cyan

11	Dark Green

12	Dark Magenta

13	Dark Red

14	Dark Yellow

15	Dark Gray

16	Light Gray


Registering EasyHelp

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     	England	    Tel: UK 0973 209667

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