- for contact information, choose the About button.
A Windows help system is comprised of the following files:
About
About this Help System
AddAccelerator
Advantages of Online Help
Always on Top
An important consideration when using tables is that the text wrap is determined by the table width, not the Help Viewer. In normal text, the Viewer automatically wraps the text when you resize the window - this doesn't happen if you use tables. Therefor
Annotate
AppendItem
As you can see, some of the lighter colors don't show up well on the white background. It is helpful to keep this in mind when you are selecting the colors for your help system.
Assigns a
Authoring
Back
Basics
Blue
Book Layout
Bookmark
BookmarkDefine
BookmarkMore
BrowseButtons
Bullets
Bullets are a common type of formatting in printed documentation. Most often used to set a list apart from the surrounding text, they can add a distinctive look to your work. The Windows Help compiler recognizes some types of bullets, but not all. After
Button Manipulation
By default your help text displays in the "main" window. You can add "secondary" windows that display in addition to your main window. Either type of window can be positioned anywhere on the screen, and you can set the windows to be "on top" - covering a
ChangeButtonBinding
ChangeItemBinding
CheckItem
Clipboard.
Close
CloseWindow
Colors
Command
Conditional Control
Contents
Context
Control
Copies
Copy
CopyDialog
CopyTopic
Courier
Create a bitmap, and place it in the Help system as a character. This approach allows you to create custom bullets.
CreateButton
Cyan
Dark Blue
Dark Cyan
Dark Gr
Dark Magenta
Dark Red
Dark Yellow
Define
DeleteItem
DeleteMark
Description
Design & Layout
DestroyButton
Dialog Control
DisableButton
DisableItem
Disables (grays
Display
Displays the
Displays the help file for the WinHelp application. Executing this macro is the same as selecting
Displays, in a popup window, the topic in the specified help file that
Either
EnableButton
EnableItem
ExecProgram
Executes a
Executes the specified
Executing
Exit
ExtAbleItem
ExtInsertItem
ExtInsertMenu
File
FileOpen
Files
FloatingMenu
FocusWindow
Folder Layout
Fonts
For
For further information on WinHelp macros, refer to the
GoToMark
GotoMark
Gray
Green
Guide
Help
Help Basics
Help Source Files
HelpOn
HelpOnTop
History
How to Use Help
IfThen
IfThenElse
In a Help system you can use different fonts to emphasize text. Windows comes with several standard fonts that are installed on every Windows system. For Help systems it is best to use standard fonts - if you use a font that isn't on the Help user's syst
In most cases, the default color is black, although it can be any color. Other colors available to Windows Help are:
In most topics in this Help System, the area at the top is separate from the rest - if you scroll the text, this upper section does not move. This is a non-scrolling region.
In the example below, the text overlays a graphic. This was accomplished by using a table with a narrow left column (too small for the graphic):
InsertItem
InsertMenu
Inserts a
IsMark
JumpConte
JumpHash
JumpHelpOn
JumpId
JumpKeyword
Layout
MS Sans Serif
MS Serif
Macro
Macros
Macros are available for the following types of tasks:
Magenta
Manipulation
Menu Manipulation
Miscellaneous
Navigation
Next
Non-Scrolling Region
Not
Online
Other
Overlaying Text
Overview
Place a bullet character, such as a symbol, into the text.
Popup
PopupContext
PopupHash
PopupId
PositionWindow
Prev
Print
PrinterSetup
Re-enables a
Red
Region
RegisterRoutine
RemoveAccelerator
Removes
ResetMenu
Returns
RoboHELP
Sans
SaveMark
Search
Secondary Windows
Serif
SetContents
SetHelpOnFile
Small Fonts
Some rules for non-scrolling regions:
Source
Standard:
Symbol
Syntax
System
Table Tricks
Tables
Text
The
The Arial font was used to create this Help system. Other standard Windows 3.1 fonts that the Help compiler supports include:
The Windows Help Authoring Guide
Then,
There are two ways to incorporate bullets into your help systems:
Therefor
This
This topic shows the colors that were defined as part of the help system. You can use any of the colors available to your system just by selecting a color for the font. When the help system is compiled, the text appears in the specified color.
Times New Roman
To define a non-scrolling region, you just format the paragraph as "keep with next."
To see a list of available macros in each category, select the folder or the category name. Then, to see the macro definition, select the macro name in the list.
Tricks
TrueType:
UncheckItem
Viewer
What is Windows Help?
When
WinHelp
WinHelp Macro Authoring Guide
Window
Window Control
Windows
Yellow
You
You can add colors to create a table-like effect by inserting a pre-built bitmap into the help system:
You can also add font characteristics such as:
You can create several types of special effects in your help system using tables. One example is the Contents topic of this help system - a table was used so that different spacing (above) could be used for the icons and the text.
You can display text using the main window, a secondary window, or a popup.
You can easily create a help system with the features demonstrated here - this guide shows you how. This guide was created with RoboHELP
You can use any type of bullet (or bitmap):
You can use macros to tailor the behavior of your help system. For example, you could include a bitmap of a Close button that, when selected, executes the macro
`button-id'
`context-string')
`filename', `context-string')
`filename', context-number
`filename', hash-code
`item-id'
`item-name',
`macro
`marker-text'
`menu-id'
`name'
`window-name'
a square
accelerator
access
accomplished
action
add
addition
all
allow
almost
also
although
always
and
another
any
anywhere
appears
applicati
application
approach
are
assigned
associate
automatically
available
background.
bar.
become
before
behavior
below
beside
best
bitmap
black,
bold italic
box.
browse
bullet
button
button.
buttons
can
capability.
cases,
category
change
character
check-mark
choose
choosing your bullet, you may want to do a quick compile and check to verify the bullet shows in Help.
code
color
colors
column
combination
come
command
common
compile
comprised
condition
consideration
consists
contact
contain
context
context-number
control
copy
corresponds
could
covering
create
created
crisper
current
custom
default
define
definition,
delete,
demonstrated
determined
develop
dialog
diamond
different
disable
display
displayed
displays
distinctive
distribution.
document
does
e, tables are best used for small bits of text.
each
easily
effect
either
em, the result can be strange looking (difficult to read) text. Sans serif fonts are best for help systems as they tend to have a crisper display on-screen.
emphasize
enable
equivalent
every
example
example,
execut
executes
exist
features
file
file.
filename
files
first
flexibility
folder
following
font
fonts
for
format
from
from the
function
further
generally
goods,
graphic
guide
happen
has
hash-code
have
help
here
how.
identical
if the
important
include
incorporate
information
initial
inserting
installed
into
italic
item
jump
just
key
library
lighter
linked
list
list.
ll other open windows. A window is just a place where information is displayed - when you tell the help system to display a topic, you can also tell it which window is to contain the text. (Note that secondary windows are different than popups - see the
location
look
macro
macro.
macros
macros,
macros.
main
manipulation
manual
marker
menu
menu.
menus
most
movable
move
multimedia
name
name.
narrow
next
non-scrolling
non-scrolling regions are generally used for the topic title
normal
not
number
on-screen.
online
open
other
overlays
paragraph
part
place
popular
popup
position
potential
pre-built
presenting
previous
previously
previously-defined
print
product
project
quick
recognizes
refer
region
remain
replac
requ
resize
result
rules
s insta
same
samples, below.)
screen
scroll
secondary
section
see
select
selected,
selecting
separate
sequence
set
several
shift-state
shows
sizable
size
small
some
source
spacing
special
specific
specified
square
standalone
standard
state
static
strange
strikethrough
string
such
such as a diamond
support
surrounding
symbol,
system
system.
table
table-like
tables
tailor
tasks:
tell
text
text,
text.
than
that
that,
the
their
they
they must always come before any scrolling regions
