Working with ALinks

ALinks provide another way to link topics. They are commonly used to cross-reference groups of topics and are similar to Related Topics references in WinHelp (based on "Related Topics keywords" or "A-keywords"). ALink controls are the links (clickable objects) that allow users to navigate to the topics assigned to the ALink names.

When you add an ALink control to a topic, you select the ALink names you want to use with the control. When users click the control, they see a list of topics that are assigned to the ALink names.

There are two parts to ALinks — ALink names and ALink controls. You add ALink names to topics in much the same way that you add keywords. But, unlike keywords, users do not see ALink names in the index or from anywhere else in the Help system.

Implementing ALinks

The implementation of ALinks is a process that involves the following:

Since users never see ALinks, you can use them any way you see fit. For example, you could use terms that identify the topics by their level of difficulty (beginning or advanced) or by topic type (overview, concept, procedures) or by subject matter (sales, manufacturing) or by anything that suits your needs.