Designing projects

You can start totally new projects from scratch and design as you go. Once you've invested time in several projects, it's not necessary to duplicate your efforts by designing new projects that are similar to ones you've already created. Instead, create custom templates that automatically provide the design and layouts for you. Base new projects you create on these templates to save time.

You can divide large projects into smaller ones and compile them separately as Microsoft HTML Help files (.CHM files). All the indexes and tables of contents can be accessed from a single .CHM that has the links to the other files.

Import files and projects

It's not necessary to start over if you need to use information that exists in other files or projects. Save hours of work by importing files into your Help project such as TOCs, indexes, images, glossary terms, HTML files, Word documents, style sheets and HTML Help projects (created in HTML Help Workshop or other third party authoring tools). You can decompile Microsoft HTML Help systems (.CHM files) and create new HTML Help projects or extract individual files you need to use in your project.

You can even import WinHelp projects (both .HLP and .HPJ files) and turn them into HTML Help projects. RoboHELP is the only authoring tool that gives you so many importing options.

Customize your windows

You can customize the HTML Help viewer to suit the needs of your project. You can set up all the window features you want to display. If your project includes an online glossary, add the Glossary tab to the navigation pane. Want to include full-text search with advanced search functionality? Add the Advanced tab. Resize and position your windows, add and remove buttons, control how the navigation and topic content pane work together, and add a Favorites tab where users can store shortcuts to topics they frequently use. Add browse sequence functionality so users can navigate through topics you have organized into groups. If your Help system is for an application, you can design custom windows without the navigation pane to display window-level Help topics.

Include an online glossary

Do you have a long list of terms and definitions in one HTML file? Do you currently use a lot of popups to define terms? Include an online glossary where users can quickly look up terms and definitions. An online glossary is similar to a glossary in a printed book. It provides a list of terms and definitions related to the subject matter in your project. Users select terms and view their corresponding terms from a Glossary tab in the left-hand pane of the HTML Help viewer.