Your Help systems, Web sites, intranet content, and online documentation can be displayed in a variety of ways, depending on the output format, browser, and platform. Each format is designed to be displayed in a main window where users work with tabs, click buttons, and view topics. You can also design custom/secondary windows, add links that display topics in popup windows, and create text-only popup windows.
The following information identifies the window types that are supported by each Help format:
Help format |
Help window |
Custom |
Popup |
Text-only |
Microsoft HTML Help |
HTML Help viewer |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
WebHelp |
Internet Explorer Netscape Navigator |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
JavaHelp |
JavaHelp viewer |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Oracle Help |
Oracle Help viewer |
No |
Yes |
No |
Microsoft HTML Help: When you create an HTML Help system, your compiled Help file (.CHM) is displayed in the HTML Help Viewer. It is a window designed by Microsoft, and included with Windows 98 and 2000, that works in much the same way as the Internet Explorer browser. For Windows 95, the viewer is installed as part of the RoboHELP/Microsoft HTML Help installation. This viewer displays the navigation pane on the left side with Contents, Index and Search tabs, and topic content in a viewing pane on the right.
WebHelp: You can display WebHelp output in Internet Explorer, Netscape Navigator, and other Internet browsers. Internet Explorer supports ActiveX controls and Dynamic HTML. Both browsers display the navigation pane on the left side with Contents, Index and Search tabs, and topic content in a viewing pane on the right.
JavaHelp: When you create a JavaHelp project, your compiled Help file or uncompressed output files are displayed in the JavaHelp viewer. This viewer is a window designed by Sun Microsystems specifically for JavaHelp. It works in much the same way as the HTML Help viewer.
Oracle Help: Oracle Help projects, in either compressed (.JAR) or uncompressed format, are displayed in the Oracle Help viewer designed by Oracle Corporation. The contents and index tabs appear in the left pane and topic content appears on the right. The two panes can be connected or "docked" together, or they can be undocked and moved and sized separately.