About tabs

The HTML Help viewer, Internet browser (such as Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator), JavaHelp viewer, and Oracle Help viewer are designed to display tabs in the navigation pane on the left side of the Help system. These tabs are similar to the kind of tabs you select from dialogs — click a tab and options come to the forefront so you can use features.

Tab:

What it does:

Contents

Displays books and pages. Click a book and it expands to show groups of pages. Click a page to view its corresponding topic.

Index

Provides a list of keywords. Click a keyword to view its corresponding topic. If several topics reference the same keyword, select the topic to view from a popup menu.

Search

Enter words or phrases to scan topic content and find all topics that match the search criteria.

Favorites

Creates personalized lists of favorite Help topics. Quickly go to topics you often view by selecting them from this tab. (Only available for HTML Help projects.)

Glossary

Displays an alphabetized list of terms relevant to information in the Help system. Select a term to view its corresponding definition. (Only available for HTML Help projects.)

Tab placement and position

Default Tab: One tab is on top of the other tabs when the Help system opens. The Contents tab is automatically selected as the default tab. You can also use the Index or Search tab as the default tab in the Microsoft HTML Help viewer.

Tab Position: All tabs are displayed as a group in one common area in the navigation pane. By default, the tabs are displayed at the top of the pane (starting from the left). You can also display the tabs at the left side of the pane or below it.

Notes:

  • In HTML Help, tabs are designed to work with the navigation pane. Therefore, include the navigation pane if you want to add tabs.

  • If you do not create a TOC or index for an HTML Help project, the corresponding tab will not be displayed in the HTML Help viewer, even if TOC and Index is selected as a window setting.