For context-sensitive Help to work properly, both the Help author and developer need to use the correct topic IDs in the same map files. This sounds fairly simple and straightforward except that the HTML Help engine requires a topic ID plus something known as a map number.
The topic ID is matched with its corresponding map number in the map file. The entire string (known as a map ID) looks something like this:
#define ID_PizzaDeliveryForm 101
Any number between 0 and 4294967294 is valid, but the same map number cannot be used more than once in a Help project.
Map files can be supplied in several ways:
Developers: Generate map files with application development tools. Map IDs are based on the topic IDs coded into the program. Authors import these map files into Help projects and match the topic IDs with their context-sensitive Help topics.
RoboHELP: Auto-generates map files at the same time authors create aliases or text-only topics. With auto-generated map files, authors provide developers with copies of the map files (.HH) so they can code the topic IDs into the application.
Manually: Both developers and authors can manually create map files in text editors such as the Windows Notepad.
Regardless of the way the map file is provided, the correct topic IDs need to be matched to the correct context-sensitive Help topics in the Help project. When the project is compiled, the .CHM file is updated to include the information that provides context-sensitive Help functionality in the application.
If the developer is supplying you with map files, the topic IDs and map numbers are already assigned. All you need to do is import the map files into your project and find out what topic IDs to use with the context-sensitive topics. Sometimes it's straightforward to match topic IDs with their context-sensitive topics. If the topic ID names are not easy to recognize, ask your developer for more details.
Note: Obtain updated map files from your developer whenever map numbers change.
RoboHELP assigns map numbers when it automatically generates map files. These numbers are automatically assigned to text-only topics and aliases when they are created. Map files are auto-generated if you do not import one at the time you create the topic or alias. Map numbers are assigned sequentially. If a text-only topic or alias already has a map number, a new one will not be assigned. You can specify the map number to assign to each topic ID by manually entering the number.
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