Context-sensitive Help topics provide information about what users see — details about fields and controls at dialogs, explanations of messages, and descriptions of windows and screen objects. It's called “context-sensitive” because depending on where you are in an application, you will receive specialized information and because it provides information relevant to the task the user is trying to accomplish. Users typically access context-sensitive Help by clicking a designated Help button while their cursor is in a particular dialog or field.
There are several reasons why context-sensitive Help is essential in applications:
Provides accessibility: Users get information in the context of where they are instead of searching for help. Users can complete a task while the Help window is still displayed on the screen. For more complex tasks and dialogs, Help topics can also contain task descriptions or links to additional information about the task they are trying to perform.
Reduces user frustration: Well-written context-sensitive Help can reduce the chance of users giving up. It can also reduce technical support costs when users can easily find information themselves.
In HTML Help, there are two kinds of context-sensitive Help:
Window-level Help (also known as dialog Help, F1 Help, Help button Help)
What's This? Help (also known as field-level Help)
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