Microsoft HTML Help is a compiled Help format intended to run on Windows platforms. It relies on the Microsoft HTML Help engine to support Help-specific features such as keywords, tables of contents, indexes, HTML Help controls, link controls, and full-text search. It relies on components of Internet Explorer to display the compiled Help system from a special HTML Help viewer.
You create Microsoft HTML Help by compiling the project files into a single HTML Help file (.CHM). It is only supported using 32-bit Windows platforms with Internet Explorer installed.
WebHelp is based on HTML, but runs with a variety of browsers (e.g., Netscape Navigator) and on a variety of platforms (e.g., Macintosh, UNIX, Windows 3.1). Depending on the configuration, WebHelp employs Dynamic HTML, Java applet, or HTML Lists to provide functionality. (WebHelp displays HTML Lists for older browsers that lack full Java or Dynamic HTML support.)
Unlike Microsoft's HTML Help, WebHelp is not a compiled format. WebHelp supports all primary HTML Help features, including a table of contents, multi-level index, related topics, and full-text search.
The following information summarizes the key differences between HTML Help and WebHelp:
HTML Help |
WebHelp |
Relies on Microsoft HTML Help engine for support |
Supported by Web browser |
Compiled and compressed (.CHM file) |
Uncompiled set of output files |
Requires 32-bit Windows platforms |
Runs on any platform including Windows, UNIX, Linux, Sun Solaris and Macintosh |
Requires Internet Explorer |
Browser-independent |