eHelp Wizard: eHelp Options

The eHelp Wizard allows you to enable eHelp, WinHelp 2000 Explorer View, and Smart See Also button functionality to existing WinHelp 4 or HTML Help systems, including those created using other software applications.

Enable eHelp

Make sure this option is selected to enable eHelp functionality in the Help file.

Search Concepts for this Project

The New button allows you enter a new search concept for the Help file you’re modifying. Search concepts are words or phrases that you can enter to affect search results. You can enter any information related to your Help system and working application that you think will provide better results. The search concepts you enter here will be included in all searches.

You can rename or remove a search concept by clicking the Rename or Remove buttons.

Application Data

Enter the name and version of your working application so that eHelp can find relevant search information about your application. It’s important to complete this information because it could provide significantly better search results.

Display Options

Select where you want the search results to be displayed in Display Options. If you select Display in Browser, your default browser opens and displays eHelp.

Notify Users of Community Updates

Select this option if you want your users to receive notifications about significant changes in their online communities. Users receive notifications when they open the Help system or when they click Help in a dialog.

Advanced button

Clicking this button gives more eHelp options. The Advanced: General tab allows you to specify preferred Internet domains, set display options, and more.

The Advanced: Search tab allows you to select search options that will help provide better search results.


Advanced: General

eHelp’s default settings work well with most Help systems, but you can decide if your users would benefit from different settings. This dialog provides other options if you want to change the default settings.

Preferred Domains

You can enter Internet domains to help provide better search results and organize the results list on the Search page. Internet domains also allow you to organize the eHelp search results list for your users according to domain.

You can add a domain by clicking New. Click Rename to rename an existing domain and Remove to remove an existing domain.

Window Options

You can choose where the eHelp button will be displayed.

•	Display eHelp in All Applicable Windows (default). Secondary windows with buttons will automatically have the eHelp button, in addition to all main windows.

•	Display eHelp in Main Window Only. You may choose to display the eHelp button in the main window only because your secondary window topics don’t typically contain information that would be helpful in Web searches.

 Initial eHelp Page

You can choose which eHelp page is displayed when users click the eHelp button. Here’s a brief description of each page:

•	The Search page (default) allows users to begin searches. It displays a list of search options users can select to provide better search results. The Search page is a good starting point for users who want the opportunity to select search options or start a new search.

•	The Results page displays search results. The results are based on what search options the user selected on the Search page (if any) and what eHelp settings you selected in your Help project.

•	The Community page enables users to access eHelp’s online communities. Users can interact with other software users, have live online discussions, receive updates, exchange ideas, problem solve, learn tips and tricks, and more. The Community page includes bulletin boards, live chats and forums, and access to real-time email.

•	The Home page introduces users to eHelp and provides a good starting point for novice Internet users. However, users may prefer to see a specific eHelp page initially.

Email

Enter your email address to receive valuable feedback about how your users are making use of eHelp from your Help system. Blue Sky Software will not distribute this information and will only use it to notify you of changes and to improve your eHelp usage.


Advanced: Search

Since every Help system is unique, you may decide to use your own search option settings to meet your users’ needs. Search options are components of your Help system (such as the topic title) that affect eHelp search results and can help provide better results. You set search options only once in this dialog, but the settings affect searches for each Help topic individually.

Selecting Help components

•	Remember that the Help components you select in this dialog are used in searches on a topic-by-topic basis. That means that if you select Index (K-Keywords) as Always Relevant in this dialog, Index (K-Keywords) associated with the displayed topic will be used in the search.

•	You should review each Help component to make sure it will help in searches, not hinder them. For example, if you have many See Also (A-Keywords) that would be meaningless in a Web search (such as numbers or abbreviations), you may want to select See Also (A-keywords) as Sometimes Relevant or Never Relevant.

Selecting relevance

When you’ve determined which Help components will help provide better search results, you need to decide if each component will always, sometimes, or never affect searches.

Depending on the settings you select on this tab, Help components will be listed on eHelp’s Search page for users to select (include in the search) or deselect (not include). For example, if you select Topic Title as Sometimes Relevant, the Help component “Topic Titles” will be listed on eHelp’s Search page as an option to include in searches, but it will be unselected. The user must select this option or it will not be included in the search.

Here’s a brief explanation of each option and how each will appear on eHelp’s Search page:

•	Always Relevant. The Help component will always affect searches when the user clicks the eHelp button and will always be selected on the eHelp Search page. (The user can then deselect the component if they don’t want it to affect the search.) For example, if you select Topic Title as Always Relevant, eHelp will always include the topic title the user is viewing in the search. This option can provide more specific results as long as the Help component contains useful information.

•	Sometimes Relevant. The Help component can be selected on the eHelp Search page, but it is not automatically included in the first search. For example, if not all of the Window Titles in the Help system would be useful in searches, choose Sometimes Relevant and users can select it on the Search page if they want.

•	Never Relevant. The Help component will never be used in searches and will not appear on the eHelp Search page. For example, if the names of books in your table of contents are unrelated to the content (e.g., book names like “Chapter One” or “A1”), you’ll want to make sure “Table of Contents Book Name” is set as Never Relevant so eHelp doesn’t search for those book names.


eHelp Wizard: WinHelp 2000 options

The eHelp Wizard’s WinHelp 2000 Options dialog allows you to add Explorer View, secondary window options, and the Smart See Also button to an existing WinHelp 4 file.

Note: This dialog is not available if you select a .CHM file in the eHelp Wizard: Choose Help file dialog.

Create WinHelp 2000 Explorer View

Explorer View is a Blue Sky Software enhancement that emulates the functionality of Windows 98/Microsoft HTML Help. This option allows you to quickly add the look and feel of an online book or Windows 98/HTML Help to your WinHelp 4 system. The compiled Help system has Contents, Index, and Search tabs anchored on the left side of the Help window for easy access and navigation – similar to the tri-pane HTML Help window.

More Options

Select WinHelp 2000 secondary window preferences:

•	Show secondary windows. Displays topics and context-sensitive Help in the specified window – the main Explorer View or a secondary window.

•	Show secondary windows on context-sensitive Help. (Default) Displays context-sensitive topics in secondary windows, if the secondary window is specified as part of the context-sensitive command. All other topics display in the main Explorer View Help tri-pane window, even if a secondary window is specified.

•	Suppress all secondary windows. All topics (including context-sensitive) display in the main Explorer View Help tri-pane window – even if a secondary window is specified.

Add Smart See Also Button

The Smart See Also button adds the See Also button to the main Explorer View Help window. This feature provides users with related topics just by clicking the Smart See Also button. The eHelp Wizard automatically connects all See Also keywords (A-keywords) to appropriate topics.

Note: The Smart See Also button is only available if you enable WinHelp 2000 Explorer View in this dialog.


eHelp Wizard: Choose file

The eHelp Wizard allows you to enable eHelp, WinHelp 2000 Explorer View, and the Smart See Also button to existing WinHelp 4 or HTML Help systems, including those created using other software applications. All you need is the help (.HLP) file or the compiled HTML Help file (.CHM).

Choose Help File

Enter the path and name of a Help file or click Browse to find a file. This is the Help file you’re modifying with the eHelp Wizard. You can also select a file from the drop-down file list.

Options

You can select one of the following options:

•	Enable/Change eHelp Functionality. You can enable eHelp functionality in a Help file that has not been modified with the eHelp Wizard and change options in a file that has already been modified. You can enable all eHelp functionality or only some features. To enable only some features, simply select the options you want in the Wizard.

•	Disable eHelp Functionality. Allows you to disable eHelp functionality in a file that has already been modified with the eHelp Wizard. Click Finish.

•	Restore Backup. If you created a backup for your original file when you first enabled eHelp functionality, you can restore it and overwrite the file you modified by selecting this option. (See Create Backup option.)

•	Create Backup. Create Backup is selected by default the first time you modify a file with eHelp. This option creates a copy of your source .HLP or .CHM file and is stored in the same folder as your original Help file with a .BAK extension. If a backup already exists, this option will be deselected so that you don’t accidentally overwrite your original backup.

•	Create eHelp Desktop Icon. Allows you to create a shortcut on your desktop to eHelp’s Web site, where you can perform searches and access online communities.


eHelp Wizard Functionality

This window gives you information about how the eHelp Wizard will modify your Help file if click OK. If you click Cancel, the wizard returns and you can modify the changes.

Status

Displays eHelp functionality that will be enabled or disabled in your Help file. You can use the status to verify that the changes are the ones you want. If not, you can click Cancel and return to the wizard.

Dependencies

Displays additional files that are required for the Help system. Once eHelp functionality is enabled, your end users must have RoboEX32.dll (for .HLP files) or HHActiveX.dll (for .CHM files) installed on their systems along with the other required Help system files. To find these DLLs, refer to the redist folder on the RoboHELP Office installation CD.


eHelp Wizard: Result

This window lets you know that the eHelp Wizard successfully updated your Help file. You can see that the features you wanted were added to the button bar by clicking Launch. Or you can click Close to exit.


What is eHelp?

eHelp is a new way of connecting software users to a “greater community” of fellow users, information, and resources. It is a radical innovation in user assistance that harnesses the power of the Internet to provide users of virtually any software application access to a whole world of knowledge and support.

eHelp is made up of two parts:

•	The eHelp functionality within RoboHELP, which allows Help authors to connect users to online information.

•	The online eHelp community (www.ehelp.com), providing an online community for product-specific information, resources, and discussion.

eHelp greatly extends the range and depth of information that can be included in the standard Help system and documentation shipped with an application, or contained in a Help Desk. Whenever users access eHelp from within a product’s Help system, they connect to a living online community that contains a continually growing repository of information specific to that product. As the community for each application utilizing eHelp technology grows, that community’s knowledge base will increase exponentially until it encompasses the combined experience of the entire active customer base. eHelp places this accumulated knowledge and expertise directly at the user’s fingertips. eHelp also offers targeted searches of the Web, by using an advanced search engine that can search many major Web portals simultaneously. Because eHelp detects which product the user is working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

eHelp allows peer-to-peer exchanges of ideas between people who might be thousands of miles apart and would otherwise never communicate with one another. They can enter into live conversations or participate in community bulletin boards to get answers to questions, share tips and learn more about the applications they use daily. They can check Frequently Asked Questions pages for common issues that have been raised by other users of the same software applications. They can also use the community to discuss their professional pursuits and interests with other like-minded individuals.

Providing users with access to eHelp is easy. When creating Help system using RoboHELP, you simply enable the eHelp option. The resulting Help system will then contain all the functionality required for each end user to connect to the eHelp community for that application. All the end user needs to do is click the eHelp button.

eHelp resides on a cluster of high-availability Internet servers hosted by Blue Sky Software. eHelp’s expert staff will professionally administer an eHelp community for our partners, relieving software vendors of this task as well as the costs involved in setting up and hosting a high-availability Internet community portal. Software vendor partners may optionally moderate, administer, or otherwise participate in their products’ eHelp communities if they wish, but they are not required to do so. A partnership is required. For more information on partnering with eHelp, contact an eHelp representative or visit our Web site at www.ehelp.com.

Add eHelp to your applications today and begin lowering support costs while increasing end user satisfaction and productivity.


How eHelp benefits Help authors

As a Help author, you naturally want to provide your end users with all the resources necessary to get the most out of their software applications. You labor intensively over the content and organization of your Help systems to ensure that they’re comprehensive, easy to navigate, and support learning. You interview developers and users alike to cover all the angles and all the necessary content. You perform usability testing so that you know your Help systems are on the mark. But what can you do after deployment to make sure that your users’ needs continue to be addressed? How can you account for new issues that invariably arise after shipment as applications evolve and the systems they run on change? How can you possibly document software bugs, glitches and workarounds that weren’t known at the time the Help system was authored? And how can you accommodate the broadening user base that your software will attract?

eHelp offers a new solution that supplements your Help system’s content to ensure that it will remain as dynamic as the world in which it lives. Whenever end users access eHelp from within a Help system, they connect to a thriving online community that contains a continually growing repository of information. As the community for each application utilizing eHelp technology grows, that community’s knowledge base will increase exponentially until it encompasses the combined experience of the entire active customer base. eHelp places this accumulated knowledge and expertise directly at the end user’s fingertips.

eHelp also offers targeted searches of Web, by using an advanced search engine that can search many major Web portals simultaneously. Because eHelp detects which product the end user is working with –and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

You can see an eHelp community in action by visiting the RoboHELP eHelp community. Simply click the eHelp button displayed in this Help system, or you can visit the community by going to www.ehelp.com.


How eHelp benefits end users

Chances are that your Help system is the first place users look when they have questions about the software applications that they use. If they can’t find the answers they’re looking for, they probably call technical support next, where they’re likely to be placed on hold. With eHelp, they can find the answers to their questions directly through their application’s Help system. That’s because eHelp gives users free, direct access to the shared knowledge and experience of other users and experts from around the world, specifically for their software application. All they need is a standard Internet connection.

Whenever users access eHelp, the repository of information that has been accumulated about their software application is at their fingertips. Users can conduct a comprehensive search of the eHelp knowledge base, or even perform a targeted search across many major Web portals simultaneously, to efficiently find additional information. Because eHelp detects which product users are working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

eHelp offers free membership in a worldwide community of peers and experts. Users can enter into live conversations or participate in community bulletin boards to get answers to questions, share tips and learn more about the applications they use daily. Users can check a Frequently Asked Questions page for common issues that have been raised by other users of their specific application. Or they can use the community to discuss their pursuits and interests with other like-minded individuals.

The exchange of ideas happens naturally on eHelp, as the eHelp portal works to connect people on the basis of their needs, experience and the applications they use, rather than physical proximity or social circles. Users will enter into an eHelp community with a question, and come away with insight.

Does your Help system contain an eHelp button? If it does, all your users need to do is click on it to connect to eHelp. Connect your users to eHelp today so they can get the most out of their software.


How eHelp benefits the Help Desk

Do your users find answers to their questions within your Help systems? Chances are that if they do, they don’t need to call on your organization’s Help Desk for support. eHelp is a new solution from Blue Sky Software that allows users to use the Internet as a Help resource. By providing eHelp to your users, you are offering them free membership in a worldwide community of peers and experts, while giving them the tools to help them help themselves and others.

eHelp provides your users with access to a world of knowledge that greatly extends the range and depth of information that can be included in the standard Help system. Whenever users access eHelp from within an application’s Help system, they connect to a living online community that contains a continually growing repository of information specific to that application. As the community for each application utilizing eHelp technology grows, that community’s knowledge base will increase exponentially until it encompasses the combined experience of the entire active customer base. eHelp places this accumulated knowledge and expertise directly at the user’s fingertips.

To further help users find answers before calling technical support, eHelp also offers targeted searches of the Web. eHelp uses an advanced search engine that can search many major Web portals simultaneously. Because eHelp detects which product the user is working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

eHelp also allows peer-to-peer exchanges of ideas between people who might be thousands of miles apart and would otherwise never communicate with one another. They can enter into live conversations or participate in community bulletin boards to get answers to questions, share tips and learn more about the applications they use daily. They can check Frequently Asked Questions pages for common issues that have been raised by other users of the same software applications. They can also use the community to discuss their professional pursuits and interests with other like-minded individuals.

Add eHelp to your applications today and begin lowering support costs while increasing end-user satisfaction and productivity.


Popup - Search concept
Search concept

Search concepts enable you to provide better eHelp and Web search results for your users. You can enter words and phrases that relate to the content in your Help project and working application (the software that calls your Help file). This allows eHelp to return links that more directly apply to what the user is currently trying to do.


Popup - Internet domain
Internet domain

An address of a network connection in the format that identifies the owner of that address in a hierarchical format: server.organization.type (such as www.ehelp.com). By specifying your preferred domains, the eHelp search results list can be organized for your users according to domain.


Popup - Working application
Working application

The working application is the software that calls your Help file.


Popup - DLL
DLL

Dynamic Link Library. File that contains executable content that can be loaded by an application to complete or extend its functionality. An "application" can actually be an executable (.EXE) combined with one or more DLLs. DLLs can also contain images, strings, or other resources that can be used by the application. Multiple applications can use the same DLL simultaneously.


Popup - Search option
Search option

Search options are components of your Help system (such as the topic title) that are used to affect search results for the current Help topic.


Popup - WinHelp 4 only
WinHelp 4 only

This icon means this information pertains only to WinHelp 4 Help systems (those designed for Windows 95, 98, and NT).


Welcome to eHelp

eHelp is a direct result of interaction with our customers, who are an integral part of the Help authoring community. The Help community first partnered with Blue Sky Software to implement RoboLIST. This mailing list allowed Help authoring professionals around the world to communicate with each other to solve common problems and discuss important issues in the Help authoring community.

Our customers and leaders in the Help authoring community asked for more and provided important information regarding the needs of the community. Blue Sky Software has worked hard to realize this dream. eHelp is the result of this collaborative effort and a revolutionary step in the continuing evolution of Help. We are fortunate to have customers with the initiative and vision to help drive such a development.

By participating in a software community, users can meet and provide personalized software support to one another instead of spending valuable time on a technical support line or waiting for email replies. You’ll meet other users you would never ordinarily meet because of geography and time constraints, and you’ll have a technical support system right at your fingertips.

Not only can you participate in communities for software support, you can use communities to distribute information to your Help users that became available after you shipped your product. You can post samples, templates, and updates to your Help system, ask for feedback, and update Frequently Asked Questions. End users are no longer limited to the finite information set that is shipping with an application and they can minimize or even completely avoid the expense, delays, and hassles of technical support centers and Help Desks.

In addition to the ever-increasing information and resources on the eHelp Web site, your users can perform targeted Web searches right from the Help system. Unlike other search engines, eHelp benefits from an advanced search engine that can search many major Web portals simultaneously. Because eHelp detects which software the user is working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

Users enter into an eHelp community with questions, and come away with insight. They will appreciate having access to eHelp right from your Help system. It’s easy for you to enable eHelp, and it’s easy for users to access eHelp by clicking a button in the Help window.


Blue Sky Software headquarters

Blue Sky Software Corporation is the worldwide leader in Help authoring solutions. Software developers, Help authors, technical writers, and documentation experts worldwide turn to Blue Sky Software for state-of-the-art Help authoring and Internet/intranet solutions.

Corporate Headquarters

Address:	Blue Sky Software 7777 Fay Avenue, Suite 201 La Jolla, CA 92037 U.S.A.
Telephone:	1-858-551-2485
Fax:	1-858-551-2486
World Wide Web:	www.blue-sky.com
Office Hours:	Monday to Friday 6:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time


Sales

Blue Sky Software’s professional sales staff is ready to answer your sales questions Monday to Friday from 6:00 A.M. to 5:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time.

Contact your sales representative to hear about the latest Blue Sky Software products, the Blue Sky Software Subscription Plan, upgrade options and prices, and more. If you have a technical question or problem, please contact Technical Support.

Contacting your Blue Sky Sales Representative

Sales Phone:	1-800-677-4946
International (including Canada):	1-858-459-6365
Sales Fax:	1-858-459-6366
World Wide Web:	www.blue-sky.com
Sales Email:	sales@blue-sky.com
When sending email, please include your company name, city, and state to ensure your request is handled promptly.


Blue Sky Software's Web site


Technical Support

At Blue Sky Software, we work hard to provide you with intuitive technical products. Additionally, we try to provide superior online and print documentation to enable you to work independently in creating Help projects. If you have a technical question that you can’t answer with the provided tools, please contact our Technical Support department. All of our Technical Support representatives are eager to answer your questions and help you create the best Help systems possible.

Note: You must be a registered user to access Blue Sky Software support services. Blue Sky Software support services are subject to Blue Sky Software prices, terms, and conditions in place at the time the service is used.

Help Us Help You

When contacting Technical Support via phone, email, or fax, please provide the following information for the fastest possible service:

•	Product serial number (registration number)

•	Your name, company name, and phone number

•	Exact product name and version number

•	Type of operating system (e.g., Windows 95)

•	Version of Microsoft Word (if using RoboHELP Classic)

•	Browser and version (if creating HTML-based Help)

•	Complete description of the issue, including steps to reproduce it

•	Exact wording of any messages displayed when you encountered the problem

•	Steps taken to resolve the problem

•	All previous email threads with Blue Sky Software about the issue, if any

Standard Support

Email

Ask questions and receive detailed answers from Technical Support by addressing your email message to:

•	support@blue-sky.com

Please make sure to include the information listed above. You will receive a response via email.

Fax

Ask questions and receive detailed answers from Technical Support by sending a fax message to:

•	1-858-456-4670

Please make sure to include the information listed above. You will receive a response via fax.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Blue Sky Technical Support FAQ is located at:

•	www.blue-sky.com/support

Telephone

You can reach Blue Sky Software Technical Support by phone Monday through Friday* at:

•	1-858-551-5680

Please make sure to include the information listed above.

* For hours of operation and details regarding the offerings above, please see the section below.

Additional Support Options and Descriptions

Blue Sky Software’s Technical Support is constantly working on expanding our support offerings. For the latest information on all support opportunities available to you as well as in-depth information on our standard support offerings listed above, please:

•	Visit our Web site at www.blue-sky.com/support.

•	Email us at supportnews@blue-sky.com to receive an automated reply listing all of your support options.


Blue Sky Software's Online Knowledge Base


Documentation feedback

At Blue Sky Software, we strive to produce the highest quality documentation products and welcome your feedback. If you have comments or suggestions about our online Help or printed guides, you can email us.

Please include the following information with your feedback:

•	Product name and version number

•	Printed manual or online help

•	Topic title (for online help)

•	Page number (for printed manual)

•	Brief description of content (for example, are you reviewing step-by-step instructions that are inaccurate, grammatical errors in a specific paragraph, information that requires clarification or more details, etc.)

•	Your suggestion for how to correct/improve documentation

Please send email messages to:

documentation@blue-sky.com

Keep in mind, this email address is only for documentation feedback; you will not receive a reply. If you have a technical question, please contact Technical Support.


Other helpful resources

A good list of resources can make all the difference in terms of support, guidance, and inspiration. As the worldwide leader in Help authoring solutions, Blue Sky Software leads the way by offering a list of helpful resources on our Web site.

You’ll find the latest Help authoring resource information – including books, periodicals, online forums, helpful Internet links, training, and more.


WinHelp 2000

We are unable to detect Internet Explorer or an Internet connection on your system, so we are unable to display Blue Sky Software's Web site.

This Help file uses WinHelp 2000, which extends the WinHelp viewer to provide full HTML and Web functionality without leaving WinHelp. WinHelp 2000 gives you all the benefits of HTML without the high cost and risk of switching to a new Help architecture.

WinHelp 2000 uses the same display engine as Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and HTML Help, so all of the rich content of the World Wide Web can be displayed and integrated into any standard Windows Help system.

If you use a browser other than Internet Explorer, use this alternative link:

 Blue Sky's Web site


PC HelpDesk

We are unable to detect ODBC with an Internet connection on your system, so we are unable to display Blue Sky Software's Knowledge Base.

Our Knowledge Base was created using PC HelpDesk – a Blue Sky Software tool included in RoboHELP Office. PC HelpDesk packages your product knowledge base into a customized HelpDesk you design, create, and maintain. Customers simply click on the HelpDesk link from your system’s Help file, and they have instant access to valuable information about your products. A well designed HelpDesk can lower your technical support costs and increase customer satisfaction by providing an easy way for your customers to get answers to their most common questions.


Premium Support

Premium Support entitles plan members to priority Technical Support access through a dedicated telephone line and a dedicated email address. Plan members receive direct access to Blue Sky's seasoned Senior Technical Support Engineers.

Premium Support plans are available for current and previous versions of Blue Sky Software products.


eHelp system requirements

You can enable eHelp functionality in any WinHelp 4 system or HTML Help system. Shipping a Help system with eHelp is easy too. Following are the system dependencies when you enable eHelp.

WinHelp

To enable eHelp functionality in a WinHelp file (.HLP), it must have been developed for WinHelp 4 (Windows 95, 98, or NT 4 or later). Once this functionality is enabled, you must ship the following .DLLs with your Help file:

Operating System	Dependency
Windows 95	RoboEx32.dll, Oleaut32.dll (*1), Olepro32.dll (*1)
Windows NT 4	RoboEx32.dll, Oleaut32.dll (*1), Olepro32.dll (*1)
Windows 98	RoboEx32.dll
Windows 2000 (*2)	RoboEx32.dll
You also must have a browser and an Internet connection.

Html Help

You can also enable eHelp functionality in a compiled HTML Help file (.CHM). Once this functionality is enabled, you must ship the following dependencies with your Help file:

Operating System	Dependency
Windows 95	HHActiveX.dll, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later
Windows NT 4	HHActiveX.dll, Internet Explorer 4.0 or later
Windows 98	HHActiveX.dll
Windows 2000 (*2)	HHActiveX.dll
You also must have an Internet connection.

(*1) Already present on most systems

(*2) Not available at time of testing


About the eHelp Wizard

If you’ve ever wished there were a simple way to expand your application’s Help system to provide more support for users, the eHelp Wizard provides the perfect solution. Providing users with eHelp can greatly reduce the load on technical support departments by giving users a direct link from Help systems to Internet resource centers. All you need is a compiled WinHelp (.HLP) or HTML Help file (.CHM).

eHelp greatly extends the range and depth of information that can be included in the standard Help system and documentation shipped with an application, or contained in a Help Desk. Whenever users access eHelp from within a product’s Help system, they connect to a living online community that contains a continually growing repository of information specific to that product. As the community for each application utilizing eHelp technology grows, that community’s knowledge base will increase exponentially until it encompasses the combined experience of the entire active customer base. eHelp places this accumulated knowledge and expertise directly at the user’s fingertips.

By participating in a software community, users can meet and provide personalized software support to one another instead of spending valuable time on a technical support line or waiting for email replies. They’ll meet other users they would never ordinarily meet because of geography and time constraints, and they’ll have a technical support system right at your fingertips.

With eHelp, you or your users can also perform targeted Web searches right from a Help system. Unlike other search engines, eHelp benefits from an advanced search engine that can search many major Web portals simultaneously. Because eHelp detects which software the user is working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – the search is inherently highly focused.

More Wizard features

These features are available when you enable eHelp in a WinHelp 4 Help file (.HLP):

WinHelp 2000 Explorer View

WinHelp Explorer View is an enhancement from Blue Sky Software that emulates the functionality of Windows 98/Microsoft HTML Help. This option is a quick way to give a WinHelp 4 Help system the look and feel of an online book or Windows 98-style HTML Help. The compiled Help system has Contents, Index, and Search tabs anchored on the left side of the Help window for easy access and navigation – similar to the tri-pane HTML Help window.

Smart See Also button

The Smart See Also button adds a See Also button to your Explorer View Help project window (the main window). This gives you the ability to provide users with related topics automatically. When users click on the Smart See Also button, RoboHELP connects all See Also keywords (A-keywords) to appropriate topics. You must have WinHelp 2000 Explorer View enabled to select the Smart See Also button.


Enabling eHelp in existing Help files

Enabling eHelp in an existing Help system means users will get free membership in a worldwide community of peers and experts with just a click of a button. By participating in eHelp’s Internet communities, end users can exchange ideas with other software users they would never ordinarily meet because of geography and time constraints.

Clicking the eHelp button from inside a Help system also provides highly focused, targeted Internet searches across multiple search engines. eHelp detects which software the user is working with – and even the context of what tasks and actions they are currently performing – so searches are customized for each user.

Use this procedure to enable eHelp functionality in an existing WinHelp 4* (.HLP) file or a compiled HTML Help (CHM) file. Once enabled, the eHelp button is displayed in your compiled Help window on the button bar.

To enable eHelp in existing Help files:

1	On the Tools tab, double-click the eHelp Wizard icon. The eHelp Wizard opens.

2	Enter the path and file name of the .HLP or .CHM file or click Browse to find a file. You can also select a file from the drop-down file list.

3	Select Enable/Change eHelp Functionality to enable eHelp functionality in a Help file or to make changes to a file that already has eHelp functionality. Click Next to display the eHelp Options dialog.

4	Enter the name and version of the application in Application Data so that eHelp can find relevant search information about the working application. Click Next to display the WinHelp 2000 options dialog.

5	Select Create WinHelp 2000 Explorer View if you want to enable Explorer View in the Help file.

Note: This dialog is only available if you selected an .HLP file in the Choose File dialog.

6	Click Finish. The eHelp Wizard displays the changes that will be made to the file if you click OK. To return to the Wizard, click Cancel.

* eHelp is not available in WinHelp 3 systems.


Setting eHelp advanced search options

If you use eHelp’s default settings, your users will get highly focused search results found across multiple search engines. Each Help system is unique, however, and you may choose to change the defaults to suit your specific needs.

eHelp detects the context of what tasks and actions users are currently performing, including components of your Help system (search options), such as topic titles. You specify search options only once in this dialog, and the settings affect searches for each Help topic individually. Use the procedure below to set options in the Search dialog. Here is a brief description of each setting:

•	Always Relevant means the Help component will always affect searches when the user clicks the eHelp button and will be selected on the eHelp Search page. (The user can then deselect the option if they don’t want it to affect the search.) This option can provide more specific results as long as the Help component contains useful information.

•	Sometimes Relevant means the Help component can be selected on the eHelp Search page, but is not automatically included when the user initiates a search.

•	Never Relevant means the Help component will never be used in searches and will not appear on the eHelp Search page. For example, this is useful if the names of books in your table of contents are unrelated to the content (such as “Chapter One” or “A1”).

To set search options:

1	On the Tools tab, double-click the eHelp Wizard icon. The eHelp Wizard opens.

2	From the eHelp Wizard’s eHelp Options dialog, click Advanced.

3	Click the Search tab.

4	Make changes.

5	Click OK to return to the eHelp Options dialog.


Setting eHelp advanced general options

If you use eHelp’s default settings, users will get highly focused search results found across multiple search engines. Each Help system is unique, however, and you may choose to change the defaults to suit your specific needs.

Use the procedure below to set options in the eHelp: Advanced General dialog. This dialog allows you to produce even more targeted results using preferred domains, as well as customize a few other settings. Here’s a brief description of each:

•	Preferred domains. Entering domains that are related to your Help project, software, or company can produce more specific search results. If you specify domains, you can sort the search results list by domain. For more information, see http://www.ehelp.blue-sky.com.

•	Window options. The eHelp button will be displayed in all applicable Help windows unless you select Display eHelp Button in Main Window Only. You may want to do this if your secondary topics don’t typically contain information that would be useful in Web searches.

•	Initial eHelp Page. You can select which eHelp Web page opens when users click the eHelp button: Search (default), Results, Community, or Home.

•	Email. You can enter your Email address to receive valuable feedback about how your users are making use of eHelp from your Help system. Blue Sky Software will not distribute this information and will only use it to notify you of changes and to improve your eHelp usage.

To set advanced general options:

1	On the Tools tab, double-click the eHelp Wizard icon. The eHelp Wizard opens.

2	From the eHelp Wizard’s eHelp Options dialog, click Advanced to display the General tab.

3	Make changes.

4	Click OK to return to the eHelp Options dialog.