Final Outline of Class Project

Linking Multiple Help Systems Using RoboHELP 6.0

Note: This document will presented in online Help.

Audience Definition

If you are an intermediate Help author familiar with using RoboHELP 6.0, you will find this Help system useful. Use these instructions to set up your Help system in a way that provides your users access to information in a different Help system residing on the same PC or network.

Concepts

What is the advantage of having linked Help systems?

Explains what linked Help systems are and why it is useful to be able to provide users of a Help system access to information in another Help system

What is a master TOC?

Explains how a master table of contents (TOC) provides easy access to information in more than one Help system with one combined TOC, index, and full-text search tool

Explains how to use a single table of contents to locate information that is located in one or more linked Help files

Can you jump to a topic in another Help system?

Explains what it means to jump to topics in other Help systems and to jump directly to another Help system's table of contents

Can I also link my Help system to a PDF?

Explains what a PDF file is and the limited access that can be provided to it

Procedures

Requirements

To include…

All .cnt and .hlp files must be installed in the same subdirectory for a master TOC to work.
All file names must use the DOS naming convention of 8+3.
Good communication among the writers involved.
Use of a common style guide.

Getting Started

Provides, in checklist form, an overview of the major steps

Adding the Master TOC button to your Help system windows

Explains how to add a Master TOC button to all of your defined windows

Preparing the contents (.cnt) files

Explains how to prepare the .cnt files of all the Help systems so that the TOCs display correctly when they are combined

Creating the master table of contents

Explains how to create a separate Help system to contain the master TOC

Testing the completed table of contents

Explains how to test the completed master TOC

Linking to a PDF (optional)

Explains how to link a Help system to a PDF

Reference

A sample "working" master TOC

Includes a demonstration of how a master TOC works (possibly with a video file)

Troubleshooting FAQ

Includes questions such as "What happens if I click the Master TOC button and nothing happens?" and "My Master TOC button does not appear on the window. Why?"

A downloadable hard copy of all the procedures

Includes each of the procedures in a downloadable format

URLs for WinHelp and RoboHELP information

Includes URLs for sites such as Blue Sky's FAQ, the Help Master FAQ, the WinHlp-L archives, the RoboLIST archives, and The Mining Company's Technical Writing site

WinHelp and technical writing related e-mail list subscription information

Includes information about getting solutions to problems from e-mail lists such as the following: WinHlp-L, RoboLIST, Techwr-L, and Index-L

Sample window definitions

For Help authors without a developed style, a table suggesting how several useful windows are configured
Note: See page 3 for a preliminary version of this topic, including tables.

Sample window macros

Several window macros that make Help systems easier to manage, including the Back, Close, and Exit macros

Glossary

To include…

.cnt file see contents file

.hlp file see Help system

contents file

Help system

jump

link

online manual

master TOC

PDF

TOC

topic

Index

This is my first-pass at the following topic. It is provided here to show you an example of one of the tables I will be using in my Help system.

Sample window definitions

If you do not already have a defined style, you might want to create window definitions for each of the following windows, using the descriptions in the table below.

Window Name	Description
Main2	Use this window to display topics that describe concepts and reference information.
Main	Although the Main window is configured, do not assign it to any of the topics. Under certain circumstances, when displaying topics using the Master TOC, topics are displayed in a Main window, regardless of the windows to which they are assigned.
HowTo	Use this window to display procedural information.
List	Use this window to display lists of jumps. For example, display a topic called Troubleshooting Tips that lists troubleshooting-related topics as jumps.
Example	Use this window to display information such as programming code, screen shots, or examples. Often these windows are accessed from a button labeled Example or from a jump or popup.

Configure each of these windows as shown in the following table.

Maximize this window for best viewing.

		Nonscrolling	Client	Buttons	Placement
Window Name	Window Caption	Region (NSR) Color	Window Color	(select the following checkboxes)	Top	Left	Height	Width
Main2	Name this window for your project.	Light yellow	White	Standard Secondary Windows Buttons	0%	40%	81%	55%
Main	Name this window for your project.	Light yellow	White	Standard Secondary Windows Buttons	0%	40%	81%	55%
HowTo	How to . . .	Light yellow	White	Print and Standard Secondary Windows Buttons	2%	50%	*	45%
List	Name this window for your project.	No NSR	White	Print and Standard Secondary Windows Buttons	2%	50%	*	45%
Example	Example	No NSR	White	Print and Standard Secondary Windows Buttons	2%	40%	*	55%

* Select the Auto-size height checkbox instead of designating the height of this window.