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Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Developing Custom Help. Chapter Objectives. Use HTML to create customized Help topics for an application Use the HTML Help Workshop to create the Help Index and Contents tabs Link a Help file to an Access application Learn the process of creating a customized Help system.

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Chapter 11

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  1. Chapter 11 Developing Custom Help

  2. Chapter Objectives • Use HTML to create customized Help topics for an application • Use the HTML Help Workshop to create the Help Index and Contents tabs • Link a Help file to an Access application • Learn the process of creating a customized Help system

  3. Developing Custom Help • Customized Help • Contained in one or more Help files that are delivered along with the Access application • HTML Workshop or WinHelp • Help file compiler used to create Help files • Hypertext Markup Language • Language used to construct World Wide Web (WWW) pages • Newer language

  4. Developing Custom Help • Rich Text Format (RTF) • Common file format that can be specified in most word processors • Used by WinHelp to develop components of Help

  5. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help window contains several tabs and subwindows • Topic window • Displays Help for a particular task • Index tab • Alphabetically lists keywords that assist a user in finding a particular topic

  6. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help window contains several tabs and subwindows (continued): • Contents tab • Organizes topics according to an outline • Answer Wizard tab • Allows the user to type in a question

  7. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help Figure 11-1 Components of Customized Help

  8. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help developer must create: • Topic files • Based on Html • End with htm extension • Displayed in the Topic window

  9. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help developer must create (continued): • Index file • Uses an hhk file extension • Based on HTML, but can be generated automatically through HTML Help Workshop • Contents are placed in the Index tab

  10. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help developer must create (continued): • Contents file • Uses an hhc file extension • Corresponds to the Contents tab • Based on HTML • Can be created automatically in the HTML Help Workshop

  11. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help developer must create (continued): • Project file • Uses an hhp file extension • Identifies the topic, index, and content files that will be compiled together to form the Help file • Specifies other options, such as size and type of Help windows • Compiling a project generates a compiled Help file that ends with a chm extension

  12. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Help developer must create (continued): • Files for the Answer Wizard tab • Developed through the use of the Answer Wizard Builder • Answer Wizard Builder • Separate program

  13. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • Context-sensitive Help • Displays different Help topics depending upon the location of the user’s cursor • To develop quality customized Help: • Must determine the Help requirements • Must design the Help topics • Common format

  14. Features, Components, and Process of Creating Customized Help • To develop quality customized Help (cont.): • Should design the Index and Contents tab so that a consistent standard is used • Must create the topics, index, contents, and project files • Must compile the Help files through the use of the Help file compiler • Must link the files to the application

  15. Creating Help Topics • Help topics frequently list the steps necessary to accomplish a desired database action • Steps may include: • Boldface phrases that catch the attention of the user • Links to other relevant Help topics, links to pop-up windows that define terms, and pictures that graphically illustrate a concept

  16. Creating Help Topics • Developers use HTML to create topic files • Text files that do not contain special formatting • HTML uses tags that surround letters, words, or phrases to specify the desired format • The Web browser or the Help viewer then reads these tags and formats the text accordingly

  17. Creating Help Topics Table 11-1 Commonly used HTML tags

  18. Creating Help Topics Figure 11-2 HTML tags used in a Help file

  19. Creating Help Topics Figure 11-3 Displayed Help file corresponding to Figure 11-2

  20. Creating Help Topics • <HTML></HTML> tags • Indicate the beginning and the end of an HTML document • <HEAD></HEAD> tags • Surround text that provides overhead information to the browser • <TITLE></TITLE> tags • Appear inside the <HEAD> tags

  21. Creating Help Topics • <TITLE> tags • Placed in the title bar of a document if it is displayed in a browser • <BODY></BODY> tags • Surround the text that will be displayed in the Topic window

  22. Creating Help Topics • Help developers can use different tools to create HTML files: • Microsoft FrontPage • Microsoft Word • Limited HTML editor that comes with HTML Help Workshop • Notepad

  23. Help Templates • General types of Help topics: • Term definitions • Multi-step instructions • Single-step instructions • Actions that can be performed with a form

  24. Help Templates • Topic template • An HTML file that contains the headings, tags, fonts, and colors used for topics of a particular type • May also contain text that describes where certain types of instructions are placed in the topic file • Cascading style sheets • Used to control the fonts, colors, and backgrounds of the topic files

  25. Help Templates Figure 11-4 Overview topic template

  26. Help Templates Figure 11-5 Single-step procedure topic template

  27. Help Templates Figure 11-6 Multi-step procedure topic template

  28. Help Templates • Sentences should be written in a standard style • Use verb phrases consistently to indicate a user action • Boldface the object that is the subject of the action • Use terminology consistently

  29. Including Images in Topic Files • HTML Help Image Editor • Enables you to capture an image from the screen and then edit that image Figure 11-10 Capture options in the HTML Help Image Editor

  30. Linking to Other Topic Files and Creating Pop-up Windows • JavaScript • Programming language that can be embedded in an HTML file • Required by a hyperlink that displays information in a pop-up window • Uses objects and methods • HTML Help ActiveX control

  31. Starting a Project File Figure 11-13 Project tab toolbar buttons

  32. Starting a Project File Table 11-2 Project tab toolbar buttons

  33. Creating the Contents File • Help contents file is an HTML file that includes a list of words or phrases that are linked to the topic files Figure 11-15 Contents tab toolbar buttons

  34. Creating the Contents File • HTML Help Workshop allows the developer to tag items in the contents file with a particular information type • Information type • Associated with a particular group of users • Declared in the Table of Contents property window

  35. Creating an Index File • Creating an index file through the Index tab is similar to creating a contents file except: • Headings are not used • Index toolbar contains a button to sort the file Figure 11-18 Initial Index tab

  36. Preparing the Project File for Access • Alias and map sections • Associate a topic HTML file with a numerical ID Figure 11-20 Cross-referencing Help properties, sections, and files

  37. Integrating Help with an Access Application • API procedure • Function or sub procedure that is created outside the scope of an Access application • Helpfile argument • Must contain the complete path to the compiled Help file • Context argument • Numerical expression that specifies a numerical ID that is listed in the map section of the project file

  38. Integrating Help with an Access Application • vbMsgBoxHelpButton • Intrinsic constant for the Help button • HtmlHelp • API function that invokes Help • HHCtrol.ocx • Name of the library outside Access that contains the function

  39. Integrating Help with an Access Application • hwndCaller argument • The Hwnd property of the form or control that will be associated with the Help viewer • Hwnd property • Uniquely identifies an open window across all Windows application

  40. Integrating Help with an Access Application • pszFile argument • Specifies the complete path to the Help file • uCommand argument • Influences the operation of the HtmlHelp function • dwData argument • Numerical ID of the context-sensitive Help when the value of uCommand is the hexadecimal number represented by &HF

  41. Chapter Summary • Customized Help • Vital tool that tells users how to perform both basic and advanced functions • Creation supported by HTML Help Workshop • Consists of various sections and files • Topic window and files • Index tab • Contents tab • Project files

  42. Chapter Summary • HelpFile and HelpContextID properties • Used to connect compiled Help file to the Access application • Help can be connected to an Access application via MsgBox arguments and HtmlHelp API function • Topic templates • Promote consistency across the system

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