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HP Help System Developer's Guide

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HP Part Number: B1171-90077

Edition: Version 3.0

Published: January 1995

© Copyright 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1995.

Table of Contents

1 Introducing the HP Help System

Overview of Online Help

Objectives for Online Help
How Users Get Help

The HP Help Information Model

A "volume" is a collection of "topics"
A "product family" is a group of related help volumes

The Author's Job

Know your audience
Consider how your help is accessed
Collaborate with the application programmer
Organize and write your topics
Create run-time help files
Review help as the user will see it

The Programmer's Job

Consider how your help is accessed
Collaborate with the help author
Create and manage help dialogs

2 Organizing and Writing a Help Volume

A Help Volume at a Glance

General Markup Guidelines

Writing Your First Help Volume: A Step-by-Step Example

Creating a Topic Hierarchy

To create a home topic
To add a topic to the hierarchy

Creating Meta Information Topics

To create a meta information section
To add a non-hierarchical topic

Accessing Topics

To add an ID to a topic
To add an ID to an element within a topic

Using Entities

To create a text entity
To create a file entity

3 Writing a Help Topic

Creating Structure Within a Topic

To start a paragraph
To enter a list
To provide subheadings within a topic
To show a computer listing
To add a note, caution, or warning

Entering Inline Elements

To emphasize a word or phrase
To enter a book title
To display a computer literal
To display a variable

Creating Hyperlinks

To create a "jump" link
To create a definition link
To create a man page link
To create an execution link
To create an application-defined link
To link to a meta information topic

Displaying Graphics

To create a figure
To display an inline graphic
To wrap text around a graphic

Including Special Characters

To include a special character

Including Comments and Writer's Memos

To insert a comment
To insert a writer's memo

Creating a Keyword Index

To mark an index entry

Creating a Glossary

To mark a glossary term
To define a term in the glossary

4 Processing and Displaying a Help Volume

Creating Run-Time Help Files

To run `helptag'
To review and correct parser errors

Viewing a Help Volume

To run `helpview'

Testing Your Help

5 Creating and Managing Help Dialogs

The Quick Help Dialog

To create a quick help dialog

The General Help Dialog

To create a general help dialog

Creating a Dialog Cache

To create a dialog cache
To retrieve a dialog from your cache
To return a dialog to your cache

6 Responding to Help Requests

Displaying Help Topics

To display a help topic
To display a string of text
To display a text file
To display a man page

Enabling the Help Key (F1)

To add a help callback

Providing a Help Menu

Supporting Item Help Mode

To add support for "item help"

Using the Topic Access Functions

7 Handling Events in Help Dialogs

Responding to Hyperlink Events

To provide a hyperlink callback

Detecting When Help Dialogs are Dismissed

Using the Application-Defined Button

To enable the application-defined button

8 Preparing Your Product

How a Help Volume is Found

To change the help search paths

Gathering Run-Time Help Files

To gather the run-time help files for a volume

Registering Your Online Help

To register a help volume
To create and register a help family
To update the "browser" help volume

Product Preparation Checklists

9 Providing Help On Help

Accessing Help on Help in an Application

To set the `helpOnHelpVolume' resource
To provide a Using Help command
To provide help on help for a quick help dialog
To display help on help

Writing Your Own Help on Help Volume

To copy the Help4Help source files

10 Native Language Support

Preparing Online Help for International Audiences

Understanding Font Schemes

To choose a font scheme

11 HelpTag Markup Reference

12 Summary of Special Character Entities

13 Command Summary

Processing HelpTag Files (`helptag')
Displaying Help Topics (`helpview')
Printing Help Topics (`helpprint' and `helpprintrst')

14 Summary of Application Programmers Interface

XvhCreateHelpDialog()
XvhCreateQuickHelpDialog()
XvhQuickDialogGetChild()
XvhReturnSelectedWidgetId()
XvhGetTopicData()
XvhProcessLinkData()
XvhFreeTopicData()
XvhSetCatalogName()

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© 1988 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.