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NAMEHelp (Menu/Action Choice) — Reference DescriptionHelp is information provided to the user about the application.
It uses the following choices: - Help
A cascading choice that appears as a menu-bar item.
It provides access to other menu items that provide various kinds
of information related to the use of the application. - Index
An action choice that presents an alphabetic listing
of help topics for an application. - Keyboard
An action choice that presents information about
the application's use of keys, including function keys, shortcut
keys, and mnemonics. - Mouse
An action choice that presents information about
the application's use of the mouse. - On Item
An action choice that allows the user to indicate
the element for which help is desired. - Overview
An action choice that provides a brief overview
of each action and task that a user can perform within a window. - Reference
An action choice that provides access to reference
pages for the application. - Table of Contents
An action choice that displays a table of contents
of the help information available. - Tasks
An action choice that enables a user to determine
how to perform specific tasks. - Tutorial
An action choice that gives a user access to online
educational information. - Using Help
An action choice that gives a user information about
how the help system works. - About
An action choice that displays a secondary window
that contains information about an application, such as its copyright
notice, logo, and version.
When to Use- Required
Provide a Help menu-bar item in the menu bar of
all windows that have a menu bar and provide help information. - Recommended
Place a Help push button in a window that does not
have a menu bar.
Guidelines- Required
In conjunction with the Menu Guidelines reference
page, use Table 15 “Help Menu Choices”
to decide which choices to include in the Help menu and how to organize
them. Table 15 Help Menu Choices | | Mnemonic | Menu
Choice | Keyboard
Function |
|---|
| Recommended | O | Overview | | | Optional | I | Index | | | Recommended | C | Table of Contents | | | Recommended | T | Tasks | | | Recommended | R | Reference | | | Optional | L | Tutorial | | | Optional | K | Keyboard | | | Optional | M | Mouse | | | | | | | | Recommended | O | On Item | ShiftF1
or ShiftHelp | | | | | | | Required | U | Using Help | | | | | | | | Required | A | About application-name | |
- Required
Do not display the shortcut key for On Item (for
example, Shift F1
or Shift Help)
in the menu entry if it would significantly increase the width of
the Help menu. - Recommended
Provide help in the form most appropriate and useful
to a user. For example, use text, graphics, animation, or any other
technique or combination of techniques that conveys the information
clearly and concisely. - Recommended
When possible, place a help window so that it does
not cover the element for which help was requested. - Recommended
Display help information in a separate primary window. - Recommended
If the help system provides access to information
that spans multiple applications, then use a separate help application
to display the help information. If necessary, have a request for
help start the application. - Optional
If help for both mouse and keyboard is provided,
use one searchable entry for Mouse and Keyboard (M for example)
instead of separate entries for each.
Indexes- Recommended
Do not include the words "Help for"
in index entries. For example, do not label an entry Help for Cut.
Keyboard Help- Recommended
In keyboard help information, display all key assignments
for the window or component from which the user requested help. - Recommended
In keyboard help information, indicate to a user
which keys are available in the current state of the window. - Recommended
List shortcut key assignments in keyboard help information. - Recommended
If a user adds or changes key assignments, display
the new or changed assignments in keyboard help information, along
with any unchanged assignments.
On Element- Required
When the user chooses On Item, initiate context-sensitive
help mode by changing the shape of the pointer to the question mark
pointer. When the user moves the pointer to the element for which
help is needed and clicks the SELECT button, exit from the mode
and present any context-sensitive help available for the element.
When the user presses Cancel
or Escape, exit from the mode
without presenting help. - Recommended
While in context-sensitive help mode, when the user
clicks the MENU button while the pointer is on a cascading menu
choice or at a position where a pop-up menu is defined, display
the menu, allowing the user to obtain context-sensitive help for
the menu entries. Remove the menus when the mode is exited.
About- Recommended
About should display a window that indicates minimally
the name and version of your application. Display the icon or some
other signature graphic for your application.
Supplemental Related TopicsFor more information, see the Menu Guidelines reference
page. |
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