QuickHelp 2.0 adds many new features that aren't covered in this introduction including configurable actions, tables, parameters, default options and precompiled indexes. Configurable actions include running an executable, presenting a popup message, linking to different topics based on platform, running COM methods, sending Apple Events, running a compiled AppleScript or presenting QuickTime movies. In addition to traditional tables with bordered rows and columns, tables can present tabular data without borders or various styles of itemized lists providing infinite formatting possibilities. Developers can parameterize topics, actions, tables and other aspects of the help system when installing or running their application.
QuickHelp makes it easy to author application help from the platform of your choice, then distribute the same help file to virtually any computer. Conditional topics allow runtime customization for different platforms or product builds. QuickHelp supports a table of contents, an index with a search field, color highlighted text, formatted images, hypertext links between topics and context sensitive help from application menu commands and dialogs.
QuickHelp is available in three editions:
- QuickHelp Demo
- QuickHelp Viewer
- QuickHelp Builder
The QuickHelp Demo edition is used for evaluation. It works just like the QuickHelp Builder edition with these exceptions:
- A help file with more than 10 topics cannot be saved.
- It has no distribution license for the QuickHelp Viewer.
- The Builder edition can automatically reopen your last help project.
Any organization with a QuickHelp Builder license can freely distribute the QuickHelp Viewer. The Viewer looks and works just like the Builder accept that the Edit and General tabs are gone. The Viewer allows users to view, but not edit or change the application help files created with the Builder.
QuickHelp Builder
The QuickHelp Builder is used to author application help from a single tabbed window that lets you edit topics, manage and save your help file and view the finish runtime help system. Your help system is typically delivered as a single help file plus the QuickHelp Viewer. The QuickHelp Builder includes a royalty free distribution license for the QuickHelp Viewer which runs native on each OS platform.
Viewing Help
Most users will see QuickHelp through its ability to view and navigate through application help files. QuickHelp can be launched as a stand alone application from the desktop. Most common, however, is to start QuickHelp from an application Help Topics command or F1 key pressed from within an application dialog, window or menu command.
The Contents panel shows a table of contents at the left and a selected topic at the right. Topics listed in the table of contents may have icons to the left of the topic titles to expand and collapse a sub tree of nested topics.
When a topic is selected, its title is displayed at the top right and the text of that topic is shown below it. Use the slider bar to resize the table of contents. As you navigate through help topics, the history of that navigation is temporarily stored and available with Back and Forward buttons.
Searching For a Topic
The Find Topics button presents a dialog for locating topics that contain specific words in the body text of that topic. Type the word or words you want to search for and press Enter. A list of matching topics will be presented. To view a topic, click its title in the list. The Find Topics dialog is available from either the Contents or Index tab.
Use the Index tab to locate topics based on words that the help developer felt were highly relevant to the text of the topic. The Index shows alphabetized keywords and a list of related topics.
The search field at the top left of the Index panel is used to quickly locate a keyword. This feature can be useful in large help files that contain thousands of keywords. As you type, the first matching keyword is selected.
Creating a Help File
The QuickHelp Builder is essentially the same as the QuickHelp Viewer with the addition of the Edit and General panels for editing help files. This makes QuickHelp an extremely productive help building tool since the developer can simply click the Contents or Index tab to view the final result.
The Edit panel is used to create topics in a help file. The left side of the panel has a table of contents that shows the title, indentation and position of each topic. When a topic is selected, its information is shown in the fields on the right side of the Edit panel. There are fields to title the topic, assign conditions that affect its visibility, write its body text, identify index words that appear in the user's index and assign a unique integer or string to identify the topic for an application's context sensitive help.
The New button is used to create a topic in the table of contents below the selected topic. The Delete button deletes the selected topic. The Move button is used to move a single topic or group of topics to a different location or indentation within the table of contents. Use the arrow buttons to quickly change the position or indentation of a selected topic in the table of contents.
The Insert Tag button at the top right of the Body field is used to insert a tag into the text of a topic for applying text styles, adding links to other topics or inserting formatted images. Although its possible to edit formatting tags directly in the Body field, its easier to just click the Insert Tag button and choose a popup menu command. For image tags, a dialog is presented to select an image and define caption text and formatting.
Hypertext links connect highlighted words to other topics in the same help file or in a different help file. Local and global link tables relate matching words in a topic body to the target topic. QuickHelp automates the process of creating and maintaining links so no extra work is required when repositioning or renaming topics.
Working With Help Files
The General panel is used to read and write help files, edit global link definitions and set preferences. There are command buttons to create, open, save and verify help files. Help topics can be listed to text or imported from text. The help developer can assign a default font which can later be changed by the help user.
End of Introduction
This brief introduction to QuickHelp gives you an overview of how application help files are created. QuickHelp comes with an online help file for itself, interface code to integrate it with your application for context sensitive help and a printed manual that covers its installation, features and deployment on all platforms.