How to Create Custom Help Content

How to Create Custom Help Content

This content is no longer actively maintained. It is provided as is, for anyone who may still be using these technologies, with no warranties or claims of accuracy with regard to the most recent product version or service release.

Before you create a custom Answer Wizard (AW) file, you need to create HTML pages on a Web server, or you need to create compressed HTML (CHM) files that can be either distributed to your users’ computers or stored on a network server.

In either case, the Answer Wizard Builder analyzes the words contained in these files and creates an index that can be searched by the Answer Wizard when a user enters a question.

If you don’t have any Help files, you can use HTML Help Workshop and the Answer Wizard Builder to create both custom Help topics and an AW file to go with them.

Determine where to start

Where you start the process of creating custom Help depends on what you have to start with. If you already have Help topics in WinHelp format or CHM files, you can import them into HTML Help Workshop. Or if you have HTML Help topics already posted on a Web site, you can point the Answer Wizard Builder to the Web site.

Start with WinHelp

If your WinHelp files don’t require any editing, you can import them directly into HTML Help Workshop; you then use HTML Help Workshop to create a CHM file from the separate WinHelp files. Then use the CHM file in the Answer Wizard Builder to create the AW file.

If you want to edit or update existing WinHelp files, you can either modify them by using your WinHelp tool, or you can edit the content in HTML Help Workshop.

Start with HTML files

If your Help content is currently on the Web, you can create an AW file by providing the Answer Wizard Builder with the URL to the Web site and the share location where the HTML files are hosted.

If you need to edit or update HTML files, modify them first by using an HTML editing tool (such as FrontPage) or HTML Help Workshop. You can also use HTML Help Workshop to create a new CHM file based on existing HTML files.

Start with compressed HTML files

If your users do not have access to the Web, you can use HTML Help Workshop to create CHM files and store them either on the network or on individual users’ computers. You can use your existing CHM files in the Answer Wizard Builder or, if they need editing, modify them first by using HTML Help Workshop.

Start from scratch

If you don’t have any existing content, you can create your own Help topics in HTML Help Workshop or in any other HTML authoring tool. Then just use the Answer Wizard Builder to create the AW file from the HTML or CHM Help content.

Choose a type of Help file

The format you choose for your Help files also depends on where you plan to store the files and how often you need to update the content.

Advantages of using HTML Help

HTML Help files are stored on a Web server. They offer the following advantages over other methods:

• You can update Help content directly on the Web server, without interrupting users.
• No disk space is required on the client side.
• If you already have a Web Help site, you can use its contents to create the custom AW file.
• You don’t have to register Web-based help on your client computers — it’s ready to use right away.

If you use HTML Help files, however, users must have access to the Web, and you must maintain the Web server and site. In addition, users might experience slow response times when they submit queries.

Advantages of using compressed HTML Help

CHM files are stored on a network share or locally on users’ computers. They offer the following advantages over other methods:

• Users get faster results when the CHM file is stored locally.
• A single CHM file can contain multiple HTML files, so the administrator has fewer files to keep track of.
• Users don’t need access to the Web.

If you use CHM Help files, however, you must redistribute them across the network or on each client computer whenever you update the content. You will also have to register these files on each client computer before they can be used.

Make custom Help work like Office Help

You can build your custom Help to work as a stand-alone Help system, using your own styles and window definitions in HTML Help Workshop. However, if you want your custom Help to work and look like the Office 2000 Help system, use CHM files with the Microsoft cascading style sheets, and add your custom Help content to the Answer Wizard. Using the Answer Wizard ensures that your Help uses the same window definitions and functionality as Office Help.

To make your Help look like Office Help, you use the styles in the Office cascading style sheet files. Attach the cascading style sheet files to your project, and use the styles in the cascading style sheet files when you create your Help text.

Note   To view the definitions for each style in a cascading style sheet file, open the file in Notepad. Each style is listed, along with the formatting specifications for that style, such as font and size.

To select the correct style sheet automatically based on the browser level, add the following code to the header in each HTML page:

  <style>@import url(/Office.css);</style>
<link disabled rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/MSOffice.css">

The user’s Web browser determines which cascading style sheet file is used:

• Office.css for Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 or later
• MSOffice.css for Internet Explorer 3.x

Tip   To view the HTML code used in any of the Office Help CHM files, either open the file in HTML Help Workshop, or double-click the CHM file. When the file opens, right-click in a topic, and then click View Source.

Toolbox   HTML Help Workshop helps you create custom HTML-based Help content that can be used with the Office Help system. To help you create files that look like Office Help files, the Office Help cascading style sheet files are included. For information about installing HTML Help Workshop and supporting files, see HTML Help WorkShop.