The HTML Help Components

HTML Help is made up of several components. These include the following:

  • HTML Help Workshop: a help authoring tool with an easy-to-use graphical interface for creating project files, HTML topic files, contents files, index files, and everything else you need to put together an online help system or Web site.
  • HTML Help ActiveX control: a small, modular program used to insert help navigation and secondary window functionality into an HTML file.
  • The HTML Help Viewer: a fully-functional and customizable three-paned window in which online help topics can appear.
  • Microsoft HTML Help Image Editor: an online graphics tool for creating screen shots; and for converting, editing, and viewing image files.
  • The HTML Help Java Applet: a small, Java-based program that can be used instead of an ActiveX control to insert help navigation into an HTML file.
  • The HTML Help executable program: the program that displays and runs help when you click a compiled help file.
  • The HTML Help compiler: the program that compiles project, contents, index, topic, and other files into a compiled help file.
  • The HTML Help Authoring Guide: an online guide designed to assist help authors in using HTML Help to design a help system. The guide also contains a complete HTML Help reference for developers and an HTML tag reference for authors.

Some of the features of the HTML Help components:

  • Compressed HTML: a condensed form of HTML that greatly reduces the amount of disk space required for your help system.
  • Help project conversion: a feature that enables you to convert WinHelp projects into HTML Help projects.

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