How to Use HTML Help Workshop

From Windows 3. X to Windows 95, Windows Help files are always in HLP format. After Windows 98, a chm Help File Based on HTML file features was added. Windows 98 is called Compiled HTML Help file. The CHM help file is a unified window, with three functional items on the left: Directory, index, and search. Switch through the common tab bar. The right is the display part of the HTML file, changed the separation of the original help file directory window and the topic window. The upper part is the toolbar. You can use CHM files to create software manuals, product introductions, learning tutorials, e-books, and personal data management. The following article describes how to create a CHM help file with the HTML Help Workshop Toolkit provided by Microsoft.

Download and install

Microsoft provides the HTML Help Workshop toolkit for creating CHM help files, http: too many. Directly run and download the package, which is a self-extracting file. Follow the prompts to complete the installation. After the installation is complete, Run "Start/Program/HTML Help Workshop "to go to the main HTML Help Workshop interface.

How to Use

It is very convenient to use HTML Help Workshop to create a CHM file. The following describes how to create a CHM file using the "chinassb" software description.

I. Preparations before production

Because CHM help files are based on HTML file features, it is important to prepare HTML files in the early stage. The role of HTML Help Workshop is like a manager, which controls all types of files of the entire project with a project, and then compiles various types of files into independent CHM files. Each of its themes is an HTML file. Its structure is similar to the directory tree we usually see, but its themes include directories and files. A topic file can be edited using any HTML editor or HTML Help Workshop. The only drawback is that its editor is in plain text mode, HTML files do not have the WYSIWYG effect.

If you do not want to create a webpage, it doesn't matter. You can also convert the theme file in Word format to HTML format through Word 97 or Word 2000.

2. Create a project file

Step 1: click the "file/New" command in the menu bar of HTML Help Workshop. The "select new content" dialog box appears, and select "project ".

Step 2: press the "OK" button and leave the "Convert winhelp project" option blank to continue the next step.

Step 3: click the "Browse" button to set the directory for storing the project file and the project file name. After that, proceed to the next step.

Step 4: Because the HTML file has been created first, select "HTML file" and continue the next step.

Step 5: click the "add" button and add the edited topic file (that is, the HTML file on the homepage ). Click "Next" and then click "finish". The new project is added.

Now you can enter the HTML Help Workshop work window. At the top of the window, there are three volume labels:
"Project )",
"Contents (directory )",
"Index )".

There are seven buttons on the left side of the project volume. Their function names are from top to bottom:
"Change project options (Change project options )"
"Add/Remove topic files (Add/delete topic files )"
"Add/modify window definitions (Add/modify window definitions )"
"Htmlhelp API Information (HTML Help API Information )"
"View HTML source (verify HTML source file )"
"Save project contents and index files (SAVE project, directory, and index files )"
"Save all file and compile (save all files and compile )"

Step 6: click the "Change Project Options" button under the "project" editing window. A "options" dialog box is displayed. Enter the title "chinassb" in the "title" of the General "volume in this dialog box. After compilation, the title will appear in the title bar of the CHM File window. Select "automatically create Contents file (. HHC) when compiling" in the "file" volume ".

The search option of the CHM file allows users to search for words, words, or phrases in all topic files and display their titles, in addition, it is displayed in the topic in a conspicuous way. Select "compiler full-text search information" in the "compiler" volume label to support full-text search.

Step 7: click the "Save project file and compile" button. Although you can view the results now, we need to make another setting to make the final product more complete.

3. Create a directory file

Editing directory files is the most important task to create CHM files. The directory file should contain all the directories (themes) of a CHM file, and each directory contains the entry title (name) and the topic file of the entry, avoid inconsistency between the entry title and the corresponding topic. After all the directories are added, the directory is complete.

Step 1: click the "contents" volume in the HTML Help Workshop work window. A dialog box is displayed, prompting you that the "project" has not been associated with the directory file (. HHC), select "Create a New Contents file", and click "OK" to create a new directory file.

Step 2: specify a new directory file name and storage path. Click "save" and a directory editing window appears. The directory editing window has 11 buttons on the left.

Step 3: insert the title (similar to the directory in the resource manager) or page (similar to the file under a directory in the resource manager) as needed, and press "insert a heading (insert the title) "or" insert a page ", the" Table of Contents entry "dialog box is displayed. In the" Entry Title "input box, enter the title of the entry, select the corresponding topic file as needed, and click "add" under "Entry Title, in the pop-up dialog box, enter the file name or URL address in the "file or URL" input box and click OK.

Step 4: If the selected entry does not contain any other entry before clicking the insert a page button, then I will ask "do you want to insert this entry at the beginningof the table of contents? ", If yes is selected, the Start entry (level-1 entry) is added. If no is selected, a subentry is added.

Titles can be divided into multiple levels, which should be considered in a unified manner according to the prepared content. If you are not satisfied, you can use the arrow on the left to adjust the entry, select the entry, and right-click the entry to adjust the entry. You can also insert the title, topic, or directory file.

4. Create an index file

The index file (HHK) is also an HTML file that contains several keywords. When you open the CHM File, click the index tag and enter a keyword, the CHM file displays a list of topics related to this keyword, so that you can easily find related topics.

Step 1: click "Index" in the HTML Help Workshop work window. A dialog box is displayed, prompting you that the "project" has not been associated with the index file (. HHK), select "Create a New Contents file", and click "OK" to create a new index file.

Step 2: specify a new index file name and storage path. Click "save" and the index editing window appears. There are 11 buttons on the left of the index editing window.

Step 3: click "insert a keyword". In the "index entry" dialog box that appears, enter a keyword in the "keyword" input box of the "General" option, click "add" to add the topic file associated with the keyword. To jump to another keyword, press the "advance" option in the "index entry" dialog box and select "target is another keyword ", click the "General" option's "keyword" input box and enter a keyword. Then, click the "add" button to add the topic file associated with the keyword to be redirected, and click the "OK" button. Click "OK" and then press "save file" to save the disk.

5. Final setup

Step 1: Select "project", click "Change Project Options", and click "Browse" to specify toc. HHC in the "Content File" project of "File. In the "index file" project, click "Browse" to specify index. HHC.

Step 2: click "Save project file and compile" again to compile the disk.

Step 3: click "View/compiled file" on the main menu and specify the Directory and file name of the CHM file through "Browse" to view the work.

It is really easy enough. If there is a complete HTML source file, activate HTML Help workshopto create a new project file, add the first html(default.htmor index.html) to the project, save the disk and compile it. A group of HTML files is a one-page web page on the website. After being changed to a single CHM, it can be used as a software-assisted description and has been built into the full-text retrieval function.

The above describes only the basic steps for creating a CHM help file. However, its functions are far from these. For example, you can insert HTML Help ActiveX controls, java scripts, and pop-up windows into HTML files. You can decompress the existing CHM file back to the original HTML file.