Custom Helpfile

[Rambyte]

Anyone have experience developing customized help for an application. I've
downloaded the Microsoft Help Workshop and I've been reading through its own
on-line help, but I still can't figure out how to start. Have you seen a
"dummy's guide" for creating customized helpfiles? Especially as it relates
to Access applications?

[M.L. Sco Scofield]

Try the help file group at microsoft.public.helpauthoring.

--

Sco

M.L. "Sco" Scofield, MCSD, MCT, MCP, MSS, Access MVP
Useful Metric Conversion #13 of 19: 3 1/3 tridents = 1 decadent
Miscellaneous Access and VB "stuff" at www.ScoBiz.com

"Rambyte" <Roger...@Cox.net> wrote in message news:nbKi9.48123$S32.3...@news2.west.cox.net...

[Pete Lees]

Rambyte,

> I've downloaded the Microsoft Help Workshop and I've been reading through its
> own on-line help, but I still can't figure out how to start. Have you seen a
> "dummy's guide" for creating customized helpfiles?

Help Workshop comes with a Help Author's Guide (hcw.hlp) that provides
comprehensive information on building help files. You may also find
these sites useful:

http://www.freelancestoryteller.com/the_freelance_storyteller/help_index.htm
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/devprods/vs6/visualc/vcsample/vcrefwinhelpcreating.hlpfile.htm

It would also be worth getting the WinHelp decompiler from
http://www.helpmaster.com/help-developmentaids-helpdeco.htm. You can
point this at any .hlp file on your system and extract the source
files -- and then see how the author put the file together.

Books on creating WinHelp seem to be quite difficult to obtain now,
but, if you can find them, any of the following should be very useful:

Designing Windows 95 Help, by Mary Deaton and Cheryl Lockett Zubak
Microsoft Windows 95 Help Authoring Kit (Microsoft Press)
Building Windows 95 Help, by Nancy Hickman

Actually, you can buy the Hickman book directly from the author via
this Web page:

http://www.hypertexas.com/hickman.htm

> Especially as it relates to Access applications?

These sites should help:

http://www.granite.ab.ca/accshelp.htm
http://www.helpcommunity.ehelp.com/robohelp/downloads/winhelp/ (sample
app + help)
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/office/office2000/proddocs/opg/part2/ch13.asp
http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/officedev/off2krk/55t3.htm

Pete