Adobe RoboHelp – Context-Sensitive Help

Sometimes, you might feel the need to create help files relative to the action performed by the user. Such help is called Context-Sensitive Help (CSH). For example, you can provide helpful information when a user hovers over a dialog box or other objects. The process of creating a CSH involves specifying map IDs and map files. The help engine receives the map number and helps file name whenever the user accesses a CSH. The Help engine then matches the map number to a topic ID and HTM file and displays the correct help topic.

RoboHelp supports three types of CSH −

  • Window-level − This level of CSH provides topics for windows, dialog boxes and other fields. Users can access window-level CSH by calling the Help function within the application or pressing F1.
  • Field-level (What’s This?) − This CSH describes information when a user clicks on a question mark icon and then clicks a field or function. “What’s This?” topics are supported only by WinHelp and MS HTML Help projects.
  • Airplane Help − This usually refers to offline help that is called when there is no access to the internet. Using Airplane Help requires associating the offline Help system with the RH_AssociateOfflineHelp program function.

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