You can create Help source files for HELPMAKE in any of three formats. The QuickHelp format is the default format for encoding. When Help databases are decoded, the resulting text files are always in QuickHelp format. The discussion that follows uses QuickHelp format to describe how to create a Help source file. Later sections describe the two other formats: rich text format (RTF) and minimally formatted ASCII.
Rich text format is a Microsoft word-processing format that is supported by several word processors, including Microsoft Word version 5.0 and later and Microsoft Word for Windows. For more information, see “Rich Text Format”.
Minimally formatted ASCII files define contexts and their topic text. They cannot contain formatting commands or explicit links. For more information, see “Minimally Formatted ASCII”.
In addition to these three formats, you can link to unformatted ASCII files from within a Help database. Unformatted ASCII files are text files with no formatting commands, context definitions, or special information. You do not process unformatted ASCII files with HELPMAKE. An unformatted ASCII file does not become a database or part of a physical Help file. The file's name is used as the object of a link. For example, you can create a link to an include file or a program example. Any word that is an implicit link in other Help files is also an implicit link in unformatted ASCII files.
A Help system can use any combination of files with different format types.