Context strings beginning with the “at” sign (@) are “local.” Making a context local saves file space and speeds access. However, local contexts cannot be cross-referenced with an implicit link, and they have no meaning outside the local file.
When you use a local context, HELPMAKE does not generate a global context string (a context string that is known throughout the help system). Instead, it embeds an encoded cross-reference that has meaning only within the current context. For example,
.context normal
This is a normal topic, accessible by the context string “normal”.
[button\v@local\v] is a cross-reference to the following topic.
.context @local
This topic can be reached only by the explicit cross-reference
in the previous topic (or by browsing the file sequentially).
In the example above, the text button\v@local\v references local as a local context. If the user selects the text button or scrolls through the file, the help system displays the topic text that follows the context definition for local. Because local is defined with the “at” sign @, it can be accessed only by a hyperlink within the same help file or by sequentially browsing the file.
If you want a topic to be accessible in both local and global contexts, you simply mark the topic text with both global and local .context statements. For example, to make topic both global and local, add the following statements:
.context topic
.context @topic
Naturally, both .context statements must appear immediately before the topic text to which they point.
To create a context that begins with a literal @, precede it with a backslash (\).