Windows Help version 3.1 includes the following tools and files that you need to build your Help files.
| Tool | Description |
| Microsoft Windows Help: WINHELP.EXE | The Windows Help application is the application that users open to display the Help files you create. Help is built into the Windows operating system; therefore, it is a shared resource available to all applications running in the Windows environment. |
| Microsoft Windows Help Compiler: HC31.EXE | The Help compiler compiles RTF files into binary Help files (.HLP) that can then be displayed in the Windows Help application. |
| Microsoft Hotspot Editor: SHED.EXE | Hotspot Editor lets you create graphics with multiple hot spots. Using Hotspot Editor, you can define hot spots that link to other Help graphics, to Help topics, or to multimedia events (if provided for by external DLLs). |
| Microsoft Multi-Resolution Bitmap Compiler: MRBC.EXE | The Multi-Resolution Bitmap Compiler lets you create bitmaps with different resolutions and combine them into a single graphic to compensate for differences between the aspect ratio of bitmaps you create and the user’s display. |
| Microsoft Windows Help Authoring Templates: WHAT30.DOT and WHAT31.DOT | The Help Authoring Templates are word-processing templates that modify Word for Windows. You use the templates to create and edit Help topic files and save them as RTF so they can be compiled. The templates offer a simplified way to add Help features to your Help file. |
| Microsoft Windows Help Project Editor: WHPE.EXE | The Help Project Editor is a tool that you use to create and edit Help project files (.HPJ). You can also compile Help files from within the Windows environment using the editor. |
| Microsoft Help Example: HELPEX.EXE | The Help Example application is written in the C programming language and conforms to the user-interface style recommended by Microsoft for Windows-based applications. It is an example of a simple Windows-based application that uses context-sensitive Help created with the Windows Help development tools. It is a good idea to review the source code for this application if you are planning to include context-sensitive Help for your application. |