The Help Authoring Templates include macros that modify the functionality of Word for Windows to improve its use as a Help authoring tool. To make the macros easy to use, they have been attached to menu commands. The primary objective in creating the macros is to provide new Help authors and software developers a faster and better way to create Help files.
However, the macros included represent the minimum set necessary for creating Help files. They do not provide a shortcut method for authoring every available feature, nor do they replace an understanding of Windows Help functionality and how to author without using the templates. For that reason, Help authors are encouraged to modify the existing macros and create new macros to meet their specific authoring requirements.
To use the macros, create a new Help topic file and base it on WHAT30.DOT or WHAT31.DOT. The macros are then available as menu commands. When using the macros, the templates attempt to restore Word for Windows to its state before the macro executed. If the window was split, for example, the template attempts to restore the split panes after running the macro.
The following table shows the complete list of macros included in the templates and the menu commands that activate them.
| Macro function | Attached to command |
| Create new topic file | File New |
| Open topic file | File Open |
| Save topic file | File Save |
| Save topic file with new name | File Save As |
| Edit topic footnotes | Edit Topic |
| Edit hot-spot information | Edit Hot Spot |
| Edit bitmap reference | Edit Graphic |
| Build current topic | View Topic |
| Build topic file | View File |
| Build current selection | View Selection |
| Add new topic | Insert Topic |
| Insert jump or pop-up | Insert Jump or Pop-Up Hot Spot |
| Insert Help macro | Insert Macro Hot Spot |
| Insert bitmap reference | Insert Graphic |