How to Build a Sample Windows-Style Help File

• Microsoft Visual FoxPro for Windows, version 3.0
• Microsoft FoxPro for Windows, versions 2.5x, 2.6x

SUMMARY

In FoxPro, you have the choice of creating a .DBF-style Help file or a Windows-style Help file. This article describes how to create a simple Windows-style Help file that contains several topics with titles and keywords.

This article assumes that you have read through the "Help Compiler Guide" and are familiar with the concepts presented below. This article is intended for use in conjunction with the "Help Compiler Guide."

MORE INFORMATION

To create a Windows-style Help file, you need the following:

• The FoxPro Distribution Kit (DK), which includes the Help compiler.
• A text editor or a word processor, such as Microsoft Word for Windows, capable of saving files in Rich Text Format (RTF).

   Character     Description
   -------------------------

   #             Context String
   $             Title
   K             Keywords

To Create the RTF File

1. Open a new document in Word.

2. From the Tools menu, choose Options. Select the View tab, and then select the following check boxes:

   - Paragraph Marks - Hidden Text - Line Breaks and Fonts as Printed

3. From the Insert Menu, choose Footnote.

4. Type "#" (without the quotation marks) in the Custom Footnote Mark text box. This opens the footnote pane.

5. Type "Contents" (without the quotation marks) in the footnote pane.

6. Click the document window, and then repeat the footnote procedure (steps 3-5) using the following entries in the appropriate parts of the document:

   Body of Document ----------------

   #$K

   Footnote of Document --------------------

   #Contents $Contents KContents;Main

7. In the document window, type "{bmc fox.bmp}Contents" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER. The new entries should appear in the body of the document as follows:

   #$K{bmc fox.bmp}Contents

8. In the document window, select the word "Contents", and then format it as Arial, 18pt, bold. Press ENTER.

9. In the document window, type "Topic Onetopic_one" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

10. Select "Topic One" and format it as double-underline.

11. Select "topic_one" and format it as hidden text.

12. Repeat steps 9-11, using "Topic Twotopic_two" and "Topic Threetopic_three" (without the quotation marks).

13. In the document window, type "Topic Three" (without the quotation marks), and then press ENTER.

14. From the Insert menu, choose Break. In the dialog box, select Page Break and then choose OK.

15. Insert a footnote, typing "#" (without the quotation marks) in the Custom Footnote Mark text box. Type "topic_one" (without the quotation marks) in the footnote pane.

16. In the document window, type "Topic One" (without the quotation marks) next to the "#". Press ENTER, and then TAB, to create and indent a new line. Type "This is Topictopic_def one!" (without the quotation marks). The new entries should appear as follows:

    Body of Document ----------------

    #Topic One

                 This is Topictopic_def one!
    
           Footnote of Document
           --------------------
    
           #topic_one
    
    

17. Format "Topic" as a single underline, and "topic_def" as hidden text.

18. Repeat steps 13-14 using "Topic Two" and "Topic Three" (without the quotation marks). Type some text.

19. After "Topic Three", insert another page break, and then insert a footnote with "#" (without the quotation marks) as the Custom Footnote Mark.

20. Type "topic_def" (without the quotation marks) in the footnote pane.

21. Type "Topic" (without the quotation marks) in the body, next to "#". Press ENTER, then TAB, and then type some text. The new entries should appear as follows:

    Body of Document ----------------

    #Topic

                 This is another topic.
    
           Footnote of Document
           --------------------
    
           #topic_def
    
    

22. Save the document as an RTF file with the name HELP.RTF.

To Create the Help Project File

1. Open a new document in Word, and then type the following:

         [OPTIONS]
         Compress=OFF
         WARNING=3
         ERRORLOG=error.log
         REPORT=ON
   

         [FILES]
         help.rtf
   

         [WINDOWS]
         main="My Help File",(0,0,639,639),,, (192,192,192)
   

2. Save the document as a text file with the name HELP.HPJ.

3. Close HELP.RTF and HELP.HPJ and then minimize Word.

To Compile the Help File

1. Run an MS-DOS prompt session. Use the MS-DOS "CD" (change directory) command to move to the directory containing the HC31.EXE file.

2. Type "HC31 HELP" (without the quotation marks) to compile the Help project.

   NOTE: This step assumes that the files to be compiled are in the same directory as the help compiler.

   NOTE: Any compilation errors that may occur are displayed on the screen.

3. After the Help project has successfully been compiled, type "EXIT" (without the quotation marks) to close the MS-DOS prompt session.

4. Start Windows File Manager. Locate and double-click HELP.HLP to view the compiled Help file.