Work with the HTML Help ActiveX control

Microsoft Corporation

June 23, 1998

You can use the HTML Help ActiveX® control to add powerful functionality, such as a graphical table of contents, to your Web pages or help system.

The HTML Help ActiveX control is an object that you insert into an HTML file that enables you to use the navigation, secondary windows, and other features built into the control. The functionality provided by the HTML Help ActiveX control can be viewed in any browser that supports ActiveX technology, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer (version 3.01 or later).

From HTML Help Workshop, you use the HTML Help ActiveX control Wizard to automatically insert the control into your help files. You can also use your favorite HTML or text editor to add or edit the properties and parameters of the control.

There are many features available through the HTML Help ActiveX control when you use it in uncompiled HTML files on a Web site. It is even more powerful when used with compiled help (.chm) files. You can use HTML Help Workshop to compress HTML topic, contents, index, and image files during compilation, dramatically decreasing the disk space they use. Compiled help files can be downloaded from a Web site to a local drive or shipped on a compact disc with your software.

HTML Help in action

See how the HTML Help ActiveX control works in the Help Viewer!

Download a compiled help (.chm) file version of the HTML Help ActiveX control Reference (198K).

See how the HTML Help ActiveX control works on a Web site!

Go to our sample Web site, which uses an uncompiled version of the HTML Help ActiveX control Reference as a sample documentation set.

Note Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 or later is required to view these samples.