Developing Solutions with HTML Help

Microsoft Corporation

Updated: March 16, 1999

If you haven't already learned about Microsoft's HTML Help technology, now's the time to fix that. HTML Help is in use by the millions of computers users who have Internet Explorer 4.0 and greater, Windows 98, and soon Office 2000 and Windows 2000. Millions of developers use HTML Help daily as they work with Visual Studio 6.0. HTML Help is no longer a "new technology", having shipped for nearly 2 years.

HTML Help delivers the same rich functionality users know from WinHelp, combined with the familiar web browser user interface and powerful interactivity of DHTML. Everything you've used WinHelp for in your application, you can use HTML Help for, and much more.

Microsoft online resources with information on using HTML Help include:

• HTML Help home page
• Article: The New HTML Help System Extends Online Help From the Desktop to the Web
• Article: Microsoft's HTML Help Not Just for Help Systems
• Article: Help Topics (HTML Help): Context-Sensitive Help for your Programs (MFC)

Ever wished you could embed your help system within your application window? New products on the market like HelpXtender from Wextech Systems make it easy. Using the HelpXtender ActiveX control, a programmer can easily host HTML pages and HTML Help topics within an application. For example, with HelpXtender you can easily embed help inside a dialog box, and have the content of the help change automatically as the user clicks different controls, bringing the help information to the user automatically.

To learn more about HTML Help, consider attending the Info Online Spring Conference and Expo, April 20-23, 1999, Orlando, Florida. A number of developer-oriented sessions have recently been added to the conference. For more information see http://www.io-conference.com/conference.htm .