Create Help Windows

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Microsoft Corporation

Updated June 10, 1999

If you are planning to distribute your help files with a program (as opposed to on the Web), you can use the workshop to create a customized Help Viewer with secondary windows or window definitions that change the size of the window, its position, background color, and other attributes. These are the types of windows that you can create or customize:

• The Help Viewer is the three-paned window in which topics automatically appear. You never have to create a Help Viewer, but you can customize it. You can make changes to just one of the panes, or all of them.
• A secondary window is a custom window in which help topics can appear. You have to create a secondary window and define its various display features before you can specify which topics to display in it.
• An embedded window is also a secondary window that you define and in which topics can appear. Rather than appearing on top of other windows, embedded windows appear within the existing frameset.
• A pop-up window is a small window that appears on top of a help topic. The window automatically sizes to fit the text or image that is in it. These windows can be used for pop-up definitions or glossary terms.

Alternatively, you could create a custom frameset, which is another method of displaying help topics that is most useful when creating help for the Web:

• Create a custom frameset to display help topics. You have to design, create, and manage the frameset. You can add contents, index, and other help functionality to your frames by adding the HTML Help ActiveX control.