Visual Help provides task-based information for a context on an Auto PC screen. Visual Help must have at least one topic, or it can have multiple topics and one index. The character set must be Unicode, and the first word must be the Unicode byte order mark 0xFEFF.
A visual Help topic has a title bar that describes the task followed by procedures for accomplishing the task. Users pick a topic by pressing the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW keys on the faceplate, then pressing the ENTER key. The following table shows the characteristics of an effective visual Help topic.
Topic feature |
Description |
| Title | Matches the topic named in the index |
| Line length | Has a line limit of about 30 characters, and up to three lines. Help scrolls topics longer than three lines. Test text on an emulator or a device to ensure that formatting is adequate. |
| Bitmaps | Supports small inline bitmaps with a maximum size of 40 x 11 pixels, as well as full-screen bitmaps with a maximum size of 223 x 44 pixels |
A visual Help index looks and functions like an option list for an application. An index has a title bar followed by a list of jumps to the topics available for that context. Indexes cannot call other indexes.
The following table shows the characteristics of an effective visual Help index.
Index feature |
Description |
| Title | Describes a Help topic and includes the words “Help Tips,” for example, “Address Book Help Tips.” |
| Topic jump line length | Has a line limit of 23 characters. The default font is Tahoma Bold, 13 point. Test text on an emulator or a device to ensure lines do not wrap. |
| Index | Lists the topics available for the device context. For usability, limit the number of topics provided for each device context. |
| Bitmaps | Does not support bitmaps |