RE: related to the .chm files in a modular HTML Help system?

["KLEIN,JEANNINE (HP-Roseville,ex1)" <jeannine_klein -at- hp -dot- com>]

Walden,

Assuming that you're using compiled HTML Help, you can fairly easily create
a merged modular HTML Help system that "allows third party plug-ins to your
help without recompiling the main help?"  It will display the contents of
your plug-in help when they are present and will display nothing when the
plug-in modules are not present (that is, when the user has not purchased
the appropriate module).

In brief, you need to perform the following steps.  (All steps are given for
the HTML Help Workshop; for details in particular help-authoring tools,
check their documentation):

1.  When you create your main module and your subordinate module, make sure
that all modules share the same default window definition and that you
preface the default window name with $global_ (for example, $global_main).
Use this default window definition for the project, contents, and index
files of the main and all subordinate project.  (In the Workshop, open each
hhp file.  Specify the Default window on the PROJECT tab's OPTIONS dialog,
on the GENERAL tab; on the CONTENTS tab's OPTIONS dialog, on the GENERAL
tab; and on the INDEX tab's OPTIONS dialog, on the GENERAL tab.) (If you
don't have the subordinate modules yet, forward these directions as
requirements to the people creating those modules.)

2.  Set the project options for the main module and all subordinate modules
to use a binary index, a non-binary table of contents, and to be compatible
with version 1.1 or later.  (In the Workshop, open each hhp file and go to
the PROJECT tab, click the OPTIONS button, and set your choices on the
COMPILER tab.) (If you don't have the subordinate modules yet, forward these
directions as requirements to the people creating those modules.)

3.  List all the potential plug-in modules in a [MERGE FILES] section of the
main module's project file (.hhp).  

(3a) If you already have the modular files on your computer, you can do this
by opening the project file in the HTML Help Workshop, then going to the
PROJECT tab, choosing the OPTIONS button, and clicking its MERGE FILES tab.
Use the ADD button to locate and add your modules.
  
(3b) If you don't have the subordinate files yet, assume they'll have
generic names such as project01.chm, project02.chm, etc.  Open the main
module's .hhp in Notepad and add a section like this:

[MERGE FILES]
project01.chm
project02.chm

4. Add the subordinate modules to the table of contents file (.hhc) for the
main module.  Open the main module in the Workshop and go to the CONTENTS
tab.  In the contents list, select the entry that should appear immediately
before the merged contents file (usually this is the last item in your main
contents).  With the desired entry selected, right-click and choose INSERT
FILE from the shortcut menu.  In the resulting dialog, type an entry in the
form 

project01.chm::/project01.hhc 

where project01.chm is the name of the subordinate file and project01.hhc is
the name of the corresponding contents file.  (It doesn't matter if the file
exists yet.)  When you click OK, the Workshop will display a dialog saying
it can't find the file and do you want to include the file anyway?  Click
YES to add the file.  Repeat this procedure for each subordinate module.  

5.  Save the main module files (.hhp and .hhc) and compile the project.

Good luck!

____________________________________________________________

      _/                        
     _/                     Jeannine M. E. Klein
    _/_/_/  _/_/_/       Learning Products Engineer   
    /   /   /   /                 ManageX
  _/  _/  _/_/_/           Hewlett-Packard Company
         _/                     
        _/                  jeannine_klein -at- hp -dot- com