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Subject:Re: HTML-Based Help ? From:Brett Peruzzi <Brett -dot- Peruzzi -at- FDC-INVEST -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 22 Nov 1996 11:43:14 -0500
I'm currently creating context-sensitive help in HTML for a web-based
application, and yes, it can be done.
In my company's case, the application UI is coded in HTML for viewing
through a browser, and also incorporates Java applets and some C code.
The app UI is displayed as a series of frames, with one frame reserved
for online help display.
So, it's rather straightforward to create hyperlinks between the HTML
page displayed in the frame that represents the user entry screen, for
example, and the HTML page that I create for the help information. The
beauty of using frames is that the help displays in a separate frame,
not the one the user is using for data entry. Therefore, he/she can
refer to the help and look at the entry screen at the same time,
without toggling back and forth between them.
So far (we're still coding the application) it seems to work OK, given the
test we did with a sample set of help pages.
Brett Peruzzi
First Data Investor Services Group
Boston, MA
Brett -dot- Peruzzi -at- fdc-invest -dot- com
______________________________ Reply Separator _________________________________
Subject: HTML-Based Help ?
Author: "Sisler; Paul J" <Paul -dot- J -dot- Sisler -at- CDEV -dot- COM> at Internet
Date: 11/22/96 9:12 AM
Colleagues:
I am involved (albeit peripherally) with a client who has requested
context-sensitive, HTML-based help for a business applications suite
(HR/Payroll/etc.). They'd like to be able to pull up specific, *related*
HTML files from panels within the applications to be viewed in a Netscape
browser, and hosted on their Intranet Web server. I see some problems with
this, particularly because they plan to edit the files (possibly move them
around, perhaps remove some altogether and add new ones). And it seems to
me that this would require programming resources they have said they can't
dedicated to the effort right now. All that aside, is this even possible?
Are there alternatives?
ADVthanksANCE
------------------------
Paul Sisler
paul -dot- j -dot- sisler -at- cdev -dot- com