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Subject:Re: Question: Context Help for Java Apps From:Todd Snarr <todd_snarr -at- AUTOSOFT -dot- COM> Date:Wed, 8 Jul 1998 07:49:48 -0600
Kathy Marshall wrote:
>We are developing an application in Java. We're using WinHelp to create
>online help, but the programmer tells me that context-sensitive help is
>not possible because of the limitations of Java. Is this true? Something
>about that just doesn't sound right.
>
>Anyone out there developing applications and online help in Java?
Sure, you can develop Help for a Java app. Because our company needed a
solution right away, we ended up using Jelp 2.02 on the last project I was
on (the final version of JavaHelp won't be released until late summer).
Jelp is a context-sensitive help system that converts your RTF-based files
into class files (or "booklets" as they call them). The Jelp API, which is
fairly comprehensive, provides a method of linking your topics to either
fields or windows...and the JelpViewer, which can be distributed royalty
free with your application, provides a dual pane with TOC, Index, and Find
tabs. Because of time constraints, we ended up providing window-level help
(accessed with a Help button in a dialog box); it was just easier giving
the developer one topic ID to link up (for a dialog box) as opposed to 15
or so (for each field in the dialog box). My topics explained the purpose
of the dialog box and listed all text boxes, options, and command buttons
as pop-up fields. If you go the field-level route, you can display a topic
in your app by pressing F1.
Jelp still has a few bugs, but they are well-documented (many of these are
Java-related, not Jelp-related). Overall, the product has really improved
since the early 1.0 versions. For more information on Jelp, see http://www.jelp.com/
Their web site has recently been updated and their support is good.
If you can't wait for JavaHelp and want to produce HTML-based files, you
can always look into Oracle Help. I had a hard time downloading their free
copy, though. And at the time, the Oracle product was not supported through
their help desk.
Hope this gives you some ideas.
Todd Snarr
Senior Technical Writer
Auto-Soft Corporation
Salt Lake City, UT
todd_snarr -at- autosoft -dot- com
