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Subject:Re: Basic question on graphical help. From:Chuck Martin <cwmartin -at- US -dot- ORACLE -dot- COM> Date:Tue, 6 Apr 1999 11:53:45 -0700
Silvia Bowen wrote:
>
> I am interested in doing some on line help with screen shots of my
> application.
>
> I would like to incorporate callout boxes along side the screen shot as well
> as a hotspots on my callout boxes. Does anyone know if RoboHelp can do this
> or do I need a screenshot capture program that will let me also incorporate
> additional lines, graphics, etc, into it.
>
> If so what package will do that for me?
> I would like to do this in WinHelp and HTML Help.
>
> Please...I am new to this that I could use a quick point in the right
> direction.
>
While you certainly can do all of that, it doesn't mean that you should.
I'm not sure if RoboHELP's screen capture program will do that, but I'd
recommend using a graphics program (my favorite is Paint Shop Pro)
instead--which also does excellect screen captures.
But there are two issues in putting such graphics in your Help file, one
more significant that the other. The less significant issue is what the
graphics will do to the size of your Help file: increase it
significantly.
The other issue is: your users have limited screen real estate. They
already see the application's dialog box or window on the screen, so why
duplicate it in the Help window, especially when doing so will
necessitate either making the Help window larger (covering more of the
application and taking the users attention farther away from it) or
requiring it to have scroll bars (and especially horizontal scroll bars
are generally annoying to users).
If I can assume that you're using WinHelp 4.0 with Windows 95/98/NT4,
then that's precisely what the What's This? fuctionality is for. You can
link information directly to each widget in the dialog box or window,
information that users can access through several mechanisms.
--
"Online help should ignore first-time users and concentrate
on those people who are already successful using the
product, but who want to expand their horizons."
- Alan Cooper
"About Face: The Essentials of User Interface Design"
Chuck Martin
Principal Technical Writer, Oracle Developer
Tools Division, Oracle Corporation
