HTML vs HTML Help: Summary

[Jim Cort <jcort -at- TOTALTEL -dot- COM>]

Many people were kind enough to reply to me directly on this question, and
polite enough not to make fun of my ignorance.  Here's what they said:

Hi Jim.
HTML-Help is a Microsoft product that they are currently releasing with all
their applications.  Basically it requires Microsoft Internet Explorer in
order to run properly, but there are workarounds (some quite complicated) to
ensure it also runs on Netscape browsers.  If you are *certain* your
end-users will be using IE, and you are documenting a 32-bit application (or
you're certain the application will only be run on 32-bit machines) you can
safely release HTML-Help with little worry.  HTML-Help is a compiled help
system, which means that it includes TOC, Index, and full-text search
capabilities that straight HTML does not.
We still use WinHelp for our PC product, and I create a help system in
straight HTML for our Web product.  These serve our end-users purposes for
now.  I imagine we'll eventually go to HTML-Help...I am the only one here
really pushing to do that, but I hope to be able to convince everyone else
in the 12-18 month timeframe.  We currently use RoboHelp for our WinHelp
system, so I don't think the learning curve for me would be that great.  If
you don't already know RoboHelp, you'll have some learning to do, but the
learning curve for RoboHelp just isn't that steep.
For someone like yourself who isn't an HTML expert, RoboHelp might be a
better alternative (given the ability to overcome the issues I presented
above) because you don't really need to know HTML at all.  RoboHelp does it
all behind the scenes.  That also means you have to live with the sometimes
funky HTML Word and RoboHelp produce, but if you're not anal, like me, about
your HTML, you'll probably be fine.  If you're really hip to learn HTML, go
for it.  It's a lot of fun, and you can do more with it using a simple HTML
editor than Word/RoboHelp will let you do.
RoboHTML also gives you option of exporting the help system in what they
call WebHelp, which is supposed to bridge the gap between IE and Netscape,
so your help displays properly in both.  The only problem there is that you
get the lowest common denominator help, but that's probably sufficient in
most cases, and RoboHelp does it for you.  You don't have to know the ins
and outs of the 2 browser families yourself.
Given the IE limitations of HTML-Help, I don't think it's "here" yet,
although, clearly it is here, because MS is deploying and supporting it.
It's not here for me, yet.  I don't need it yet.  But I think I will one
day.

Jim,

It sounds like you don't necessarily want to create the web equivalent of a
Win Help file. If you simply want to "post" your manuals online, you could
simply use Acrobat Distiller to create PDF files and post those files on
your company Intranet.
Alternatively, you could convert your source (Word, Frame whatever) to HTML
though this would be more work.
If you think you might eventually want to do more than simply "post" an
online version of the printed manuals, you should consider the Microsoft
HMTL workshop. You can use this tool in its compiled or uncompiled form. You
get more features, especially a better search function, when you compile the
HTML Help file. But, there are browser limitations. I can't recall the
specifics but I think pre-IE 4 and some versions of Netscape can't handle a
compiled HTML Help file. I don't know which browser your company uses but if
it can handle compiled HTML Help files, you'd be good to go because you're
dealing with an Intranet.

To answer quickly, I think the main difference is that HTML Help is shipped
as a single, compiled file. It requires a special display program (other
than your web browser) to display it. The advantage is that you also get an
active TOC, predefined index, and full-text search capabilities.

Hello All,

James Cort asks what is the difference between HTML and HTML Help, and I am
going to try and give a reasonable answer.
HTML is a mark-up language that allows documents to be viewed by users on
different platforms, with any HTML browser.
Unlike HTML, HTML Help is NOT browser independent. HTML Help relies on
Internet Explorer 4.x. I'm not sure about platform dependence, because all
our users are NT, but that might also be an issue.
HTML Help is a single file that is created by compiling HTML docs. Rather
than distribute a whole slew of HTML files to a customer, you can just
distribute one, HTML Help file (.chm). With HTML Help HATs you can create
TOCs and Indexes, which is not so easy in regular HTML.
IE 4.x help is HTML Help, if you want to see an example. In fact, Microsoft
is providing HTML Help with all its new aps.

James,
I am writing this offline because I am not 100% sure that this is accurate,
however, from what I can gleam from my Microsoft manual and some websites on
HTML conversion, HTML is the markup language.  HTML Help is a help system
that is created using any one of a number of Authoring tools (RoboHelp,
ForeHelp, etc.) that create HTML files.
There are websites that introduce you to HTML, such as
http://www.jorsm.com/homepage.htm <http://www.jorsm.com/homepage.htm>  that
has links to HTML tutorials, etc.  I am new to HTML myself and found this
very useful for gathering information.

Hello,

You can find a white paper on Blue Sky Software's Web site about HTML Help.
It includes a section that explains the differences between HTML and HTML
Help.
The paper is at the following URL:
http://www.blue-sky.com/products/resource.htm
<http://www.blue-sky.com/products/resource.htm> . Download the zipped file
entitled Exclusive Report on Windows 98 Help.
If you want to produce HTML Help, you can use RoboHELP (if you have the
budget for it), or you can use MS HTML Help Workshop. You can find more
information at:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/c-frame.htm?931812233882#/workshop/author
<http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/c-frame.htm?931812233882#/workshop/autho
r>  /htmlhelp/default.asp.
Help Workshop is free. I believe other HATs (Help Authoring Tools) will let
you create HTML Help, but you have to check with each vendor.
HTML Help is read in IE and it doesn't work with Netscape. If you want your
help system to be browser-independent, you will need to create a Web Help
file, and you need RoboHELP for this.
I know, it's very confusing. That's why I'm sticking with WinHelp.  There is
a discussion list for online help authors and you can browse the archives
for more information on the subject. Just see:
http://www.documentation.com/winhelp-l/winhelp-l.htm
<http://www.documentation.com/winhelp-l/winhelp-l.htm>

Hi Jim:
HTML help is a help format provided by Microsoft, and will be the new online
help standard on Winhelp is gradually phased out.  The HTML help viewer
consists of a tripane window with navigation (contents, index, search) on
the left, and help topics on the right.  HTML help is compressed, and the
viewer opens fast.  However, to use HTML help, users must have MS Internet
Explorer installed on their PCs (not all of it, but at least certain
components).
HTML includes an API so you can provide context-sensitive help from an
application.  Not all applications can call HTML help, however; for example,
a Java applet cannot call it.
You can download the HTML help workshop for free from the Microsoft web
site.  There are books and tutorials available to help you compile your own
help files.
Straight HTML can be whatever you want.  You can configure your application
to spawn a browser window with your help contents.  Navigation may be
limited to whatever you have put together.  You can use javascripting, for
example, or put together a solution out of purchased components.
There are a variety of other HTML-based help solutions, such as Javahelp,
Webhelp (from Blue Sky/Robohelp; if you use Word), Web Works Help (from
Quadralay; if you use Frame), and many others.  You would need to research
each to see which would be best for your particular situation, taking into
account ease of authoring, support for your application, distribution
issues, help viewer performance, etc.  You might take a look at the
following pages for more information:
http://members.aol.com/lindamoore/helpauth.html
<http://members.aol.com/lindamoore/helpauth.html>
<http://members.aol.com/lindamoore/helpauth.html
<http://members.aol.com/lindamoore/helpauth.html> >
http://www.winwriters.com/ <http://www.winwriters.com/>
<http://www.winwriters.com/ <http://www.winwriters.com/> >

Thanks to everyone.

Jim Cort
Technical Writer
TotalTel
Jcort -at- total -dot- com <mailto:Jcort -at- total -dot- com>

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000=