Who Should Read the Book

This book is designed for anyone who wants to package a collection of information in a single-file format that incorporates the attributes of HTML, including the sophisticated design and interactivity of cascading style sheets and dynamic HTML, plus convenient navigational facilities. The primary audience consists of Help authors and documentation specialists interested, but the information should also prove useful to others who want to publish writing in a highly functional, self-contained package that takes advantage of the explosion of technologies and access available on the World Wide Web.

Overall, no previous knowledge is assumed beyond a general familiarity with using Windows Help systems and the World Wide Web. Novices should be able to learn the essentials required to build enhanced HTML Help; at the same time, experienced Help and Web authors should find enough new material to challenge them to enhance their existing systems.

New users can learn:

• the structure and elements of compiled HTML Help systems;
• functionality, tricks, and tips for using the HTML Help Workshop;
• inner workings of the HTML Help navigation pane (table of contents, index, and full-text search);
• standard HTML markup and structure to create HTML Help content, with information about two dozen standard HTML tags;
• essential elements of cascading style sheets, including 50 frequently used properties for paragraph, font, list, and heading elements;
• basic dynamic HTML coding in JavaScript™, with pre-canned code for pop-ups and other common items

More advanced users can discover:

• Microsoft’s sitemap format used for HTML Help tables of contents and indexes;
• window definitions, meanings, parameters, and available values;
• how to open HTML Help code and “tweak” elements not accessible via the HTML Help Workshop;
• known bugs in the HTML Help system, together with “under-the-hood” tips and tricks for working around the bugs;
• 50 CSS properties, together with the “gotchas” for the HTML Help implementation;
• detailed information about the values and pitfalls of merged modular systems, together with step-by-step instructions for creating these systems.