Robohelp Tutorial: How To Create Microsoft Html Help With Robohelp 8?

RoboHelp is an easy-to-use help authoring tool (HAT) you can use to create Microsoft HTML Help for your applications.  It is an online help system, which requires Internet Explorer on the users’ computers to view the help.

A classic example of a Microsoft HTML Help system is the help for Internet Explorer (IE).  If you’ve used the help option in IE you already know how the help system looks and what it contains.  Never used the help menu in IE?  Start IE and click Help > Internet Explorer Help or press F1.  The help window appears.

How do you go about developing such a help system with RoboHelp?  First, create the content for the topics in HTML format through the text editor; add a table of contents (TOC), an index, a glossary and other.  Then, compile the Microsoft HTML Help file.  The compiler generates a .CHM file.  Your installer software should install this file with your executable (.EXE) file on the users’ computer.  They can also view the help for your application on a stand-alone basis by double-clicking the .CHM file.

Want to try RoboHelp 8?  Download the trial version of this software from adobe.com.  

Let’s create a simple Microsoft HTML help file with RoboHelp 8.

Step-by-Step Procedure to Create a Simple Microsoft HTML Help System

STEP 1: Start RoboHelp.  The Starter pod appears (Fig. 1-1).

Fig. 1-1  The Starter pod

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STEP 2: Click Blank Project in the Create New frame.  The New Project Wizard dialog appears (Fig. 2-1).

Fig. 2-1  The New Project Wizard dialog

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STEP 3: Type a unique title, file name, and location for the project in their respective fields.  In the Enter the title of the first topic field, type the name of the topic.

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STEP 4: Click Finish.  RoboHelp displays the Project Manager and Topic List pods and the text editor in the Design mode (Fig. 4-1).

Fig. 4-1  The Project Manager and Topic List pods and the text editor in the Design mode

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STEP 5: Click File > Project Settings.  The Project Settings dialog appears.

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STEP 6: Click the down-arrow in the Primary Output field and select Microsoft HTML Help (Fig. 6-1).  Click OK.

Fig. 6-1  Select Microsoft HTML Help from the Primary Output pull-down menu in the Project Settings dialog

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STEP 7: In the Design window you’ll see default text.  Further, the window has two buttons: Design and HTML.  If you wish to work in the HTML view to see the code, add tags, edit text and other, click the HTML button.  For this tutorial, let’s work in the Design view.

Delete the default text in the Design window and type your content.

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STEP 8: Add a new topic: If the Topic List pod isn’t displayed, open it by clicking View > Pods > Topic List.  

Right-click in the Topics List pod and select New Topic from the context-sensitive menu (Fig. 8-1).  The New Topic dialog appears (Fig. 8-2).  Type the title of the topic and its keywords in their respective fields.

Fig. 8-1  The context-sensitive menu that displays when you right-click inside the Topic List pod

Fig. 8-2  The New Topic dialog

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STEP 9: Click OK.  The topic title appears as a tab in the text editor (Fig. 9-1).

Fig. 9-1  The topic titles appear as tabs in the text editor

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STEP 10: Delete the default content and type your content for the topic.

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STEP 11: Repeat STEPS 8-10 for additional topics.

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STEP 12: Create the table of contents for your HTML help file:  Click View > Pods > Project Manager to open the Project Manager pod (if it’s not already open).

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STEP 13: Click the Table of Contents folder.  The file new (Default) appears.

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STEP 14: Double-click new (Default).  The Table of Content Pod appears (Fig. 14-1).

Fig. 14-1  The TOC pod

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STEP 15: In the TOC pod toolbar, click the Auto-create TOC button (if it’s not visible, expand the width of the pod).  The Auto-create TOC dialog appears (Fig. 15-1).

Fig. 15-1  The Auto-create TOC dialog

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STEP 16: In the above dialog, check / uncheck the checkboxes as relevant and click OK.  RoboHelp creates the TOC for your HTML help file (Fig. 16-1).

Fig. 16-1  The TOC for the help file

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STEP 17: If you wish to group the topics in the TOC under a book, click the New TOC Book button on the TOC pod toolbar.  The New TOC Book dialog appears (Fig. 17-1).

Fig. 17-1  The New TOC Book dialog

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STEP 18: Type the book title in the Book Title field and click OK.

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STEP 19:  Drag each topic in the TOC and drop it below the book icon when the yellow arrow appears.  RoboHelp links each of the topics to the book (Fig. 19-1).

Fig. 19-1  The TOC pod with the topics linked to the book

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STEP 20: Create the index for your help file:  In the Project Manager pod, double click the Index folder.  Double-click the new (Default) label.  The Index pod appears (Fig. 20-1).

Fig. 20-1  The Index pod

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STEP 21: Click Tools > Smart Index Wizard.  The Smart Index Wizard dialog appears (Fig. 21-1).

Fig. 21-1  The Smart Index Wizard dialog

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STEP 22: Click a relevant radio button in the Select search criteria and Search for index keywords in frames.  In the Set up word lists frame, click the Always ignore button (if you want to specify words that the Index Wizard should always ignore).  The Advanced Settings for Localization dialog appears.  Add / delete / edit words.  Click OK.

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STEP 23: Click Next.   The next screen of the Smart Index Wizard dialog appears (Fig. 23-1).

Fig. 23-1  The second screen of the Smart Index dialog

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STEP 24: If you want RoboHelp to automatically add index keywords for all topics without the prompt for confirmation, click the Automatically add index keywords for all topics radio button.  Otherwise, click the Confirm adding index keywords for each topic radio button.

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STEP 25: Click Finish.  The Results dialog appears with info like the number of topics reviewed and keywords added (Fig. 25-1).

Fig. 25-1  The Results dialog with info like the number of topics reviewed and keywords added

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STEP 26: Click Close.  The Index pod displays the indexed keywords (Fig. 26-1).

Fig. 26-1  The index pod with index keywords

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STEP 27: Click View > Pods > Project Setup to open the Project Setup pod (if it’s not already open) (Fig. 27-1).

Fig. 27-1  The Project Setup pod

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STEP 28:  Double-click the Windows folder.  Then, double-click the NewWindow icon.  The WindowProperties dialog appears (Fig. 28-1).

Fig. 28-1  The Window Properties dialog

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STEP 29: Type a new name for the window, relevant to your project in the Window Name field.  Type a new caption for the window in the Window Caption field.  

NOTE: The content you type in the above field appears in the title bar of the window of your compiled HTML help file.

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STEP 30: Click OK.

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STEP 31: Compile the Microsoft HTML Help file:  Click the Generate Primary Layout button in the Project Toolbar (Fig. 31-1).  The Generating HTML Help window appears.  The status of the compilation displays in the Output View pod (Fig. 31-2).  After the compilation is complete, the Result dialog appears (Fig. 31-3).

Fig. 31-1  Click the Generate Primary Layout button to compile the HTML help file

Fig. 31-2  The Output View pod displays the status of compilation of the help file

Fig. 31-3  Click View Result to view the Microsoft HTML Help system

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STEP 32: Click View Result to view your Microsoft HTML help file.  RoboHelp displays the Microsoft HTML help file (Fig. 32-1).

Fig. 32-1  The final output: A Microsoft HTML Help system

With RoboHelp, you can also create a WebHelp System.  How To Create A Webhelp System With Robohelp 8? gives the step-by-step procedure to develop a WebHelp system.

How To Create Image Maps In Robohelp 8? is a step-by-step tutorial to create Image Maps in RoboHelp.  Image maps are hot spots with links in different parts of an image.

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