Chapter 1. Understanding JavaHelp
When I first saw a demonstration of Sun Microsystems’ JavaHelp early in 1998, I knew that Sun had designed a great new HTML-based help system that would answer most help authors’ needs. They proposed the best online help solution for Java applications and applets, and offered a great source for online help and documentation in general. Finally: online documentation that is easy to author, easy to use, and, best of all, fully functional across all computer platforms.
We are entering an age in software documentation where new HTML-based help systems are emerging and are trying to provide solutions for all help-authoring needs. With Java becoming such a widely used programming language, help authors need an HTML-based help system that is as flexible as the Java applications themselves. JavaHelp to the rescue!
To get you started learning JavaHelp, this chapter provides the following topics:
What is JavaHelp?
Using JavaHelp for online documentation
Understanding the files in a HelpSet
Following the JavaHelp process
Installing JavaHelp on your computer
Seeing JavaHelp in action
Deciding how to present a HelpSet
Deciding how to install a HelpSet
Encapsulating HelpSet files
Finding more information on JavaHelp
What Is JavaHelp?
JavaHelp is an online help system developed in the Java programming language. It is similar to other help systems, such as WinHelp and HTML Help, in that you use a table of contents (TOC), index, or word-search index to find and display ...