Chapter 8. Getting Help
IN THIS CHAPTER
Using the Help Viewer application
Displaying help tags
Getting command-line help
Exploring other avenues for help
In this chapter, you find out how to take advantage of Mac OS X's built-in help systems. Anyone who has ever used a computer at one time or another needs help. When the need arises, Mac OS X provides several types of built-in assistance. The principal help system is integrated into the OS, and the contents are displayed through a browser-like application, aptly named the Help Viewer. The Help Viewer application provides explanations for most basic tasks. Another type of assistance within Mac OS X is help tags. When provided, help tags are labels that appear when the mouse is positioned over various GUI elements. Typically, these GUI elements are unlabeled buttons, such as the ones found in AppleWorks or Microsoft Office's toolbars. Another form of built-in assistance is the man pages. Man pages provide help with the command-line tasks and are accessed through the Terminal application. In addition to the built-in help systems of Mac OS, many applications also provide their own built-in help. If all else fails, you can always break out the manuals or visit a products support site, if one is provided. Let's take a closer look at the various Mac OS X help systems.
Using the Help Viewer Application
The Help Viewer is the main source of general how-to help for Mac OS X. It also provides separate sections of specialized help on Apple technologies, ...
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