| Introduction to On-line Help | On-line Help System | |
On-line Help is provided for you to use with your character applications. The On-line Help Viewer (HyHelp) is the tool which enables you to view character on-line Help in your applications.
HyHelp enables you to view on-line the Help files. You use HyHelp to access the Help files and then display on screen, browse through, copy into text files or print any part of the selected information.
This chapter describes the functions of HyHelp, how to invoke it and how to use it for viewing Help .
See the section Invoking the On-line Help Viewer in the chapter On-line Help System for details of how to invoke HyHelp.
Once you have invoked HyHelp, this section helps you to use it. It describes the user interface and various terms associated with HyHelp.
When you have invoked HyHelp, it displays a bordered panel which contains the text for the selected topic. Figure 9-1 shows the main HyHelp menu which is displayed when HyHelp is started. The title of the topic is displayed in the top border.
Figure 9-1: The HyHelp Main Screen
If a topic contains more lines than the panel can show at one time, the right side of the border contains a scroll bar . The scroll bar indicates what proportion of the text is visible, and the current position of the panel within the topic.
You view the topic using Ý and ß to move up or down one line at a time, or Page Up and Page Down to move up or down one panel at a time.
If you have a mouse, click on the scroll bar to move up or down one panel of text or click on the Ý/ß icons to move up or down the topic by one line.
Some topics contain frozen lines. These lines always remain visible at the top of the screen while the rest of the text scrolls.
You can perform various operations in HyHelp using the keyboard or the mouse. All the functions indicated on the menu are activated by pressing the appropriate key. Several other functions can be performed using the various cursor-control keys or the mouse. These are described later.
In the following text, the terms clicking and double-clicking with the mouse refer to the operation of moving the mouse cursor to the relevant point and then clicking once or twice with the left mouse button. The mouse pointer is visible only if you have a mouse. When you initially invoke HyHelp it is located at the bottom of the right hand side of the panel border.
With HyHelp, a number of objects can be selected and/or activated. Selecting an object simply makes it the current object. Usually it becomes highlighted in some way. Subsequent keystrokes may take account of what object is selected.
Activating an object causes some process to take place related to the object.
For example, selecting a hotspot (see later) causes it to be highlighted; activating it (by pressing Enter after selecting it) causes the topic that is cross-referenced by the hotspot to be displayed.
The information accessible to HyHelp is held in any number of Help files. Topics from any of these files can be displayed using the facilities available.
In general, each file is self-contained and does not cross-reference another file. However, in some instances, two or more files are used to contain a complete set of information. In this case you may switch from one file to another without knowing it. When a topic from a file is displayed, the file becomes the current file .
Each file contains a set of topics. The topics are usually stored in the file in a logical sequence. Many files have a hierarchical structure. In general you should not need to understand the structure of a file to find the information you need. However, it can sometimes be helpful.
The first topic in a file is called the home topic . This topic provides a launch point to any of the information held in the file. In addition, most files also contain a contents list and an index of some form to help you.
Some files contain list topics . These topics contain a full width cursor bar. Each line in such a topic acts like a hotspot, and as such is a cross-reference to another topic. You can select a line by moving the cursor bar to it using the cursor keys or by clicking on it. Press Enter to activate the selected list line. Double-clicking with the mouse on any line selects and activates that line.
A topic name is an ASCII string up to 30 characters in length, used to identify that topic. More than one topic name can point to a single topic. You can use the topic name to reference a topic from the command line or using the search function. See the chapter On-line Help System for more details.
The same topic name can exist in more than one file. When displaying information, the file containing the desired topic name can be prefixed to the topic name with an exclamation point (!) as follows:
[file-name!][topic-name]
If file-name
is supplied, then only that file is searched. Otherwise all files
available are searched in the order shown in the file list (see the FILE
configuration option tag). If topic-name is
supplied, a topic with that name is searched for. Otherwise the first
topic in the file specified – the home topic – is displayed.
For example, invoking HyHelp using the following command line:
hyhelp test1.hnf!stop
would invoke HyHelp and display the information on the topic called stop in the help file test1.hnf.
The topic name is not the same as the topic title which appears at the top of the screen when a topic is displayed.
A
topic can contain areas which cross-reference other topics. These
areas are called hotspots. They are normally colored or enclosed in the
horn characters (< and >) to show their
presence. Select a hotspot by clicking on it or by using the Tab
and Backtab keys. The hotspot selected is highlighted.
If you double-click on a hotspot or press Enter when a hotspot is selected, the system displays the topic cross-referenced by the hotspot.
If you double-click on any other word in a topic, the system searches the Help and help files for a topic with that name. The topic is displayed if found.
This section lists the additional functions which can be activated using the keys and mouse operations described below.
| Key |
Description |
|---|---|
| Escape | Exits from the current menu. |
| F1=help | Displays help for current menu. |
| Enter | Activates the selected hotspot or list item. |
| Ý | Moves topic text down one line in the panel or moves the list topic cursor bar up one line. |
| ß | Moves topic text up one line in the panel or moves the list topic cursor bar up one line. |
| Page-Up | Moves topic text up by one panel height. |
| Page-Down | Moves topic text down by one panel height. |
| Home | Moves to the start of the current topic. |
| End | Moves to the end of the current topic. |
| Tab | Selects the next hotspot, or the first if none are selected. |
| Backtab | Selects the previous hotspot, or the last if none are selected. |
| Ctrl+Home | Displays the home topic of the current help file. |
The following mouse operations are available:
| Operation |
Description |
|---|---|
| Click on vertical scroll bar above slider. | Moves topic text down by one panel height. |
| Click on vertical scroll bar below slider. | Moves topic text up by one panel height. |
| Click on Ý. | Moves topic text down by one line. |
| Click on ß. | Moves topic text up by one line. |
| Click outside text panel. | Displays the history menu. |
| Click on hotspot/list line. | Selects the hotspot/list line. |
| Click on maximize/restore icon (top right-hand corner). | Maximizes/restores the topic window. |
| Double-click on hotspot/list line. | Activates the hotspot/list line. |
| Double-click on word in main panel (not a list topic). | Searches for a topic with that name. |
The HyHelp menus are organized to provide rapid access to the most commonly used functions.
Help menus can be accessed from any HyHelp menu by pressing F1=help. This calls the help screen for the option from which it is called.
The Bookmark menu and list is displayed when you press B from the HyHelp main menu. This menu is displayed in Figure 9-2.
Figure 9-2: Bookmark Menu
A bookmark is a user-defined index item identifying a specific point in a specific topic. In the same way you would use a real bookmark to mark a place in a book, you use these bookmarks to mark places in the information.
The bookmark list is a list of all the bookmarks you have defined. Bookmarks are listed in alphabetic order, just like an index. Each bookmark is a user-defined name relating to a point within a particular topic.
The Bookmark menu displays functions that enable you to perform the following operations:
The Files menu is displayed when you press F from the HyHelp main menu. This menu is displayed in Figure 9-3.
Figure 9-3: Files Menu
The Files menu shows a list of information files currently available to HyHelp. These are the files that are searched when you specify a topic name, either on invocation or by clicking on a word that is not part of a hotspot.
The Files menu displays functions that enable you to perform the following operations:
The HyHelp help menu is displayed when you press F1=help from the HyHelp main menu. This menu is shown in Figure 9-4.
Figure 9-4: HyHelp Help Menu
To select a submenu or function use the appropriate function key or letter.
The Output menu is displayed when you press O from the HyHelp main menu. This menu is displayed in Figure 9-5.
Figure 9-5: Output Menu
The Output menu displays functions that enable you to perform the following operations:
HyHelp functions are accessed from menus. The following section contains a quick reference listing all of the functions available in HyHelp. The listing is followed by detailed descriptions of these functions.
The following table lists the HyHelp functions in alphabetical order and indicates the keys you must press to access them. Thus, to determine the path to access a given function, follow the sequence of keystrokes. For example, to reach the Remove File function, from the HyHelp main menu you press F followed by R.
For some functions you will need to use the cursor keys at some point. This is represented in the list by showing all available cursor keys. For example, the Copy to File function shows that you can either copy the whole topic to a file, or use the cursor keys to copy just a selection of the topic.
UNIX :
Some of the functions in the following list refer to mouse actions, which
are not currently available in HyHelp for UNIX. For such functions, an
alternative method of invocation that does not use the mouse is shown.
| Function |
Menu Access Keys |
|---|---|
| Activate Hotspot | Tab, Enter or Backtab, Enter or mouse click, Enter or double mouse click. |
| Add Bookmark | M, A |
| Add File | F, Ý, ß, A |
| Append to File | O, M, Ý, ß, A or O, A |
| Back | B |
| Bookmark | M |
| Browse Backward | < |
| Browse Forward | > |
| Contents | C |
| Copy to File | O, M, Ý, ß, C or O, C |
| Delete Bookmark | M, Ý, ß, D |
| Escape | Escape |
| Files | F |
| Goto Bookmark | M, Ý, ß, G |
| History | H |
| Home | Ctrl+End |
| Index | I |
| Mark | O, M |
| Next Hotspot | Tab |
| Output | O |
| Previous Hotspot | Backtab |
| Print to File | O, P |
| Remove File | F, Ý, ß, R |
| Rename Bookmark | M, Ý, ß, R |
| Search | S |
| Set Mode | D |
This section describes the functions available in HyHelp.
Activates the selected hotspot (selected using Tab, Backtab, or a mouse click). The topic cross-referenced by this hotspot is displayed.
Defines a bookmark at the current position in the current topic. The title of the topic is placed at the prompt, indicating that it will be used as the name of the bookmark. You can accept this name by pressing Enter, or you can allocate a name of your own by typing over the name at the prompt and pressing Enter. The name is inserted into the bookmark list and you are returned to the HyHelp main menu.
Enables you to add a help file to the file list, making it available for use with HyHelp. You can either enter the name of the help file at the prompt, or you can use the select F2=directory to locate the file you wish to add. Press Enter when the prompt shows the correct help file.
If you specify a filename but no path, HyHelp first looks for the file in the current directory. If the file is not found, then, for .hnf files, the directories specified in the path list defined by the environment variable COBHNF are searched. HyHelp searches for Microsoft Advisor format files (.hlp) in the directories in the path list of the environment variables HELPFILES and QH.
If the file is found, it is added to the list. If HyHelp does not find the file or is unable to load it the following message is displayed:
Failed to add file
Appends the current topic, or marked block, to the end of the text file paste.txt . If no text has been marked, the whole topic is copied to the file.
The text selected is formatted to 76 characters wide before being copied.
Displays the previously displayed topic. If you select the function repeatedly without selecting any other topics in between, the topics so far displayed in this session are displayed again in reverse order. Up to 40 topics can be displayed in this way.
Displays the Bookmark menu, described in the section HyHelp Menus. For a description of the functions available on this menu see Add Bookmark, Rename Bookmark, Delete Bookmark and Goto Bookmark.
Displays the previous topic in the information file. The Browse functions enable the topics in an on-line information file to be displayed in the sequence they are stored in the file, or, for .hnf format files, in a sequence selected by the creator of the file – a browse chain . If no browse chain has been defined then you see the next/previous topic in the file.
The sequence in which topics are displayed when using the Browse Backward function depends entirely on the structure of the file and cannot be described in detail here.
Displays the next topic in the information file. The Browse functions enable the topics in an on-line information file to be displayed in the sequence they are stored in the file, or, for .hnf format files, in a sequence selected by the creator of the file – a browse chain . If no browse chain has been defined then you see the next/previous topic in the file.
The sequence in which topics are displayed when using the Browse Backward function depends entirely on the structure of the file and cannot be described in detail here.
Displays a table of contents where available. An example of such a table of contents in shown in Figure 9-6.
Figure 9-6: Contents Screen
The general contents for an .hnf format file is displayed as a list of entries in a pop-up window (see Figure 9-6). Entries are in the order that the topics are stored in the file and each entry is the title of a topic in the current file. All topics with titles appear in the contents list.
To select an entry use the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home or End keys or click on it. The selected entry is highlighted.
Activate an entry by double-clicking on it or by selecting it and pressing Enter. When activated, the topic relating to the contents entry is then displayed.
Press Escape or click the mouse outside the main panel area to leave the contents list without activating any entry.
The contents in the NetExpress on-line Help is displayed and used in a different way.
Places the current topic, or marked block, into the text file paste.txt. If there is no marked block the whole topic is copied. See the description of the Mark function for details of marking a block.
The text selected is formatted to 76 characters wide before being copied.
Enables you to delete a bookmark. Select the bookmark to be deleted by highlighting it using the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home and End keys, or click on it.
Press D. The bookmark is removed from the list, and the bookmark deleted.
Returns to the HyHelp main menu. If you are already on the HyHelp main menu, exits from HyHelp. The following prompt is displayed:
Exit from HYHELP ? Y/N
Press Y or y to exit from HyHelp, N or n to abandon your request to exit.
Displays the Files menu, described in the section HyHelp Menus. For a description of the functions available on this menu see Add File and Remove File.
Displays the topic associated with a bookmark. Select the bookmark whose topic you want to see by highlighting it using the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home and End keys, or click on it, then press G.
Alternatively you can press Enter when a bookmark is highlighted, or you can double-click on a bookmark in the bookmark list.
Displays a list of topics previously viewed in a pop-up window (see Figure 9-7). The list is chronological, with the most recently visited topic occurring at the top of the list. Each entry in the list is the title of a topic. The list contains the forty most recent entries.
To select an entry, use the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home or End keys or click on it. The selected entry is highlighted.
Figure 9-7: History Screen
Activate an entry by selecting it and pressing Enter or by double-clicking on it. When activated, the topic relating to the contents entry is displayed.
Press Escape or click the mouse outside the main panel area to leave the history list without activating any entry.
Displays the home topic of the current help file.
Displays the index for the current file. A typical index is shown in
Figure 9-8.
Figure 9-8: Index Screen
The general index for a .hnf format file is displayed as a list of entries in a pop-up window. Entries are in alphabetical order and each entry relates to a specific topic in the current file.
To select an entry use the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home or End keys or click on it. The selected entry is highlighted. You can also select an entry by pressing a letter key, which moves the cursor to the first item starting with that letter.
Activate an entry by selecting it and pressing Enter or by double-clicking on it. When activated, the topic relating to the index entry is displayed.
Press Escape or click the mouse outside the main panel area to leave the index list without activating any function.
The index in the NetExpress on-line Help is displayed and used in a different way.
Enables you to mark a block for output to file or printer. Press M to start the block, then use Ý, ß, Page Up and Page Down to size the block. When the block covers the text you want to output, use Copy to File, Append to File or Print to File to output the text. To cancel the marking, press M again.
Selects the next hotspot in the current topic. If no hotspot is currently selected, the first hotspot is selected. If the last hotspot is already selected this function selects the first hotspot.
Displays the Output menu, described in the section HyHelp Menus. For a description of the functions available on this menu see Mark, Copy to File, Append to File and Print to File.
Selects the previous hotspot in the current topic. If no hotspot is currently selected, the last hotspot is selected. If the first hotspot is already selected, this function selects the last hotspot.
Sends the current topic, or marked block, to a printer. If no text has been marked the whole of the topic is printed.
The text selected is formatted to 76 characters wide before being printed.
Removes a file from the file list, making it unavailable for use by HyHelp. Use the Ý and ß keys to highlight the file to remove, then press R. The file is removed from the list unless it is the only file on the list or is the current file. In these cases the following message is displayed:
Failed to remove file
Enables you to change the name of an existing bookmark. Select the bookmark to be renamed by highlighting it using the Ý, ß, Page-Up, Page-Down, Home and End keys, or click on it.
Press R and type the new name for the bookmark, followed by Enter. The selected bookmark is renamed and the new name placed in the list at its new alphabetical position.
Enables you to search for a topic name. You are prompted to enter the name of a topic to search for, followed by Enter. If the topic name that you enter cannot be found, the following message is displayed:
Topic "topic-name" not found.
All the files available to HyHelp, as listed in the files list, are searched, in the order specified, for a topic that has the entered name.
Toggles between cursor and scroll modes. In cursor mode you use the cursor keys to move the cursor around the topic window. If you move the cursor over a hotspot, that hotspot is automatically selected. In cursor mode, you can scroll up or down through a topic by using Ctrl+Ý and Ctrl+ß respectively.
In scroll mode you use the cursor keys to scroll up or down through a topic.
Copyright © 1998 Micro Focus Limited. All rights reserved.
This document and the proprietary marks and names
used herein are protected by international law.
| Introduction to On-line Help | On-line Help System | |