The best way to create Help systems for Windows software is with Microsoft's advanced HTML Help system -- and the best way to use HTML Help is to leverage the power of DHTML and Cascading Style Sheets at the same time. Building Enhanced HTML Help with DHTML and CSS is the first book to show you how to use all three technologies together. Written by one of the first developers to create an industrial-strength HTML Help system, it provides a proven methodology and step-by-step instructions for creating world-class help systems that leverage both advanced Web technologies and traditional publishing strategies. Learn how to plan and design online help systems. Discover what HTML Help brings to the table, including a graphical look and feel (managed through CSS) and increased interactivity (managed through DHTML). Learn how to craft HTML templates and individual pages, define your HTML Help project, create navigation, compile and view your Help; then walk step-by-step through creating cascading style sheets and DHTML elements for online help. Klein covers automatic compilation, cross-referencing, tables of contents, and merging modular files into a single online help system. Along the way, she identifies the most common problems that occur in real-world HTML Help construction, and presents detailed solutions.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
This book has answers for my questions:
I'm converting 170 WinHelp projects created in RoboHelp 4.0 to 13 HTML help projects, and am having to create the project files myself because the Robo engines don't do what I need them to do. I bought this book to get some help and support. I have found answers to many questions in this book. I've used it as a reference, not as a primary resource though. Its usefulness really depends on your current understanding of HTML and what you need to learn. If you need or want to edit the source HTML or your... more info
A solid book:
While still hoping for a "bible" on HTML Help, this book is a good starting point for understanding HTML Help. Jeannine wisely avoids using help authoring tools, and instead describes clearly and succinctly how to build HTML Help using the Microsoft HTML Help Workshop and text editors or HTML editors.
Jeannine's examples are very good, though the book could have used a bit more editing (one code sample left out a closing double quote, for example, resulting in an error is you used the code in your work),... more info
Book's Web site is now active:
I am the author and I just wanted to apologize to reviewer jplummer1 for being slow in getting the Web site operational. However, it is up and functioning now, so I hope the reviewer (and other readers) will return to the Web site and and that they will find it useful.
Also, just for information, the project documented in the book took about 6 months, not "years" as jplummer1 suggested. Finally, please disregard the "5-star" rating above--Amazon wouldn't let me post this review without supplying a... more info
Where are the files?:
The continually referenced web site says, "Coming Soon." This book may be ok for a full time help author but is very time consuming to find information. CSS, DHTML and HTML Help information is scattered all over the book. The index is of little help. I'm sure someone could build HTML Help if they had years to do it as did the projects the author references. The supposed on-line files might help. I feel very ripped off that the author did not follow through on the website and example files.
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