Creating Effective JavaHelp

JavaHelp is an online help system developed in the Java™ programming language. Creating Effective JavaHelp covers the main features and options of JavaHelp and shows how to create a basic JavaHelp system, prepare help topics, and deploy the help system in an application. Written for all levels of Java developers and technical writers, the book takes a chapter-by-chapter approach to building concepts, to impart a complete understanding of how to create usable JavaHelp systems and integrate them into Java applications and applets. Effective, instantly available online help is a requirement for today's interactive applications. Until now, Java application developers have been forced to develop their own help system. That's no longer necessary. With the release of JavaHelp™, there is a complete and standard online help system for the Java™ platform. Creating Effective JavaHelp covers the main features and options of JavaHelp. It shows how to create a basic JavaHelp system, prepare help topics, and deploy the help system in an application. Written for all levels of Java developers and technical writers, the book takes a chapter-by-chapter approach to building concepts. It imparts a complete understanding of how to create usable JavaHelp systems and integrate them into Java applications and applets. Topics covered include:Understanding JavaHelp Creating your first HelpSet Planning the JavaHelp project Preparing Help topics Creating HelpSet data and navigation files Enhancing the HelpSet Using the JavaHelp API for advanced presentation options Deploying the help system to your users Using third-party help-authoring toolsAbout the Authors Kevin Lewis holds a master's degree in technical and professional writing from Northeastern University in Boston. He has worked extensively with many online help systems and was one of the first help authors to work with JavaHelp. He offers training services in several online help technologies. Kevin has published articles on message-box design and on version-control systems for technical documents."