HTML Help Center

Visit The Microsoft® HTML Help Web Site

Home
Site News
System Requirements
Help Authoring Newsgroups
About
Photos

Downloads

Betas

Information

Technical Papers

Links

Shopping

Welcome to the HTML Help Center! Contained here are the results of the HTML Help research conducted by Delmar Computing Services of Tipton, Michigan. Developers and help authors will find high-quality samples, source code, and tools for working with HTML Help. Also, make sure to check out our site news page about recent modifications and additions to the site.

Click here to read or download some unique programming projects.

How To Use This Site : To learn how to use Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop to create HTML Help files, read Char James-Tanny's tutorial. Once you're done with that, take a look here for information on mapping context integers. Whether you're developing in Visual Basic or MFC, Don Lammer's HTML Help API tutorials will show you how to link to HTML Help files from your applications. If you're using VB5 or 6, have a look at the HTML Help class module for interfacing your HTML Help file. The VB sample app will show you how to use every aspect of the class module. If you're using MFC, take a look at the MFC sample app.

Please Note: If you're looking for assistance with HTML for building web sites or assistance with Internet Explorer or Outlook Express issues, this is not the site you're looking for. Microsoft® HTML Help is a technology intended primarily for developing help files for Windows programs, or for compiling stand-alone documentation. It can also be used in web sites (for an example of such a site, click here). For assistance with Internet Explorer or Outlook Express issues, make sure you visit Sandi's Place. For assistance with HTML issues for building web sites, please visit the Web Design Group. You can also search the web for these subjects using our favorite search engine:

About Private Emails ...

There are quite a few discussion forums that I frequent. The most common are:

Because of the time it takes to develop and answer questions in these discussion forums, I am unable to take the time to answer help authoring questions via private email. Please join or visit one of these discussion forums to get your help authoring questions answered.

If you have questions or comments about this site or its contents, please contact me.

Usage Notes:
There are a number of free downloads available here at the HTML Help Center. If you use any part of these downloads in your project or elsewhere, we kindly ask that you simply give credit where it's due. If you'll take a look at the top comment block on the HTML Help Class Module, you'll see we've done so with as many people as we possibly can. Please do the same. And if you assisted with the class module and we've neglected to include you, please let us know so we can correct it.

If you wish to ship any of these items with commercial products, or use them within any such products, please contact us.

The following downloads are available on this site:

FAR (version 2.8.0) - We are honored to be able to host Rob Chandler's excellent shareware help authoring tool. This tool has quite a few useful built-in utilities.
The Tutorials - We are very honored to host a comprehensive tutorial on Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop, written by help-conference-favorite Char James-Tanny, author of Teach Yourself RoboHELP 2000 for HTML Help. We're also now linking to Don Lammers' great tutorials for using the HTML Help API with Visual Basic and Visual C++.
HTML Help Class Module - This class module is quite comprehensive ... and it's still growing! The HTML Help class module now ships with DotCHM from Auric Visions and is used within Imaging v5.00 from HealthCare Vision, Inc.
The VB Sample Application - The sample application now demonstrates almost every portion of the HTML Help class module.
The MFC Sample Application - This is a bare-bones MFC sample application created using the AppWizard in VC++ 6.0. This sample illustrates the basics without much extraneous code.
Using TCards With Visual Basic - The information on using HTML help-based TCards with Visual Basic has always seemed sketchy, and for quite a while, I said it couldn't be done. The solution has finally dawned on me. It's so simple, I don't know why I didn't see it before ...
HHWindows Object Library - After receiving many requests about how to use HH_SET_WIN_TYPE with Visual Basic (which crashes VB quite well), it dawned on me the work could be done via a DLL written in Delphi. Here's the beta ...
HTML Help Popup Tester - Back by popular demand, the HTML Help Popup Tester is a simple application for testing popups and their associated ID's.
Help On-Top Manager - Cuts help authors and developers loose from the need to be concerned with whether or not to place help windows on-top of an application or any other window. The Manager puts this capability in the hands of the user, who can manipulate the on-top status of all help windows as needed.
HTML Help Object Library - An ActiveX DLL implementation of the HTML Help class module, the HTML Help Object Library allows for HTML Help usage from VBA, Delphi, and other COM-enabled development environments.
'What's This' for Visual Basic - HTML Help-based What's This help for Visual Basic has some specific problems. The HHPopups sample will show you how it's to fix any problem you might come across in this area.
Message Box Component - The MsgBox function in Visual Basic 5 doesn't know what an HTML Help file is. This replacement component does.

There are also some new items in-work, such as a new DLL that will have some surprising capabilities (developed with the assistance of Delphi developers in the Netherlands, Germany, and Australia). Keep visiting this site for the most recent updates.