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Introducing HelpLinker
HelpLinker™ provides the fastest and easiest way to apply context-sensitive help to runtime applications. HelpLinker's innovative capturing technology allows you to capture any window or dialog box element in a runtime application, and link to it a WinHelp or HTML Help topic, created with any help authoring tool.
What is context-sensitive help?
Context-sensitive help refers to help that users access from within an application. It is intended to provide specific information at precisely the place in the application where the user wants to find it. That's why it is referred to as "context-sensitive."
Context-sensitive help provides help on each item - fields and controls - in a dialog box. For this reason it is also referred to as "field-level help".
Even if task oriented help (HowTo help) created for an application provides step-by-step instructions for performing tasks, the data that the user needs to enter in dialog box fields is not always self explanatory, and might require explanation. A user may encounter a field for which he/she won't know what data to enter. For such cases, HowTo help is not satisfactory, and field-level help must be included.
Of all help formats available, context-sensitive help offers the most immediate feedback to the user, and can be quickly accessed by a click of a button.
HelpLinker - A must for help developers
Among the many help authoring tools that enable creating context-sensitive help, HelpLinker has emerged as an innovative and easy to use tool for linking context-sensitive help topics to existing applications.
When using HelpLinker, you don't need to worry about resource files, topic IDs and map files! HelpLinker simplifies the process of creating context-sensitive help, and allows you to focus on the content, rather than on the tools.
More than any other aspect of help development, context sensitivity requires close collaboration between the application developer and the help author. The frequent lack of communication between the two, and unawareness of developers of the benefits of context-sensitivity, has for long been a big obstacle to developing context-sensitive help.
HelpLinker provides the ultimate solution: not only is it a time-saver, but it also minimizes the need to interact with the application developers, to be dependent upon them to provide you IDs, resource files, etc. HelpLinker saves you the whole ordeal of implementing the help into the program. All you do is graphically mark any area in the application to be documented, and link a help topic to it using simple drag-and-drop. The link is complete!
HelpLinker and other context-sensitive authoring tools
Consider the benefits of using HelpLinker, rather than creating context-sensitive help in other ways:
HelpLinker minimizes the need to collaborate with the application developers, to be dependent upon them to provide you IDs, resource files, etc. HelpLinker saves you the entire ordeal of implementing the help into the program.
HelpLinker allows you to create your help topics with your preferred help authoring tool, or with the authoring tool that your organization possesses. The help files can be in either WinHelp or HTML Help.
HelpLinker makes the programmer's job easier than ever before. All he/she needs to do is include in the application .DLLs that links the help file to the application, spending a fraction of the time previously needed.
HelpLinker's innovative capturing technology allows you to capture any screen or dialog box element in the runtime application, and link to it WinHelp or HTML Help topics.
HelpLinker enables you to create context-sensitive help also for 3rd party applications for which you don't have the source code. You'll need to purchase a special runtime engine that we have developed for such cases, and install it on the users' computers.