$ Contents
# contents
K Contents
@ Contents:

{\b Choose one of the following topics:}

=Help on help=[ !HelpOn() ]
=HelpMaker Overview=[overview]
=Menu commands=[menu]
=Help text syntax=[syntax]
=Help macros=[help_macros]
=Project files=[help_project]
=Using help in a Windows application (C/C++)=[!JumpKeyword("tcwhelp.hlp", "Using Help in a Windows Application")] {\fs16(a link to Borland C++ 3.1 help)}
=Finishing touches=[finishing]
=Problems with compiling=[compile_errors]
=Problems with this help file=[problems]
---
$ Problems with this help
# problems
K Problems with this help;Cannot open help file

This help-file uses hyperlinks to a help file {\b'tcwhelp.hlp'} which comes with Borland C++ version 3.1. If you don't have this help file, you might get a message saying: {\b'Cannot open Help file'}, when you try to choose certain hyperlinks from this help. If this happens, consult the corresponding help topics in your own compiler's help files.
---
$ Using Help Macros in help text files
# help_macros
K Help Macros;Macros
@ Using help macros in help text files

You can use Help-macros in your help file. There are 2 ways to use a help macro:

1. In the beginning of a topic, insert a line with '!' followed by help macro. The macro will be executed every time the topic is displayed. Example:
     $ Example of a macro
     # example
     !  About()
Executes the About() -macro every time the topic 'Example' is displayed.

2. In hyperlink, use '!' followed by help macro instead of specifying a context string. Example:
    Click here to \= start clock application \=\[ !ExecProgram("clock.exe", 1)]
executes ExecProgram() -macro when user selects the hot text. 

See also:
    =Inserting links=[ insert_link ].
    =Reference for help macros=[ macros ]
    =Link to Borland C++ macro help=[ !JumpKeyword("tcwhelp.hlp", "Help Macros")].
    =Help text syntax=[ syntax ].
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$ Help Project
# help_project
K Help Project;Project
@ HelpMaker project files

HelpMaker's project consists of the normal Help Project (hpj) -file and additional data. The additional data tells which text files will be converted to rich text format (RTF) when the help is compiled.

In the project window there are 3 sections. In the top section there is the normal help-project -file that the Help Compiler uses. HelpMaker provides you with a skeleton help-project -file.

See	=reference for Creating Help Project Files=[ !JumpKeyword("tcwhelp.hlp", "Creating Help Project Files")] {\fs16(a link to Borland C++ 3.1 help)}.
       	_Project window_[ projectwindow ]

In the bottom-left section of the project window are listed the Help Text -files that will be converted to rtf-files. All changes in rtf-files are destroyed, if a corresponding text-file is listed here. More about changing the rtf-files, see the =finishing=[finishing]-topic. 

In the bottom-right section are the available context strings. You can add a context string to Help Text -file by double-clicking it. Context strings can be updated by clicking the button on top on the context strings. This brings up a dialog box with options to edit and automatically search context strings.
---
$ Overview
# overview
K Overview
@ Windows HelpMaker: an overview

{\b Windows HelpMaker} uses a special text-file format that was designed to help building Windows Help -files. Difficult rich text format (RTF) is no longer needed, although all RTF-commands are still available.

Help is created using a help project (*.hpj) file. Project file specifies the files that are used building the help-file. With Windows HelpMaker you can generate either all or some of the RTF-files in your help project's \[FILES\] -section, just as you wish. To generate RTF-file from textfile, add the text file to the project and the corresponding rtf-file will be automatically added to \[FILES\] section of Help Project.

Also this help file you are viewing was created using HelpMaker.

{\b To go on, see:}
    =Project files=[help_project]
    =Help text syntax=[syntax]
---
$ Finishing
# finishing
K Finishing
@ The finishing touches

Although you can generate full-blooded Windows Help files with HelpMaker, you might wish to finish the look of your help file by modifying the RTF file with a word processing program (for example WinWord) that reads and writes RTF-files.

If you wish to edit the RTF-files with a separate program, select the corresponding help-text-file from project window and select 'Project -> Finish help text'. HelpMaker compiles the selected help-text-file to RTF (if necessary), removes the text file from the project, and executes a wordprocessor (which name you can specify) with the rtf-file as a parameter. _Don't_ delete the RTF-file from the \[FILES\] section. After finishing some but not all of the help texts, you might want to use the Contexts->Use contexts from RTF files -option (see =menus=[ menu ] for more info).
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$ Project window
# projectwindow

The Project window is divided into three parts. The upper part is an editor window, in which you can edit the actual help project file.

The lower left part is a list of all the help-text files included in this help project. Double click on a file name to edit the file.

The lower right part of the project window has a list with all the contexts in the help project. You can update this list by pressing the 'Search contexts'-button. You can insert a hyper-link by double clicking one of the items in this list.


See also:
    =reference for Creating Help Project Files=[ !JumpKeyword("tcwhelp.hlp", "Creating Help Project Files")] {\fs16(a link to Borland C++ 3.1 help)}.
    =Help project=[ help_project ].
---
$ Problems with compiling
# compile_errors
K Problems with compiling;Errors
@ Problems with compiling

If you receive an error message you should check the specified file and topic that the error message states (you can use the context->goto -feature). Check the =syntax=[ syntax ] carefully, remember to add '\\' in front of some characters (for example '\{' and '\\'). If nothing seems to be wrong, check that you have right files added to {\b both} the =help project=[ help_project ] and the [FILES]-section.

If you receive an 'Out of memory'-message from Help Compiler, the cause is that your help topic file is too big. It can be too big because there are too many topics or too big pictures. Try dividing the help topics of that file to multiple files. You can also try to use the HCP.EXE, the protected mode help compiler (see reference manual).
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$ Maximum editor size reached
# editormemory
K Maximum editor size

The maximum size of one help text is 30000 bytes. However, you can have as many files in your project as you want, so you can divide big files into two or more separate files.
---
