Oy Winpos Ab Helptrix Author , v 1.0 ( 2.4.2004 ) Oy Winpos Ab

featuresHelptrix (www.helptrix.com) is a help authoring system for creating professional help and manuals in several formats from a single source. Helptrix strongly supports multi-language manuals and therefore provides possibilities for translating help or manuals to additional languages and maintaining multi-language help systems.Helptrix consists of two separate applications:Helptrix Author is the application where you create chapters and topics of your manual, create content of topics, write texts or insert images. Helptrix Translator is the place where you translate your help or manual to additional languages and maintain multi-language help systems.With Helptrix you can publish manuals in several formats:HTML Help is a standard online Windows help format since Windows 98. Provides three pane user interface with help ToC on the left, indexes, quick search and context sensitive help for your users. It is an ideal choice to distribute along with your Windows applications. PDF is a open de facto standard for electronic document distribution with great printing abilities. You can distribute PDF manual electronical way and your users can print it themselfs, or you can print it immediately and ship it. HTML is used fo browser based help. Placing your manual on Internet or intranet is perfect solution for multiplatform environment. It comes as a simple HTML page or sophisticated version with frames and JavaScript functionality, which it makes look like HTML Help in three pane style, and it also provides context sensitive help. DocBook XML. XML is markup language designed to describe and carry data. DocBook is a very popular XML vocabulary for writing technical documentation, any kind of manuals or books. With your help in DocBook standard you have more opportunities to work with it further. Lot of features make Helptrix extremely usefull:Single Source. All outputs are created from the same single source. Write only once and publish many times. Single sourcing keeps content of your help system or manual perfectly consistent and keeps all your outputs up to date. Multilanguage. Full multilanguage support allows you to translate your manuals and maintain them in several languages and preserves, that all languages have the same content. Focus On Content.You can focus only on content you are writing instead of annoying formatting. Set formatting rules when you create outputs. Creating Outputs. Graphic user interface for creating outputs. Just select language and type of output. United Look. Layout of your outputs is done automatically, which means that your manual is looking same way in each output and for each language version. Automation. When producing output, chapters and topics are numbered, table of content with page numbers is created, figures and tables are numbered, description for links are created. All of this and more is in proper language and is done automatically for you. Intuitive User Interface. Editor window is designed in three pane style. User interface looks like HTML Help output. Use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) user interface for very easy topic editing. Conditional Output. Conditional output allows you to assign parts of your manual only to online or printed output. This is perfectly suitable for images, when you can assign color image in low quality to appear only in online output and grayscale high quality image to appear in printed version. Context Sensitive Help. Allows you to connect parts of your application with certain topics. Really easy, fully graphical assigning context help IDs from your application to topics in your help system. Context sensitive help is present in HTML Help output and with Helptrix also in browser based output in HTML format! Topic Status. Topics include date and time stamp, and can be marked with status of completion. All this helps you to keep track of topics, where some work left. Links And Images. Easy visual inserting of links to another topics and inserting of images. Using proper version of images for each language is preserved. Index Words. Each topic can include index keywords, that in final output provide user of your help with quick acces to desired information. Collaborative Work. Export your projects into ZIP archive and send it to all your translators via e-mail. When translated projects are back, import languages directly from ZIP file. Quick Backup. One-click backup of your project directly to ZIP file. Open Solution. Helptrix is based on XML technology. All help content is stored in plain XML files, so it can be reused by another applications or created by another application from scratch as well. DocBook standard is supported, which means possibility of adding more output formats due to your needs.

Helptrix consists of two separate applications:Helptrix Author is the application where you create chapters and topics of your manual, create content of topics, write texts or insert images. Helptrix Translator is the place where you translate your help or manual to additional languages and maintain multi-language help systems.In fact you are using Helptrix Author to write help or manual in one language you have chosen (main book language). As soon as help or manual is done, it could be translated to additional languages using Helptrix Translator.Helptrix is based on single-sourcing, which means, that you write content of help or manual only once, and then publish it in several different outputs (HTML Help, PDF, HTML) from the same source. This features helps you to keep all different formats of your help or manual in consistent state.Helptrix Author allows writer fully focus on content instead of formatting, because you can use only several pre-defined elements in your topics. Let's assume a note in the text: you don't to have remember how you have formatted note before (font, indentation, background color) - in this editor you just insert note element, and you are sure, that all notes will look exactly same way in every output.Of course you can adjust output appearance, when creating it. This approach preserves united look of your help systems and manuals.

third-party softwarerequirementssoftwareYou need some third-party software to use Helptrix Author.For creating and editing help content:Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher from Microsoft (on WindowsXP is alerady installed). It is provided by Microsoft for free (download).For creating outputs in Helptrix Author:JRE (Java Runtime Environment) form Sun. It is provided by Sun for free (download). Please use only Sun JRE 1.4 and higher and not JVM from Microsoft. If you are going publish HTML Help, you will also need HTML Help Workshop from Microsoft. It is provided by Microsoft for free (download).For viewing created PDF files:Acrobat Reader from Adobe. It is provided by Adobe for free (download).

third-party softwareFor transformation of XML files is used Saxon XSLT Processor from Michael Kay (http://saxon.sourceforge.net/).For creating PDF documents is used FOP (part of Apache project). This product includes software developed by the Apache Software Foundation (http://www.apache.org/).

editorgeneralmain windowHelptrix Author window has menu and toolbars on the top, the rest of the window is divided to two parts - table of content (ToC) on the left and editing pane on the right. At the very bottom of the screen is the status bar.

All changes to the book structure (inserting and deleting chapters or topics, changing their properties) take place on left side in table of content (ToC). Editing of the topic content (writing texts, inserting images, etc.) takes place on the right side.

editormenumenuMenu consists of four items: File, Edit, Tools and Help. First two and last one are common for almoast every Windows application, third includes tools specific for Helptrix Author.

File menu includes operations for Helptrix project file manipulation.

New command closes opened project and prepares application for creating new one. Open command opens already existing project. Save command saves content of currently opened topic. By this command is saved only topic, changes to book structure are saved immediately without prompting. Exit command exits application.Edit menu includes common utilities as undo and redo actions, clipboard operations, searching and spelling tools.

Undo command takes back last change made in the topic. Redo command repeats last undone change made in the topic. Copy command saves selected text to clipboard. Paste command inserts text from clipboard into the topic. Cut command saves selected text to clipboard and removes it from topic. Find command searches for text in topic. Spelling command provides spell checking of the topic content. Synonyms command provides dictionary of synonyms (words with the same meaning). Antonyms command provides dictionary antonym (words with the opposite meaning).Tools menu is specific for Helptrix Author application and provides several very useful tools to working with.

Verify tool creates reports on unfinished topics, missing images or all used images in project.  Create Output tool provides graphic user interface for publishing help or manual. Backup project allows one-click backup of project into ZIP archive. Export / Import submenu is designed for collaborative work on translation of  the project. Add New Language adds to book new foreign language version. Context Help ID tool provides graphic user interface for assigning context sensitive help ids from application to topics in the book. Settings includes some application settings.Help menu provides help for application.

Contents command displays application help. About command displays About box, which provides basic information about Helptrix Author application.

editortoolbarstoolbarsThe toolbars are located on the top. There are two toolbars in Helptrix Author application: common toolbar and element toolbar. When mouse cursor moves over the button on a toolbar,  it's description appears (see figure bellow).

Common toolbar includes nine buttons common for almoast every Windows application: New, Open, Save, Undo, Redo, Copy, Paste, Cut and Find. This buttons are shortcuts to File and Edit menu items and have the same functionality as menu items ().

At the other hand, Element toolbar provides functionality specific to Helptrix Author application - this toolbar is concerned about topic editing and includes all elements, that can be used in topic content. It means e.g. paragraphs, images, lists and more.

First five buttons are basic elements:Topic Title inserts topic title. When new topic is created, title is inserted automatically. Paragraph inserts ordinary paragraph for text, pressing this button also usually changes non-paragraph elements (e.g. lists) to paragraphs. Paragraph Header inserts paragraph header, which brings possibility of dividing topic to several sections. Note inserts note. Note can have specified or default title. Bold makes selected text in paragraph bold.Next two buttons are lists: Bulleted List inserts list with bulleted items. Numbered List inserts list with numbered items, numbers are automatic.Three buttons in the middle are:Link inserts hyperlink to another topic (or anchor) in the book or to the world wide web. Anchor inserts anchor inside the topic. Anchor is used to point to some place in the topic and may be referred by a link. Image inserts image and it's description into the topic.Next two buttons are used for making conditional output:Print Output makes paragraph, note, image and table appear only in printed output. Online Output makes paragraph, note, image and table appear only in online output.Last group includes table-related buttons.Table inserts table into the topic.Other buttons are available only if cursor is inside existing table. They are used for formatting table cells and table manipulation.

Align Left aligns cell content to the left side. Align Center aligns cell content to the center. Align Right aligns cell content to the right side. Insert Row inserts row in the table before row with cursor. Not available in table header. Delete Row deletes row with cursor. Insert Column inserts column in the table before column with cursor. Delete Column deletes column with cursor.

bookToCeditorbook ToCOn the left side of the Helptrix Author window is table of content. ToC shows whole book in form of hierarchical tree structure. At very top of tree is the tree root - book. Book may have several chapters, also displayed as books. Chapters may include chapters or topics. Topics are represented as paper sheets: blue if the topic is locked and red if the topic is not locked.

All changes to the book structure takes place here. When you click the right button on the mouse, popup menu appears and via this menu is possible to insert new chapters and topics, delete them or change their properties. Another possibility is to reorganize existing chapters and topics by drag'n'drop method. It is possible to drag'n'drop topics and chapters to new destination and that way change the book structure.

editorstatus barstatus barAt the very bottom of application window is the status bar, which provides information about currently opened topic.

Status bar is divided to the three parts:topic title with it's position in the book (in the format of "book\chapter\...\topic"). topic state - whether is locked or not. date and time of the last change made to the topic.

editorshortcutsshotcutsTo make work easier and faster the keyboard shortcuts are available. There are eleven keyboard shortcuts in Helptrix Author providing File and Edit menu items functionality ().Ctrl-O Open. Ctrl-S Save. Ctrl-Z Undo. Ctrl-Y Redo. Ctrl-C Copy. Ctrl-V Paste. Ctrl-X Cut. Ctrl-F Find. F7 Spelling. F8 Synonyms. F9 Antonyms.Another useful shortcut for quick access to help isF1 context sensitive help.

projectopenHelptrix project is represented by a project file with ".htx" extension. But project content (book with chapters and topics) is stored in a several files with ".xml" extension in the subfolder with same name as the project file, located in the same folder as the project file. Be careful to not delete this folder manually because all project content would be lost. Open previously saved project is possible from the File menu or by button on the Common toolbar or by keyboard shortcut Ctrl-O.

Follow this steps:Choose Open item from the File menu. Open file dialog will display (see figure bellow). Locate project file (*.htx) and click the button Open.

Now, project has been opened successfully. Full path to opened project file is displayed on the Helptrix Author window title bar with main language abbreviation in brackets.

topicsaveRemember, that every change to the book structure in the ToC pane is saved immediately without prompting. The changes are not reversible. User can decide only about saving (or not saving) topic. Saving topic is possible from the File menu or by button on the Common toolbar or by keyboard shortcut Ctrl-S.

Do following:Choose Save item from the File menu.Now, the topic has been saved successfully.

copycutpasteCopying to the clipboard is possible from the Edit menu or by button on the Common toolbar or by keyboard shortcut Ctrl-C. Pasting from the clipboard is possible from the Edit menu or by button on the Common toolbar or by keyboard shortcut Ctrl-V. Cutting to the clipboard is possible from the Edit menu or by button on the Common toolbar or by keyboard shortcut Ctrl-X. While pasting, original formatting of content copied to clipboard is preserved only if content was copied from the same run of Helptrix Author application. Otherwise, content will be inserted as plain text.

Follow this steps:Select text in the topic. Choose Copy command from the Edit menu. If you want also delete text from it's original location, choose Cut instead. Move cursor to destination location. Choose Paste command from the Edit menu.Now, text has been successfully copied to the destination location.

findredoundoTo reverse last step, use Undo function from the Edit menu or button on the Common toolbar or keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Z. To repeat last step, use Redo function from the Edit menu or button on the Common toolbar or keyboard shortcut Ctrl-Y.

Do one of following:Choose Undo command from the Edit menu. Choose Redo command from the Edit menu.Now, the last change in text was successfully undone or redone.To search for a word in the topic, use Find function from the Edit menu or button on the Common toolbar or keyboard shortcut Ctrl-F.

Follow this steps:Choose Find command from the Edit menu. Find dialog is displayed. Type into Find what box the word (or several) you are looking for. Check Match whole words only option if you want to search only for standalone words. Check Match case option if you want to search only for words with exactly same upper and lower case as you have typed. Select Direction of searching. Click Find Next, each next click will move you to next appearance of the searched string.

bookcreate newCreate a new book is possible only if no other book is right now opened.

To create a new book, follow this steps:Start Helptrix Author application or choose New from the File menu. Click right mouse button anywhere in table of content (ToC) area, popup menu will appear. Popup menu has only one item Insert Book, choose it. Book properties dialog is displayed (see figure bellow). Correctly fill the Book title and Author fields, other fields are filled with predefined values, you may change them if you want. Select main language for the book from the combo box Language with pre-defined languages. Click Insert button to insert book.

If you want to add also some additional languages to your book, click on ">>" button in the bottom right corner. Second part of the book properties window will be displayed (see figure bellow). From the language combo box select pre-defined language. Click Add button to add language with abbreviation to list. Select language in the list and click Remove button if you want to remove language from the list.

After clicking Insert button, you will be asked for the project file name (see figure bellow). Select folder and file name (Helptrix project file type) for your new project. Click Save button. In the selected folder will be also created folder with the same name as your project. In this project folder will be stored project content, so do not remove it.

Now, the new book has been successfully created and displayed in ToC.

chapterinsert newInsert a chapter is possible via book or chapter popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book, or create new book. a) Click on the book and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Insert Chapter item. b) Click on existing chapter and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Insert Chapter or Insert Chapter Before or Insert Chapter After item. The Chapter Title dialog appears (see figure bellow). Type in value. Click Insert button.

Now, new chapter has been successfully inserted. Command Insert Chapter always inserts chapter as a last child. Commands Insert Chapter Before or Insert Chapter After always inserts chapter as a previous or a next sibling.

topicinsert new topicInsert a topic is possible via chapter or topic popup menu. Topic can be inserted only in the chapter.

Topic popup menuFollow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter, or create a new one. a) Click on the existing chapter and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Insert Topic item. b) Click on the existing topic and then click mouse right button. Popup menu appears. Select Insert Topic Before or Insert Topic After item. The Topic Title dialog appears (see figure bellow). Type in value for Topic title. Click Insert button.

New topic has been successfully inserted. New empty topic (only with title) is displayed in topic editing area on the right side. Command Insert Topic inserts topic in the chapter always as a last child. Commands Insert Topic Before or Insert Topic After inserts topic always as a previous or a next sibling.

bookpropertiesChange the book properties is possible via book popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book, or create a new one. Click on the book and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Properties item. The Book Properties dialog appears (see figure bellow). Change values as you want. Click OK button

Now, the book properties have been successfully changed.

chapterpropertiesChange chapter properties is possible via chapter popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter, or create new one. Click on the chapter and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Properties item. The Chapter Title dialog appears (see figure bellow). Change value as you want. Click OK button

Now, the chapter properties have been successfully changed.

topicindexesTopic may have index words, which will appear in final result as the index. They are useful for quick finding desired information. Index words can be primary or secondary. Primary index word may have many secondary index words. Add topic index words is possible via topic popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter and topic, or create a new one. Click on the topic and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Index item. Topic Index Words window will appear (see figure bellow). Click right mouse button anywhere. Popup menu with Insert Primary Index item will appear. Click item. New index word has been added to list, now edit it's text. Click right mouse button on existing primary or secondary index. Popup menu will appear. Click item Insert Primary Index for inserting new primary index word. Click item Insert Secondary Index for inserting secondary idex word into the current primary index word. Click item Remove to delete primary/secondary index word. To edit an index word text, click two times on it. Repeat steps 4., 5. and 6. Click OK button.

Now, the topic index words has been inserted or changed successfully.

topicstateEach topic may be locked. Topic state will not appear in the output, it is used only during editing. It's purpose is to lock finished topics, so writer can easily keep track, which topics need some work to be finished. As soon as a topic is locked, it become sread-only. To edit the topic once again, unlock it first. Remember, that before translation (using Helptrix Translator) should be all topics locked. Unlocked topics are highlighted in the ToC by red color. Topic state also appears in the status bar. Change the topic state is possible via topic popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter and topic, or create a new one. Click on the topic and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. To change topic state, check/uncheck Lock item.Now, the topic state has been changed successfully.

bookdeleteDelete the book is possible via book popup menu. Book must be empty.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book, or create a new one. Click on the book and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Delete Book item. You will be asked if you are sure to delete book. Click OK button.Now, the book has been deleted successfully.

chapterdeleteDelete a chapter is possible via chapter popup menu. Chapter must be empty.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter, or create a new one. Click on the chapter and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Delete Chapter item. You will be asked if you are sure to delete chapter. Click OK buttonNow, the chapter has been deleted successfully.

topicdeleteDelete a topic is possible via topic popup menu.

Follow this steps:Open an existing project with book and at least one chapter and topic, or create a new one. Click on the topic and then click right mouse button. Popup menu appears. Select Delete Topic item. You will be asked if you are sure to delete topic. Click OK buttonNow, the topic has been deleted successfully.

Reorganizing an existing book content is provided via drag'n'drop method. It is possible to drag'n'drop topics and chapters to new destination and this way change the book structure. There are two different chapters types in the Helptrix Author. First-level chapters are chapters, which are direct children of the book. Sub-chapters are chapters, which are not direct children of the book, their parent is another chapter.It is possible:drag'n'drop topic on topic - dragged topic will be inserted before target topic as sibling. drag'n'drop topic on chapter - dragged topic will be inserted in target chapter as last child. drag'n'drop sub-chapter on topic - dragged sub-chapter will be inserted before target topic as sibling. drag'n'drop sub-chapter on sub-chapter - dragged sub-chapter will be inserted before target sub-chapter as sibling. drag'n'drop sub-chapter on first-level chapter - dragged sub-chapter will be inserted in target first level chapter as last child. drag'n'drop first-level chapter on first-level chapter - dragged first-level chapter will be inserted before target first-level chapter as sibling.It is impossible: drag'n'drop anything on the book. drag'n'drop first-level chapter on sub-chapter or topic.

Follow this steps:Click and hold down left mouse button on the topic/chapter you want to drag. Still holding left mouse button down, move mouse cursor to the target topic/chapter. Mouse cursor changes and as you move the cursor over the topics/chapters, they are highlighted if it is possible to drop dragged node on them (see figure above). If mouse cursor is on target topic/chapter and target is highlighted, left mouse button.Now, topic/chapter has been dragged and dropped successfully.

topictitleTo set or cancel topic title, click Topic Title on the Element toolbar. Topic title is automatically inserted when topic is created, so it is very rare to use this button.

topicparagraphTo set or cancel paragraph, click Paragraph on the Element toolbar. Pargraph button also usually cancels another elements as notes or lists.

topicpragraph headerTo create a paragraph header, click Paragraph Header on the Element toolbar.

Paragraph header will appear in the topic as bold underlined line (see figure bellow).

To insert or cancel note, click Note on the Element toolbar.

Note with blue background will appear in the topic. Edit it freely as ordinary paragraph. If you want to specify note title, it is possible by making Bold first line with text of desired note title (see figure bellow). If note title isn't specified, it will be created automatically in output for each language (e.g. for English "Note").

topicsignTo make or cancel text bold, click Bold on the Element toolbar.

topiclistsThere are two types of lists in the Helptrix Author:Bulleted list (unordered) will appear in output as list with bullets before each list item. Numbered list (ordered) will appear in output as list with numbers before each list item. Numbering is automatic.To insert or cancel lists, click Bulleted List or Ordered List on the Element toolbar. New item in list is added simply by pressing Enter.

topiclinkTo insert link or change existing link properties, click Link on the Element toolbar.

The Link Properties window is displayed.

There are two different types of links:Local link. If you want to make a local link to some other topic in the book (or anchor as well), select in table of content on left side desired topic or anchor inside a topic (represented by green arrow). Web link. If you want to make link to world wide web, first click to radio button web link to make this option active. Then type down url address of website and link description. Click Insert button.

Link appears in the topic text. If link is local, changing link description will not have any influence on output, because link description is generated automatically when output is created. In case of web link, link description will appear in output as it is in the text.To get properties of existing link, press Link button on element toolbar, while cursor is on link description in the text. The same link properties dialog will appear with the highlighted local link or filled values of the web link.To remove link, completely delete link description from the text.

topicanchorAnchor is used to point to exact place in the topic and it's purpose is to be refered by a link. To insert anchor or change existing anchor properties, click Anchor on the Element toolbar.

Anchor will appear in the topic text with highlighted background (you can set the color, ). Anchor description is what will be displayed as a link description of link refering to this anchor, so change it to correct description. Anchor itself is non-visual element and will not appear in the output, so do not use it as a header of a paragraph.

To remove anchor, completly delete anchor description from the text.

topicimageImages can be placed only in the "project folder\img" folder. This folder includes separate subfolders for each language (e.g. for English "en"). So, for using image in the book, it is necessary to copy or import image to the proper language (main language) subfolder. To insert image or change existing image properties, click Image on the Element toolbar.

The Image Properties window is displayed.

Images list on left side displays all images in "project folder\img\main lang" folder. Only images from this folder can be inserted. If the image you want to use is in another folder, click buttom Import. In displayed open file dialog locate the image, it will be copied into "project folder\img\main lang". Pick image from the list. Image Preview is placed on the left side. From Image Appearance choose in which output should image included. From combo box Image Format choose format (it is done usually automatically). Image format abbreviation is usually the same as image file extension. If you want to have image in different size from original, type value in percents in Image Scale. Finally, specify Image Description. Image description will appear in output as figure description bellow image. The prefix "Figure" with auto-number of figure will be added automatically in output, so do not try number images by yourself.Click Insert button.Image with it's description will appear in topic text. From text you may change image description simply by editing it.To get properties of existing image, click Image button on element toolbar, while cursor is on image description in the text or image is selected. The same image properties dialog will appear with highlighted current image and filled values.To remove image, completely delete image and also it's description from the text.

topicspecify outputYou may specify certain parts of the topic to appear only in printed or only in online output. This is extremely useful e.g. for images, when in online output you want to appear color image in lower quality and in printed output is preferable to have grey image in higher quality. The parts (elements) for which you may specify output are:paragraph note image tableTo set or cancel output specification, click Printed Output or Online Output on the Element toolbar.

If the output is specified, element will appear in topic text with highlighted background (you may set colors, ). First paragraph on the figure bellow will appear in both outputs, printed and online. The image will appear only in the online output. Finally, second paragraph will appear only in the printed output.

Elements with specified output will appear in the output with white background, highlighted background is shown only in the Helptrix Author application for better orientation in the topic content.

topictableTo insert a table, click Table on the Element toolbar. It is not possible to change the table properties (border and header) later.

The Table Properties dialog is displayed.

Type in Number of Rows and Number of Columns for the new table. On the right side check checkbox Table Header if the table should have the header (first row with highlighted background). Also check checkbox Table Border if the table should have the border. Finally, specify the Table Description. Table description will appear in output bellow table. The prefix "Table" with auto-number of the table will be added automatically in output, so do not try number tables by yourself.Click Insert button. Empty table with it's description will appear in the topic text. From text you can change image description simply by editing it and of course, you can edit content of all table cells. If cursor is in a table cell, the rest of  the Element toolbar (table-related) will become available also.

The buttons usable inside the table are:Align Left aligns cell content to the left. Align Center aligns cell content to the center. Align Right aligns cell content to the right. Insert Row inserts row in the table before row with cursor. Not available in table header. Delete Row deletes row with cursor. Insert Column inserts column in the table before column with cursor. Delete Column deletes column with cursor.

spellingtoolsspellingtopicspellingHelptrix Author provides possibility of spell checking using MS Word dictionary. It of course means necessitate of installed MS Word on your computer along with proper language dictionary. However, spelling works only with  Select Spelling from the Edit menu or use shortcut F7.

Word is selected in text. In this case, only this word will be checked for spelling. If the word is alright, its selection will disappear If not, Spell Checking window with suggestions will be displayed. Nothing is selected in text. In this case, the whole topic text will be checked for spelling. If misspelled word is found, Spell Checking window with whole paragraph and suggestions will be displayed.

On the left side is displayed paragraph with the misspelled word highlighted by blue background. In the text box on the right side is displayed misspelled word. You can edit it, or click on one of suggestions in the list (suggestion will appear in text box). Click Replace button to fix misspelled word (will be fixed with word currently displayed in text box), or click Skip button to leave this word as it is and continue. Click Stop button to cancel spell checking completely. Instead of clicking on Replace button you can just double-click on one suggestion in the list for the same result as well.

synonymstoolssynonymstopicsynonymsHelptrix Author provides possibility of accessing MS Word synonyms (words with the same meaning) dictionary. It of course means necessitate of having installed MS Word on your computer along with the proper language dictionary. Select Synonyms from the Edit menu or use shortcut F7.

Word is selected in text. In this case, Synonyms window with the selected word and its synonyms will be displayed. Nothing is selected in text. Empty Synonyms window will be displayed.

On the top is text box with the word synonyms are looked for. You can edit it freely, lists of meanings and synonyms are changing dynamically. On the left is Meanings list encountering all word meanings. Click on one of the meanings to display synonyms for it. On the right side Synonyms list with all synonyms for selected meaning. Click on one of the synonyms and then click Use button to insert it into the topic text. You can double-click on synonym in the list with the same result as well.

antonymstoolsantonymstopicantonymsHelptrix Author provides possibility of accessing MS Word antonyms (words with opposite meaning) dictionary. It of course means necessitate of having installed MS Word on your computer along with the proper language dictionary. Select Antonyms from the Edit menu or use shortcut F7.

Word is selected in text. In this case, Antonyms window with the selected word and it's antonyms will be displayed. Nothing is selected in text. Empty Antonyms window will be displayed.

On the top is the text box with the word antonyms are looked for. You can edit it freely, list of antonyms is changing dynamically. Bellow is Antonyms list with all antonyms for word. Click on one of the antonyms and then click Use button to insert it into the topic text. You can double-click on antonym in the list with the same result as well.

imagestoolsverifytopiclockVerify tool creates reports on unfinished topics, missing images, all used images in the project and list of images, which are no longer used by the project. Choose Verify item from the Tools menu.

The verify report window is displayed.

Via four buttons on the top you may switch between four reports:Unfinished topics lists number of unlocked topics for each project language. Missing images contains list of images, which are used in the book, but wasn't found in the "project folder\img". One list for each project language is created. Used images contains list of all images used in the book. There is only one list - for the main project language. Redundant images report lists all images, which were found in the "project folder\img", but are not used in the book. This allows to clean-up project folder e.g. before creating backup or exporting project.Click the left bottom button to show Print Preview or the button next to it to Print the report.

HTML HelpHTMLoutputsPDFtoolscreate outputWith Helptrix you can publish manuals in several formats:HTML Help is a standard online Windows help format since Windows 98. Provides three pane user interface with help ToC on the left, indexes, quick search and context sensitive help () for your users. It is an ideal choice to distribute along with your Windows applications. PDF is a open de facto standard for electronic document distribution with great printing abilities. You can distribute PDF manual electronical way and your users can print it themselfs, or you can print it immediately and ship it.HTML is used for a browser based help. Placing your manual on Internet or intranet is perfect solution for multiplatform environment. It comes as a simple continuos HTML page, similar to PDF.HTML (frames) is more sophisticated version with frames and JavaScript functionality, which it makes look like HTML Help in three pane style, and it also provides context sensitive help (). All this is suitable for Internet and multiplatform environmentDocBook XML. XML is markup language designed to describe and carry data. DocBook is a very popular XML vocabulary for writing technical documentation, any kind of manuals or books. With your help in DocBook standard you have more opportunities to work with it further. To create outputs, you will need some third-party software ().Common features for HTML Help and HTML formats:good obvious manual structure, good orientation  quick access to topics hyperlinks color images context sensitive helpCommon disadvantages for HTML Help and HTML:need of computer to read some users prefer printed manualsPoints specific only to HTML Help:quick access (by Help menu or by pressing F1) from the application provides indexes provides quick search Windows dependant PDF format features:very good printed results tool for reading PDF files is provided by Adobe for free PDF files looks always exactly as was created platform independent some users prefer printed manuals no need of computer to read (after print)PDF format disadvantages:PDF is supposed to be published in printed form - grey images should be used aftre print hyperlinks aren't working, search isn't available longer looking for topic or desired informationTo create a output from your book (publish), choose Create Output from the Tools menu.

The tool window is displayed.

Choose output language from the Language combo box. Then choose format of Output you want to create. Besides, if you want to keep XML file in DocBook format, check Keep DocBook XML file check box. Click Properties button if you want to customize output appearance (, , , ). Output Properties window is displayed with four tabs according to four possible output formats. Output properties are not changed to default after application restart, they persist set as last time were.Click OK button. Report window is displayed to inform you about state of creating output. Be patient, it may take several minutes.

If everything went well, "Done." should appear at the bottom of report window and Close button is now available Line "OUTPUT" tells you, were te result is stored. It is in "project folder\output" subfolder. If some error occurs output is not created and error report is shown in report window in red color.Now you may close report window.

HTML HelppropertiespropertiesHTML HelpThis tab of the Output Properties window allows customizing HTML Help output appearance.

It is possible to customize notes appearance by setting Note Title font, size and color, by setting Note Body font, size and color, and finally by setting note background color.It is possible to customize ordinary texts appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize table header cells appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize formal descriptions appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. In addition it si possible to choose if description should appear after or before formal object (figure or table).It is possible to customize author declaration appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize book title appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize chapter and topic titles appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. It is possible to set size, only when Same Size is checked. In this case all chapter and topic titles are the same size (value in size combo box), otherwise their size depends on their nesting.This frame includes several options:Create ToC - if to create book main table of contents Create List of Figures - if to create list of all figures in the book Create List of Tables - if to create list of all tables in the book Create ToC in Chapters - if to create ToCs also inside chapters with list of subchapters Root in Left-Pane Toc - if should the tree representation of the book have "root" element on the top Advanced Search - HTML Help includes also searching pane, should it offer advanced option for searching? Chapter Split Level - depth of nested chapters, in which they still should be in a standalone chunkIf topics include parts dedicated only to one output, select which parts should appear in the result. If not, this setting doesn't matter. It is possible to have a cover image on the book front page. Type in image file name, or browse for it using button next to it.Resets settings on this tab to default.Saves settings on all tabs (for all outputs) to Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Loads previously saved settings to all tabs (for all outputs) from Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Click OK, if settings are alright.After clicking Cancel, settings will return to previous state.

PDFpropertiespropertiesPDFThis tab of the Output Properties window allows customizing PDF output appearance.

It is possible to customize notes appearance by setting Note Title font, size and color, by setting Note Body font, size and color, and finally by setting note background color.It is possible to customize ordinary texts appearance by setting font, size, color.It is possible to customize table header cells appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize formal descriptions appearance by setting font, size, color. In addition it si possible to choose if description should appear after or before formal object (figure or table).It is possible to customize chapter and topic titles appearance by setting font, size, color. It is possible to set size, only when Same Size is checked. In this case all chapter and topic titles are the same size (value in size combo box), otherwise their size depends on their nesting.This frame includes several options:Create ToC - if to create book main table of contents Auto Number - if chapters and topics should be numbered (in decimal style) Create List of Figures - if to create list of all figures in the book Create List of Tables - if to create list of all tables in the book Create ToC in Chapters - if to create ToCs also inside chapters with list of subchapters Bookmarks - PDF offers bookmarks - a tree-like ToC for quick navigation (similar to HTML Help) Header & Footer Rule - if headers and footers are separated from the rest of the page by rule (line) ToC Depth - depth of nested chapters in which they should still appear in the ToC Number of Columns - number of columns on the page Paper Type - width and height of page, supported are standard formats A, B, C and US letterIf topics include parts dedicated only to one output, select which parts should appear in the result. If not, this setting doesn't matter. It is possible to have a cover image on the book front page. Type in image file name, or browse for it using button next to it.Resets settings on this tab to default.Saves settings on all tabs (for all outputs) to Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Loads previously saved settings to all tabs (for all outputs) from Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Click OK, if settings are alright.After clicking Cancel, settings will return to previous state.

HTMLpropertiespropertiesHTMLThis tab of the Output Properties window allows customizing HTML output appearance.

It is possible to customize notes appearance by setting Note Title font, size and color, by setting Note Body font, size and color, and finally by setting note background color.It is possible to customize ordinary texts appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize table header cells appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize formal descriptions appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. In addition it si possible to choose if description should appear after or before formal object (figure or table).It is possible to customize author declaration appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize book title appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize chapter and topic titles appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. It is possible to set size, only when Same Size is checked. In this case all chapter and topic titles are the same size (value in size combo box), otherwise their size depends on their nesting.This frame includes several options:Create ToC - if to create book main table of contents Auto Number - if chapters and topics should be numbered (in decimal style) Create List of Figures - if to create list of all figures in the book Create List of Tables - if to create list of all tables in the book Create ToC in Chapters - if to create ToCs also inside chapters with list of subchapters ToC Depth - depth of nested chapters in which they should still appear in the ToCIf topics include parts dedicated only to one output, select which parts should appear in the result. If not, this setting doesn't matter. It is possible to have a cover image on the book front page. Type in image file name, or browse for it using button next to it.Resets settings on this tab to default.Saves settings on all tabs (for all outputs) to Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Loads previously saved settings to all tabs (for all outputs) from Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Click OK, if settings are alright.After clicking Cancel, settings will return to previous state.

HTML with framespropertiespropertiesHTML with framesThis tab of the Output Properties window allows customizing HTML witt frames output appearance.

It is possible to customize notes appearance by setting Note Title font, size and color, by setting Note Body font, size and color, and finally by setting note background color.It is possible to customize ToC in the left pane appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize ordinary texts appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize table header cells appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize formal descriptions appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. In addition it si possible to choose if description should appear after or before formal object (figure or table).It is possible to customize author declaration appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize book title appearance on the front page by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color.It is possible to customize chapter and topic titles appearance by setting font, size, color, and by setting background color. It is possible to set size, only when Same Size is checked. In this case all chapter and topic titles are the same size (value in size combo box), otherwise their size depends on their nesting.This frame includes several options:Create ToC - if to create book main table of contents Auto Number - if chapters and topics should be numbered (in decimal style) Create List of Figures - if to create list of all figures in the book Create List of Tables - if to create list of all tables in the book Create ToC in Chapters - if to create ToCs also inside chapters with list of subchapters Chapter Split Level - depth of nested chapters, in which they still should be in a standalone chunkIf topics include parts dedicated only to one output, select which parts should appear in the result. If not, this setting doesn't matter. It is possible to have a cover image on the book front page. Type in image file name, or browse for it using button next to it.Resets settings on this tab to default.Saves settings on all tabs (for all outputs) to Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Loads previously saved settings to all tabs (for all outputs) from Helptrix Output Properties file (*.hop).Click OK, if settings are alright.After clicking Cancel, settings will return to previous state.

bookbackupprojectbackuptoolsbackupBackup tool provides easy one-click backup of your project. Tool adds all project files (book, images) to ZIP archive. This is perfectly suitable for making quick backups of your project or for sending your project via e-mail as well. Choose Backup Project item from the  Tools menu.

First choose placing of result of ZIP archive file from Save As dialog.

You are informed about progress of operation with the Backup  window.

Now, project has been backuped successfully.

collaborative translationprojectexporttoolsexport projectIntention of three tools in Export / Import submenu is to provide possibility of collaborative work on translation of the book. System works like that:Use tool Export Project from Helptrix Author. It means that project will be prepared for translation, then locked (made read-only) and finally packed into the ZIP archive. Project will be read-only because it is essential to preserve, that no change will be made to the project during its copies are out for translation. All languages that are supposed to be translated, should be added to project before export! Send (e.g. via e-mail) copy of your project packed in ZIP to each translator that should translate one language (using Helptrix Translator). As soon as translations are done, they will send you back translated versions of your project. For each language use tool Import Language from AdminTool. This tool imports only selected language into your project, so this way is possible to unite all translated versions back to your project. Note, that it is possible to import languages only while project is locked. When all translated languages are imported, use tool Unlock Project to make project once again editable. Remember, that during export, project was given unique key and it is possible to import languages only from exported project with the same key. For example, it is not possible to export project, send copies for translation, unlock project, and when translated copies are back export project once again to import languages, because unique key of two exports are different!To export project, select Export Project from the Tools -> Export / Import submenu.

Now project will be locked. Lock Comment dialog is displayed and you can add comment to lock (e.g. purpose of exporting project).

Type in your comment, and click OK or if you do not want any comment, click Cancel. After that Export progress window informs you about progress in preparing export.

Next, you will be asked for ZIP archive file name of exported project - Save As dialog is displayed.

Select folder, type in file name and click the Save button. Now your project is going to be stored in ZIP archive. About progress of operation you are informed via Export progress window.

Now your project has been exported successfully. Project will be reloaded and since now, every time you open this locked project, following warning will be displayed.

Warning display information about when was project locked and your comment. Project is completely read-only, until you unlock it, but remember, that it is possible to import languages only while project is locked. Also remember, that each time you are exporting project, unique key is generated, so it is not possible to import languages from other exports than current one.

collaborative translationprojectimport languagetoolsimport languageIntention of three tools in Export / Import submenu is to provide possibility of collaborative work on translation of the book ().To import translated languages into the project, select Import Language from the Tools -> Export / Import submenu. Import languages is possible only when project has been exported before and is still locked.

Open dialog for opening project to import from is displayed.

You can select and open directly Helptrix project file (".htx") or you can select ZIP archive (".zip") with project. In second case you will be asked to select folder for extracted project from ZIP archive.

Project will be extracted from the ZIP archive to selected folder. Then, once again Open project dialog will be displayed in folder with extracted project - select project file and click Open. Only project that was export from current project can be selected (unique keys have to match)!If everything is alright, Import Language window is displayed.

In this window you have to select from Language to import combo box language to import. In Selected project project pane you can specify by checking / unchecking items, which chapter and topics should be imported. If book or chapter is checked, its current title in selected language will be replaced during import with new one. If topic is checked, its current title and content in selected language will be replaced during import with new ones. Click  Import button to start importing language content from the selected project to the current project. You will be informed about operation progress by Import window.

Now, translated language has been imported successfully to your project.

collaborative translationprojectunlocktoolsunlock projectIntention of three tools in the Export / Import submenu is to provide possibility of collaborative work on translation of the book ().To unlock project, select Unlock Project from the Tools -> Export / Import submenu. Unlock project is possible only when project has been exported before and is still locked.

Warning will be displayed. Warning displays information about when was project locked and your comment. Project is completely read-only, until you unlock it, but remember, that it is possible to import languages only while project is locked. Also remember, that each time you are exporting project, unique key is generated, so it is not possible to import languages from other exports than current one.

If you are absolutely sure, that you have imported all translated languages already and you want unlock project for future editing, click on Yes button. Better think twice. Now is your project unlocked and editable as usually.

bookadd new languageprojectadd new languagetoolsadd new languageThis tool allows you to add new language to existing project. Remember that you are not able to remove any language from the book. Choose Add New Language item form the Tools menu.

The Add New Language window is displayed.

In pane Existing book languages are shown already existing languages in the book (their names and abbreviations), first is main project language. Select from Language combo box language you want to add to the book.Click Add button. Only one language is added at time, so after successful addition of the language, tool window will be closed.

context sensitive helptoolscontext help IDWindows HTML Help offers users system, which makes possible to display certain topic exactly concerned about part of application that was user using when he asked for help. For example, if user needs help on "Image properties dialog", and this dialog is displayed as user presses F1 for help, topic referring exactly about "Image properties dialog" is showed. This system is called context sensitive help. How it works:In your application you must assign unique number (ID) to every component (usually form), that should provide context sensitive help. Usually development environment for programming language you are using provides some way how to do this. In your HTML Help you have to assign these unique numbers (IDs) to topics.In Helptrix Author is the second step provided by Context Help ID tool. This tool is designed for assigning context sensitive help IDs from application to topics in book. If you want to use context sensitive help in the HTML output with the frames,  use Context Help ID tool as described bellow. When output is created, you can invoke specific topic by calling "index.html" file with question mark followed by some id (number). For example, type into your browser "http://www.mycompany.com/myproduct/manual/index.html?25", assuming that path is specified correctly and some topic was assigned form with context help id 25.To use Context Help ID tool select item Context Help ID from menu the Tools.

The tool window is displayed.

Window is divided to the two sections. Help Topic pane on the left is table of content of your book. Topics, which have already assigned some application form are shown with red icon, unassigned topics with blue. Application Forms pane on the right shows all application forms with their number IDs. Already assigned forms are shown with red icon, unassigned with blue. To find out current assignments click on already assigned topic on the left or already assigned form on the right and its matching pair is selected automatically in the opposite pane (see figure above). Your goal is to have all applications forms assigned to some topics, because each form must have matching pair. At the other hand, not every topic must be (and most likely would be not) assigned to some application form. More application forms may have the same ID number. In this case they are always treated together automatically.To assign form's IDs to topics, follow these steps:Create list of application forms which IDs you want to assign to some topic in your book. a) You have your form records stored in the XML file. In this case, click Load File button. The Open file dialog is shown. Locate XML file you have created and click Open button. Tool will make local copy of specified file and this local copy will be then used each time you run Context Help ID tool until you load new XML file. b) Create forms records manually Click on New button to add the new form record (see figure bellow). Click on Edit button to change properties already existing form record or click Delete button to remove it. Click on Clear All button to remove all existing form records. To create new assignment select one unassigned help topic on left side and one unassigned application form on right side. Click Add button. To cancel existing assignment select assigned help topic on left side, or assigned application form on right side. Click Remove button. If you have finished assigning, click OK button. Changes will be saved to book immediately.

This window is used to add new or edit old form records. Form name is unique form identifier, usually form name in IDE of your programming language. Form caption is usually form title bar. Context Help ID is number that you have assigned to form in your programming language IDE. Click OK to add new form record or change properties of old one.

HTML HelpsettingssettingstoolssettingsTo change settings, select item Settings from the Tools menu.

Settings window:Allows you to set background colors used for highlighting online output selection, printed output selection and anchor. If you want to create HTML Help output, you have to specify correct path and file name of HTML Help Workshop in your system.

Double click on color you would like to change. Color dialog will be displayed Pick up color you like, either from Basic Color on the left or either from Custom Colors on the right. Click OK button on Color dialog form. Repeat for other colors When done, click OK button on Settings window.

2. Specify HTML Help Workshop pathIf you want to create HTML Help output, you have to install Microsoft HTML Help Workshop (). In order to be used by Helptrix Author, the correct path and file name ("hhc.exe") should be specified. Usually, if you have nothing changed during installation process, path is something like "C:\Program Files\HTML Help Workshop\hhc.exe". To locate file, click on browse button (button with blue folder) right from field with path value. Open dialog is displayed. Locate file and click Open button. Click OK button on Settings window.

errorstroublesproblemsThere are two possible troubles in application:Fatal error and application is closed. Non fatal error and application keeps running.1. Fatal errorApplication was shut down because of some error. You had probably opened some project. Now it is not possible to open project, because it is read-only. You have to remove read-only flag from project file manually (). Run application and open the used last project. Check project for damages, if it is necessary, reverse last step you have done before application was shut down.2. Non fatal errorSave your work. Close application correctly. Run application once again and open last project. Check project for damages, if it is necessary, reverse last step you have done before error occured.If you experience some troubles, that can not be solved as described in this chapter, refer to Helptrix support page.

errorsread-onlyprojectis already in useWhen I try to open project, message box appears: "Project is already in use and can not be opened!". What to do?It means, that your project is already opened by another Helptrix application. If you are sure that it is not, it means, that Helptrix Author was closed improperly while this project was opened. You have to remove read-only flag from project file manually.Removing read-only flag manually (shown on figure bellow): Open folder with project file. Right click on project file, popup menu is displayed. From popup menu choose item Properties, file properties window is displayed. At the bottom of properties window uncheck Read-only check box Click OK button

projectis lockedprojectopenread-onlyEvery time I open project, following warning is displayed. What does it mean?

Project has been exported and are going to be translated to other languages. Now is read-only because it is essential to preserve, that no change will be made to project during its copies are out for translation. If you want to know more, . It is possible to unlock project, but be extremely careful ()!

outputproblemsproblemsoutputMost troubles with creating outputs are caused by missing installation. Output report text () will turn red. Reading last line you can determine cause of problems.Most likely, you don't have installed Java Runtime Environment (JRE) on your computer. It is provided for free ().Most likely, you don't have installed HTML Help Workshop on your computer. It is provided for free ().You don't have installed Adobe Acrobat Reader on your computer. It is provided for free ().

problemstopictopicproblemsWhen I open the existing project and book ToC on the left is shown alright, but after clicking on some topic only it's title appears in the editing window on the right. What to do?You don't have installed Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher on your computer. It is provided for free ().

errorsWhen I try to save topic, message box appears: "Topic is not valid! Please rewrite or delete problem parts.". What to do?It means, that in your topics are some elements used improperly For example, if you have a table inside a table, this message will appear.Try to fix problem part specified by message box. If not possible, delete problem part and write it again. If it is not possible, do not save topic, but your changes will be lost.Topic rules:topic can include paragraphs images, notes, lists and tables paragraph can include links, bold text and anchors bold text can include links links and anchors can include only plain text image must include picture an description description of  image or table can include only plain text note can include title and paragraphs list items can include bold text and links table cell can include links, bold text, images and paragraphs