Online help

Ask a question about 'Online help' Start a new discussion about 'Online help' Answer questions from other users Full Discussion Forum

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML
  HTML
  
  HTML, an Acronym and initialism of HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for Web pages. It provides a means to describe the structure of text-based information in a document?by denoting certain text as links, headings, paragraphs, lists, and so on?and to supplement that text with interactive forms, embedded '...
  ), which includes HTML Help, HTML-based Help, JavaHelp, and Oracle Help
• Adobe Portable Document Format
  Portable Document Format
  
  Portable Document Format is a file format created by Adobe Systems in 1993 for document exchange. PDF is used for representing two-dimensional documents in a manner independent of the application software, hardware, and operating system....
   (PDF)

Microsoft help platforms

• Microsoft QuickHelp - Ralph Walden joined Microsoft in 1987 and wrote an online help system for MS-DOS and OS/2 called QuickHelp. Ralph was also primarily responsible for WinHelp and HTML Help 1.x.
• The DOS, OS/2 and Windows help
  Help (command)
  
  In computing, help is a command in various command line interface Shell such as COMMAND.COM, cmd.exe, 4DOS/4NT, Windows PowerShell, Singularity , Python and GNU Octave....
  command
  Command (computing)
  
  In computing, a command is a directive to a computer program acting as an interpreter of some kind, in order to perform a specific task. Most commonly a command is a directive to some kind of command line interface, such as a shell ....
  .
• Microsoft WinHelp (.HLP) - Based on the Rich Text Format
  Rich Text Format
  
  The Rich Text Format is a document file format file format developed by Microsoft in 1987 for cross-platform document interchange. Most word processors are able to read and write RTF documents....
  , this was the industry standard for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/NT. The popular Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) was included with all Windows operating systems from Windows 3.0
  Windows 3.0
  
  Windows 3.0 is the third major release of Microsoft Microsoft Windows, and was released on 22 May 1990. It became the first widely successful version of Windows and a powerful rival to Macintosh and the Commodore Amiga on the GUI front....
   until the Windows XP
  Windows XP
  
  Windows XP is a line of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptop, and media centers....
   operating system. However, the help engine is not included with Windows Vista
  Windows Vista
  
  Windows Vista is one member in a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business Desktop computer, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs....
   and is only available as a download. (click Help Engine Support)
• Microsoft Compressed HTML Help
  Microsoft Compressed HTML Help
  
  Microsoft Compiled HTML Help is a proprietary format for Help files, developed by Microsoft and first released in 1997 as a successor to the Microsoft WinHelp format....
   (.CHM) - Based on compiled HTML and other data such as images and JavaScript. HTML Help 1.0 was released in 1997. In 2006, it was available from Microsoft as HTML Help 1.4.
• HTML Help 2.0
  Microsoft Help 2
  
  Microsoft Help 2.x is a proprietary format for Help files, developed by Microsoft and first released in 2001 as a help system for Microsoft Visual Studio and MSDN Library....
   - In 2001, Microsoft announced plans for a wide release of HTML Help 2.0. This platform was developed by Microsoft and shipped in 2002 as the help format for Visual Studio .NET, MSDN Library and Technet products, but Microsoft announced it had cancelled plans to make the format publicly available.
• AP Help 1.0 - Assistance Platform Help is the new generation of online help being developed for and shipped with Windows Vista
  Windows Vista
  
  Windows Vista is one member in a family of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business Desktop computer, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media center PCs....
  . It will not be made publicly available as an authoring platform for other software vendors. It will be used by Microsoft, OEMs, and certain corporations.
• AP Help 2.0 - This version of the new Assistance Platform Help engine is currently on hold.

Other platforms

• Apple Help (.HELP) - Apple Computer
  Apple Computer
  
  Apple Inc., formerly Apple Computer Inc., is an United States multinational corporation which designs and manufactures consumer electronics and software products....
  's proprietary help platform for the Mac OS 8.5+ operating system.
• Sun JavaHelp
  JavaHelp
  
  JavaHelp refers to both an application and a format for online help files that can be displayed by the JavaHelp browser. It is written in Java , and is mainly used in Java applications....
   (.js) - A platform-independent help system written in Java programming language
  Java (programming language)
  
  Java is a programming language originally developed by James Gosling at Sun Microsystems and released in 1995 as a core component of Sun Microsystems' Java ....
   by Sun Microsystems
  Sun Microsystems
  
  Sun Microsystems, Inc. is a multinational corporation vendor of computers, computer components, computer software, and information technology services, founded on February 24, 1982....
  . It runs on any platform and browser that supports the Java Runtime Environment (JRE).
• Oracle Help - Two formats developed by the Oracle Corporation
  Oracle Corporation
  
  Oracle Corporation specializes in developing and marketing enterprise software products ? particularly database management systems. Through organic growth and a number of high-profile acquisitions, Oracle enlarged its share of the software market....
  : Oracle Help for Java (OHJ) and Oracle Help for Web (OHW).
• DotNetHelp - A new Windows help format, designed to replace the .chm format, that also supports .NET applications.
• The Texinfo
  Texinfo
  
  Texinfo is a typesetting syntax used for generating documentation in both on-line and printed form with a single source file. It is implemented by a free software computer program of the same name, created and made available by the GNU Project....
   program and format (also known as the "info" system) - the official documentation system for the GNU project
  GNU Project
  
  The GNU Project is a free software, mass collaboration project, announced on September 27 1983 by Richard Stallman. It initiated the GNU operating system, software development for which began in January 1984....
  .
• Unix man pages
  Manual page (Unix)
  
  Almost all substantial Unix and Unix-like operating systems have extensive documentation known as man pages . The Unix command used to display them is man....
   - the standard method used to document Unix
  Unix
  
  Unix is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of American Telephone & Telegraph employees at Bell Labs, including Ken Thompson , Dennis Ritchie, Douglas McIlroy, and Joe Ossanna....
   commands.
• Information Presentation Facility
  Information Presentation Facility
  
  Information Presentation Facility is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. IPF also refers to the markup language that is used to create IPF content....
   (IPF) - the help system used by IBM's OS/2
  OS/2
  
  OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. The name stands for "Operating System/2," because it was introduced as part of the same generation change release as IBM's "IBM Personal System/2 " line of second-generation personal computers....
   system.

See also

• Balloon help
  Balloon help
  
  Balloon help was a help system introduced by Apple Computer in their 1991 release of System 7 . The name referred to the way the help text was displayed, in "speech balloon", like those containing the words in a comic strip....
  
• Web help
  Web help
  
  Web help is a type of online help delivered through the internet. A well-known example of such a system is WebHelp.Com. This approach, mixing internet and local resources, is also used in Windows XP's Help and Support feature....
  
• Microsoft Assistance Markup Language
  Microsoft Assistance Markup Language
  
  Microsoft Assistance Markup Language is an XML-based markup language developed by the Microsoft User Assistance Platform team to provide user assistance for the Microsoft Windows Vista operating system....
   (Microsoft AML)
• Darwin Information Typing Architecture
  Darwin Information Typing Architecture
  
  The Darwin Information Typing Architecture is an XML-based architecture for authoring, producing, and delivering technical information.The name of the architecture was derived as follows:...
  
• List of help authoring tools
  List of help authoring tools
  
  This page is a list of help authoring tools, organized by operating system....