Some useful tips for beginners by Microsoft Help MVP Pete Lees.
The WinHelp (.hlp) format has been around since the very early 1990s and has now largely been superseded by HTML Help 1.x (.chm). When it comes to choosing between the two formats, however, HTML Help's dependence on Internet Explorer may be the deciding factor. For a list of the Windows versions that come with Internet Explorer installed, see:
Of course, if you can't be sure that Internet Explorer is installed or sufficiently up-to-date on your users' machines, you can install or upgrade it for them. For more information on this:
In the last few years Microsoft has been delivering selected help files in a new format, Microsoft Help 2.0. For example, the help system for Visual Studio .NET and the MSDN Library and TechNet products all make use this format. Unfortunately, though, Microsoft has now decided not to release Help 2.0 as a general help platform; you can create files in this format if you want to integrate them into the help system for .NET, but are otherwise encouraged to use HTML Help 1.x instead. If you want to read more about Microsoft Help 2.0, see:
WinHelp, HTML Help, and Microsoft Help 2.0 are all in "maintenance mode"; no new features are expected, and only critical updates will occur from now on. The focus of help development at Microsoft has moved on to the help system for "Longhorn", which is the successor to Windows XP scheduled for release in 2005. Details of the new format are sketchy at this stage, but we understand that Longhorn help will run on the Longhorn platform only. On the other hand, the fact that Longhorn will continue to support both WinHelp and HTML Help means that there will be no pressing need to abandon either format. For more information on Longhorn help, see:
If you want to create WinHelp files then, as a minimum, you'll need to get Microsoft Help Workshop, which is available from:
This comes with a Help Author's Guide that provides extensive information on how to build WinHelp files. You may also find this site useful:
And it's a good idea to get the WinHelp decompiler from:
You can point this at any .hlp file on your system and extract the source files — and then see how the author put the file together.
All the following books provide detailed information on how to create WinHelp files.
Microsoft's HTML Help Workshop is available from:
There's a useful tutorial on how to build help files with HTML Help Workshop at:
And there are several books on the subject:
Jeannine Klein's book is the more up-to-date and detailed of the two, but it does not cover certain subjects that Steve Wexler's book describes in some depth (notably context-sensitive help and uncompiled HTML help).
You can spend a lot of money on "bells and whistles" tools that simplify and streamline the process of creating help files. Before you do so, it is worth trying out a few freeware/shareware tools, available from http://www.helpmaster.com. Then, if you decide to buy one of the more expensive tools, have a look at these resources:
Tools Comparison Matrix:
Which Help Authoring Tool(s) Do You Choose?
For reviews of four popular help authoring tools, see:
Besides the Microsoft sites, the best places to look for information on HTML Help are:
Also check out the MSHelpWiki run by the Microsoft Help MVPs:
and the Helpware HTML Help FAQ:
If you can't find the answer you're looking for, try posting your questions to one of the online support groups, such as:
For a complete list of help support groups, see: