Topic mapping is generally performed by the application Help author or Information Developer; for that reason, the roles of the Information Developer and Software Developer in the process are clearly defined here, although one person may perform both roles.
The files used for mapping include:
The Help file format is specified by the software developer. If using NetHelp, all of the files in the output folder of your Help project must be deployed with the application. If using HTML Help, only the .chm must be included.
When you create mappings, they are saved to the default.htm.xml or HelpFileName.chm.xml located in the same directory as your source Help file, by default. This XML is used to show the topics when the application runs.
You cannot begin mapping until you place your Help into the correct folder. NetHelp or .chm files should be copied to the install folder specified by the software developer for your application (for example: \\program files\componentone\DocToHelp\Help).
When you have finished mapping topics, the .chm or NetHelp project files and the .xml containing the topic mappings must be given to the software developer.
DynamicHelp for WinForms provides a special run-time mode, authoring mode, for Help authors to use for assigning topics to controls within an application. When activated, the authoring mode panel and toolbar appear.
Information about the control being mapped to is provided in the Selected control area of the panel, which is made up of the following fields:
|
Control |
Control name : type of control. |
|
Path |
The path of the control relative to its placement on the form. For example, a Node within a TreeView control may have a path that looks like this: Form1\TreeView1\Node0. |
|
Type |
Type of control. |
|
Topic |
Topic to associate with the control. |
The software developer controls how you to activate and deactivate authoring mode.
