HelpURL shows how to
- add URLs to an about box
- create a dynamic help book from HTML
This works best with
Newt's Cape
installed on NOS 2.0 (though it will also work on 1.x).
- Use the protoAboutText object
- Modify text, viewFont, etc. as appropriate.
- Text slot can contain simple HREF expressions only (see example).
(For 1.x compatibility, use short lines with no wrapping.)
- This is processed at compile-time
- Users should install URLcop
and/or Newt's Cape
- User taps on a URL in your About box
- It dispatches according to protocol types registered with URLcop;
or, if just Newt's Cape is installed:
- http: -- sends document (from NIE or WebMail) to current "htmlApp" or "helperApp"
- mailto: -- generates Outbox message based on last mail transport
- news: -- dispatches to Newt's Paper
- Create helpText (like this)
- Set helpISBN slot (see afterScript for automatic substitution)
- Copy DoInfoHelp method to your app's infoButton
- install Newt's Cape
- select Help in your application (possibly making modifications iteratively)
- optionally, Save the help book using Newt's Cape; upload and distribute with your application
- User installs either
- Selects your i:Help button
- Help book opens (or Newt's Cape processes HTML to create help book dynamically)
- URLs to regular books and to web pages should work (links within help books might not work).
Prerequisites: familiarity with both NewtonScript and HTML.
To customize appearance, modify the Tag Prefs in Newt's Cape,
or you can add document-specific style preferences --
see the Newt's Cape documentation for further details.
HelpURL is freeware, and may be distributed freely as long as all of the
files are included and unmodified. You are free to make modifications for
your own use. I would appreciate your references to the Newt's Cape URL:
http://www.netaxs.com/~weyer/newton/newtscape.html
© Copyright 1996, S. Weyer. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.
Steve Weyer
17 Timber Knoll Drive
Washington Crossing, PA 18977-1052
Internet: weyer@netaxs.com
America Online: SteveWeyer
Compuserve: 74603,2051
Greg Simon -- Newt's Cape co-developer
http://www.netaxs.com/~weyer/newton/releases.html
Gaia Home page -- info about intranet wireless handheld solutions
(re-using Newt's Cape technology).