Re: More on User Assistance/Help for web sites

[dmbrown -at- brown-inc -dot- com]

Chuck Martin wrote:
> 
> I guess what I'm wondering is how users would respond to this,
> where there is no pretense of context sensitivity.

But there's no reason not to make even a simple HTML system context-sensitive!

Each web page could have a "help" link--button, icon, text, whatever--that points to a specific page, displaying it in a separate window.

The way I've implemented it is that each web page also includes a reference to a shared JS file, and the help link passes a filename a simple function in that JS file.  The function basically says, "Open the named file in an X-by-Y window called 'foo' in the upper right corner of the screen."

For the writers' sanity, each help file has the same name as the web page it describes, and resides in a subdirectory.  (You could use a different scheme just as easily.)

To provide a global view, each help page could include a link to a TOC, index, glossary, site map, and whatever else you think would help.

But there's no reason to force the user to go through any one of them just to get help with the current page.

--David

P.S.  See the customer feedback area on our web site for a third-party 
      comparison of tools for indexing HTML pages. 
 
========================================================================

N O W   A V A I L A B L E !                http://www.html-indexer.com/

HTML Indexer 4 is still the easiest way to create and maintain indexes 
for web sites, intranets, HTML Help, JavaHelp, and other HTML documents.

Now with fully integrated cross-references, target frames and windows, 
multiple-file output, "one-step accept" of default entries, and more!

 


^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Check out RoboDemo for tutorials! It makes creating full-motion software
demonstrations and other onscreen support materials easy and intuitive.
Need RoboHelp? Save $100 on RoboHelp Office in May with our mail-in rebate.
Go to http://www.ehelp.com/techwr-l

Free copy of ARTS PDF Tools when you register for the PDF
Conference by May 15. Leading-Edge Practices for Enterprise
& Government, June 3-5, Bethesda,MD. www.PDFConference.com

---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot-  Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.