HelpIndex Java Applet

These pages document HelpIndex version 2.0.0 (evaluation version 1.7.1).   New features
Last modified: 21 February 1997.

HEY! We are running HelpIndex version 2 here, with its full release imminent.
Do you like it? Give us feedback please.

Please note our new UK address and telephone number.
NEW: Sales and support in USA by Sun Country Software, Inc. and on-line credit card sales should be available soon from WebWare Online.

Basics Using on your page Advanced PHD
Introduction Getting started guide Index file format PHD main site
Information Sheet Downloading Possible improvements About PHD
Examples Using HelpIndex Bug list Other PHD software
References Applet parameters Version history Java resources
Purchasing a HelpIndex licence MakeHelpIndex Other information
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) This site index Language File
Feedback


If you want to use HelpIndex on your site, please pay for a full licence after your free 30 day evaluation period.
Please email feedback, bug reports and suggestions for improvement to Chris Cant.
Please let us know how or where you heard about HelpIndex.
Ask to be put on our mailing list for information on new versions and other releases.
Rated Top 25% WebApplet by JARS

Introduction

example screen shot showing Contents tab PHD HelpIndex provides server-independent help for your site, with a Contents tree and an Index of keywords. Having found a page, you can display it in your browser.

Its Contents view has an Explorer-like logical tree display of all the pages on the site. The Index allows the user to search for a keyword on the site's pages.

HelpIndex can either appear on your page or in a separate window.

Typically you will want to use HelpIndex to provide help for your site.

The index can be more targeted than a server text search facility. For example, doing a text search for "Java" on the PHD pages finds 206 hits on 26 pages, which is unmanageable. In contrast, HelpIndex finds 5 index matches, "Java", "Java applet", etc... Having selected an index, one or more pages titles are then shown, which the user can show by pressing the Display Page button.

PHD Help Index is server-independent. HelpIndex does not do a text search on the server.

Help Index uses a predefined contents and list of indices that you have set up. Like other help systems, in the Index a user types in the starting letters that they want to look up. All possible indices are displayed. When a page is selected, it is displayed in the target browser window.

You can use the MakeHelpIndex Java application to build help indices automatically from your web pages. Alternatively, you can set up or edit index files by hand, provided you use the HelpIndex Index File Format.

You can use language files to make HelpIndex use labels in your preferred language.

There are some specialised uses for HelpIndex. Java programmers may want to use to an index to the JDK. Or HelpIndex can be set up as a small web database.

So far we have only tested HelpIndex on PC Netscape Navigator 2.0, 3.0 and Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0. The JDK 1.0 appletviewer does not run it very well. Please let us have reports for other browsers and platforms.

Note that the evaluation edition of HelpIndex is version 1.7.1. This only has an index and is deliberately limited to displaying a maximum of 500 indices and a maximum of 100 URLs. This will in fact be big enough for a lot of sites. You should purchase a full licence for HelpIndex to increase these limits.


New features in version 2.0

example screen shot showing Contents tab Note that MakeHelpIndex has already been improved to make an index file which has the links necessary to display the Contents. However this will usually have to be edited by hand to have your desired tree layout. You can also add references to icons which you would like displayed beside a contents entry.
In the next month or so we hope to produce an "index file editor" HelpIndex Workshop Windows program to make editing the index file easy.

Sorry, but HelpIndex version 2 is only available to users with a full licence, ie you may only use version 1.7.x for evaluation purposes.

Language files have a new format.

Note that the version 2 class and gif files are now about 80kB; these will take users longer to download. The introduction of new browsers that support Java Archive (JAR) files will reduce the load time, as a single JAR file will hold all the HelpIndex files in a compressed format. A HelpIndex.jar file will be produced as soon as the technology is stable.
Coming soon We are developing a Windows only program as an enhancement to MakeHelpIndex.
This HelpIndex Workshop allows you to work on HelpIndex projects. It continues to allow existing web pages to be scanned. Crucially, it allows editing of the Contents tree and the Index as well as language files. And importantly, it remembers these changes if you re-scan your web pages.
Watch this space...


New features in version 1.7


New features in version 1.6


Feedback

If you are having problems, please read our list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Otherwise please email support@phdcc.com.


PHD Computer Consultants Ltd makes no representations or warranties about the suitability of the software, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. PHD Computer Consultants Ltd shall not be liable for any damages suffered by user as a result of using, modifying or distributing the software or its derivatives.
Please email Chris Cant if you are going to provide a link to this site. We will keep you informed if the pages change or move.

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