Last modified: 21 February 1997.
In this example screen shot, HelpIndex's Contents tab is showing the logical arrangement of the HelpIndex site. The Index card tab is used to do keyword searches of the site. Select lets you choose other help files. Finally, About shows information about HelpIndex.
HelpIndex was written by Chris Cant
of PHD Computer Consultants Ltd, United Kingdom.
Comprehensive
documentation is available
HelpIndex is copyright © 1996,1997 PHD Computer Consultants Ltd.
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HelpIndex fills a gap in the site help and search market. Its Contents view
has a logical display of all the pages on the site. The Index
lets you search for a keyword on the site.
HelpIndex allows site designers to produce a tailored contents and a concise searchable index to their site. It is more targeted than providing users with a blanket text search facility. Configuring a text search index can be time consuming. Some service providers may charge to set up custom CGI scripts on your server. |
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How it works | HelpIndex downloads a index file when it starts up. This file contains a list of the site's web pages, and a set of index entries which link to these pages. While you can build (or edit) this help index file by hand, it is normally built by the MakeHelpIndex Java application. This analyses your whole site, following links, writing an index entry for each page, keyword, and anchor name. Often MakeHelpIndex picks up errors in your links! |
Speed | Although there is a slight delay as the help index is loaded, the response time after that is good as no server search is carried out. The HelpIndex classes are not too big: approx. 80kB including MakeHelpIndex. HelpIndex does not do a text search on the server. |
Display modes | HelpIndex can be run in one of two modes, either embedded within a web page, or as a separate "floating" window. The "high" layout mode is useful for contents framesets. |
Server independent | HelpIndex is server and browser independent, and can be run on local file systems and on intranets. |
Configuration |
HelpIndex is easily configured by the web page designer. The most useful
parameter is the target frame name. This allows a frameset to be set up, with
HelpIndex in one frame and the result frame in another.
See the documentation for other parameters. |
Language Files |
HelpIndex can be set up to use different languages.
Note that this just affects HelpIndex's field names and messages.
However, you can match your French web pages with a French language file.
English, French and German language files are available now. You can roll your own. |
Quick and Easy to use |
HelpIndex has been made easy to use.
It uses familiar help contents and index metaphors. The controls are easy to use both by a novice and the expert. Separate threads of execution are used to speed up the response time. HelpIndex can be used as a small web database. |
Works with all current browsers | Any Java Web browser on any platform should work. HelpIndex just uses the current standard Java, so there is no need to have any extra programs. However we have only tested it extensively in Windows. It works best when viewed with PC Navigator 3.0. |
Evaluation | You can evaluate HelpIndex version 1.7.1 for free for 30 days before buying a full licence, either direct from PHD or from one of our outlets. The evaluation version only has the index form and can only index smaller sites. |
Coming soon... | HelpIndex Workshop will let you work on HelpIndex project, ie to build and edit index files easily. |