HelpIndex Examples

Last modified: 20 February 1997.
Page Contents
Site Index Example
JDK API Example
Database Example
French and German prompts Example
Recognised key presses

Site Index Example

The PHD Help Index applet helps users explore your site. There is a Contents tree and a keyword Index with links to your pages.

In "icon" mode, HelpIndex initially just shows itself as an icon (below). The user must click on the icon to see the help index form.

Please use a Java™ enabled browser. <-- Click this icon to see the help index applet in action.


HelpIndex Contents tab screenshot Contents Screenshot

This screen shot shows HelpIndex's Contents tab card. You can select the other cards by selecting one of the other tabs at the top.

This view shows the structure of the whole site, ie there are main categories "Basics", "Using on your site", "Advanced" and "PHD" as well as "Welcome".

You can expand and contract the Contents tree branches by clicking the mouse on the + or - bullets or using the keyboard equivalents.

Currently the "Examples" page is highlighted. Double-clicking here, pressing the Return key or selecting the Display Page button will show the page in the browser.

Various key presses may be used. If necessary, a scroll bar is shown on the right hand side.


Index Screenshot

This screen shot shows the keyword Index to the PHD web site. Note that the card tabs have shrunk to become just icons as the window is not very wide.

The user has typed in J to find all indices starting with J. Various indices have been found.

The user has then selected Java Articles and found several pages with this keyword. Selecting the Display Page button will display the "Netscape IFC" page.

The Tab and Shift+Tab keys may be used to move between fields. Pressing the Return/Enter key is the same as selecting Display Page. Double-clicking a page name also displays it. Escape sets the query text to its initial setting, ie usually clears it.

HelpIndex Index tab screenshot

HelpIndex Select tab screenshot Select Screenshot

If the Select tab is showing, a list of the available help index files is shown.

Note that the language shows is the language of the HelpIndex prompts, not the language of the pages. In this example, the HelpIndex site index can be viewed with English, French or German prompts.

Select a new index and then either double-click it or press the Select Index (language) button.

The Select tab is not available if only one help index file has been specified.


JDK API Example

This is a screen shot of an example use of the Help Index for Java programmers.

This example provides an easy to use index into the Java Development Kit (JDK) Application Programmer Interface (API). Loading the 90kB help index once is quicker than retrieving the 600kB "Index of all Fields and Methods" page.

JDK Example Screenshot
HelpIndex JDK screenshot

As you can see, it is easy to look up Java keywords. In this example, the user has found all the keywords which begin with get.

Try this JDK 1.0 API example which refers directly to Sun's pages. Note that the 80kB help index file may take some time to arrive. It is better to set this up for use locally, as PHD does on its local intranet.
Use MakeHelpIndex on AllNames.html to roll your own help index. Note that some useful indices are not present as appropriate keywords have not been set up in the HTML.


Database Example

If you give HelpIndex a suitable help index file and language file then it can look like a small database program.

Try this User database example.

Note that in this case MakeHelpIndex will not aid you to set up the help index file. We strongly suggest that you write a program to generate the required index file from your existing real database. Please contact us if you would like us to quote for this job.


Recognised key presses

Tab and Shift+Tab may be used to move around the window.
Contents
Return, Enter Display the selected page
Tab, Shift+Tab Select and expand the next main branch, or move to card tab
down arrow Move selection down
up arrow Move selection up
left arrow Collapse branch, or move selection left
right arrow Expand branch, or move right
Home Select first visible item
End Select last visible item
Page down Move selection down a window
Page up Move selection up a window
+ Expand branch
- Collapse branch
other keys Select the next item which begins with that key
Index
Tab, Shift+Tab Move to the next field, or the card tab
Return, Enter Display the selected page
Escape Set to the initial query
Standard cursor and edit keys may be used in the Query field.
Card Tabs
Tab, Shift+Tab Move to the visible card
left arrow, right arrow Select next tab
Home Select Contents tab
End Select About tab

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