Getting Started

Let's Go!

This Fast Track tutorial illustrates a Step by Step approach to:

All examples were built using the following licensed software:

Comments

I've used Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003 and its Help Integration Wizard to accomplish the conversion and integration of MSHelp1 A.P.I.s, Class Libraries, Dynamic Link Libraries and Programmer's Guides into that I.D.E.s Help Contents window for In-House, Partner and Client development teams. Since the release of the first Beta of Visual Studio 2005 (formerly code-named Whidbey), I've been using various tools Microsoft has rolled out to build MSHelp2. With the Microsoft Release To Market (R.T.M.) of Visual Studio 2005, Visual Studio S.D.K. 2005, and the Help Integration Wizard 2005, patterns have changed in the H1 to H2 integration process and are reflected throughout this tutorial.

This is a no-nonsense, get down to it, Step by Step set of instructions to get the new MSHelp2 integration process done. It takes a user from the first stages of converting a c.h.m. (MSHelp1) to MSHelp2, through to viewing the final package installed in the Visual Studio 2003/2005 Help Contents windows. I have verified each step by executing it myself to sort out any errors. This tutorial also serves as a method of MSHelp2 conversion and integration using Helpware FAR HTML. Everything from the MSHelp1 to MSHelp2 conversion, to the creation of the H.x.C. Project and H.x.S. Collection has been done using Helpware FAR HTML.

Frank M. Palinkas
Microsoft M.V.P. - Windows Help
M.C.P., M.C.T., M.C.S.E., M.C.D.B.A., A+
W3C HTML Working Group - Invited Expert
Senior Technical Communicator, Web Standards and Accessibility Designer/Developer
Date: June 9, 2006

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