This is the standard Microsoft help format for Windows applications.  It is used for help installed locally on the user's computer.

Calls to HTML Help CHM files are made using the Microsoft HTML Help API (application programming interface), which is documented in the help file delivered with the free Microsoft HTML Help Workshop compiler and CHM authoring package. For details see Application calls to context-sensitive topics.

Making the calls is up to your programmers; each programming language has different methods for doing this. You can download programming tutorials from our website.

Supported context-sensitive help types

•Calls to specific help topics
Display a specific topic in your help, inside the main help window.

•Calls to anchors in specific help topics
Display a specific topic in your help file in the main help window and scroll down to an anchor (jump target) within the topic.

•Field-level popups
Field-level popups are small popup windows displayed in your application. They are read from the help file but the main help window is not opened. Useful for documenting individual fields and controls in your application (thus the name).

•Training card help
Training card help uses the HTML ActiveX control (CHM) to create special interactive links between your help topics and your application. In theory you can use training card help to create interactive tutorials that guide users through steps of doing things in your program. In practice it is so difficult to implement that most developers try it out once and then decide that it is not worth their time. You can insert ActiveX objects for training card help with Help & Manual's Write > Insert Object > Plain HTML Code command (HTML Help).

One important thing to know about the CHM files generated by Help & Manual when making calls to them from your applications is that there are no internal folders. Help & Manual uses a "flat file" directory model inside the CHM, with everything on the root level. This means that all topics and other files inside the CHM can be accessed directly, without any path information. Some programming tips assume the use of folders -- for example a folder called "html" for the HTML topic files – and if they also include this path without alternatives in their call examples this will lead to failures. But that is really the only element of H&M CHM files that you need to be aware of.

WebHelp is displayed in a normal web browser like Firefox, Safari, Opera or even Internet Explorer. It is used for help accessed on networks and the Internet. Calls to WebHelp are made with normal URLs.

Supported context-sensitive help types

•Calls to specific help topics
Display a specific topic in your help, inside the main help window.

•Calls to anchors in specific help topics
Display a specific topic in your help file in the main help window and scroll down to an anchor (jump target) within the topic.

These print-style formats do not support any real context-sensitive help features. A certain amount can be achieved with anchors in the PDF files called "named destinations", but what is possible is actually very limited and named destinations do not really work very well.