Specifying Context-Sensitive Help Links in FrameMaker
You can use TopicAlias markers that contain topic IDs, or Filename markers that specify file names, to create context-sensitive help. If your output format supports the use of mapping files and topic IDs, typically you use TopicAlias markers to create context-sensitive help. If your output format does not support the use of mapping files and topic IDs, typically you use Filename markers to create context-sensitive help.
If you are generating Eclipse Help, you can also choose to specify a topic description for each context-sensitive help link your created using a TopicAlias marker by using a TopicDescription marker in conjunction with the TopicAlias marker. For more information about how TopicAlias markers and TopicDescription markers can work together when generating Eclipse Help, see Context-Sensitive Help in FrameMaker.
To specify a context-sensitive help link, your Stationery and template must have a TopicAlias or Filename marker type configured. If you are generating Eclipse Help and you want to be able to specify topic descriptions for your context-sensitive help links, your Stationery and template must also have a TopicDescription marker type configured. Consult with the Stationery designer to determine which marker type you should use to create context-sensitive help links and topic descriptions in your source documents.
The following procedure provides an example of how to create context-sensitive help links and topic descriptions in Adobe FrameMaker source documents using unstructured Adobe FrameMaker 7.2. Steps for creating context-sensitive help links in Adobe FrameMaker may be different in other versions of Adobe FrameMaker.
To create a context-sensitive help link in an Adobe FrameMaker source document
1. Open the Adobe FrameMaker source document that contains the context-sensitive topic you want to link to when users click a help button or help icon from within an application.
2. Insert your cursor at the beginning of the topic or paragraph in which you want to link.
3. On the Special menu, click Marker.
4. In the Marker Type field, select the marker type the Stationery designer configured your Stationery to support from the drop-down list. For example, select TopicAlias or Filename.
5. If the TopicAlias or Filename marker type is not on the list, check with the Stationery designer to obtain the name of the marker type the Stationery designer created to support this functionality and then use the marker type specified by the Stationery designer. For more information, refer to Implementing Online Features in FrameMaker.
6. In the Marker Text field, type the topic ID or file name you want to use for the context-sensitive help link. Specify topic IDs or file names that met the following guidelines:
Must be unique Must begin with an alphabetical characterMay contain alphanumeric characters May not contain special characters or spaces, with the exception of underscores ( _ ) 7. Click New Marker.
8. If you are generating Eclipse Help and you want to specify topic descriptions for each context-sensitive help link you are creating, complete the following steps:
a. Insert your cursor in the topic after the TopicAlias marker you inserted for the Eclipse context-sensitive help topic.
b. On the Special menu, click Marker.
c. In the Marker Type field, select TopicDescription marker type from the drop-down list.
a. If the TopicDescription marker type is not on the list, check with the Stationery designer to obtain the name of the marker type the Stationery designer created to support this functionality and then use the marker type specified by the Stationery designer. For more information, refer to Implementing Online Features in FrameMaker.
b. In the Marker Text field, type the topic description you want to use.
c. Click New Marker.
9. Save your source Adobe FrameMaker source document.
10. Generate output for your project. For more information, see Generating Output.
11. In Output Explorer, complete the following steps:
a. Verify that ePublisher inserted the topic ID into the map file when it generated output.
b. If you generated Eclipse Help and specified topic descriptions for your context-sensitive help topics, verify that the
contents.xml file for your Eclipse Help system contains the topic descriptions you specified for context-sensitive help topics. c. Test the generated output using the application and verify that the application links to the appropriate context-sensitive help topic. This testing ensures the context-sensitive help link you created displays correctly within the application.
Last modified date: 06/11/2024