<esc>

Escape: Causes text to be passed directly to the run-time help file without being interpreted by HelpTag. In a customized application for example, an author could embed Semantic Delivery Language (SDL) markup in the help source file. The <esc> element prevents the SDL markup from being read by the HelpTag parser. When the help volume is displayed with the Help Viewer, the authored SDL markup is processed.

Do not use the <esc> tag to escape individual HelpTag symbols or markup examples. To display HelpTag symbols, such as < (left angle bracket), \ (backslash), or & (ampersand), precede each symbol with an ampersand. Use the <vex> element to provide HelpTag markup examples in a help volume.

Syntax

<esc>text<\esc> 

Or:

<esc|text|

If the long form is used, the text cannot contain the three-character sequence <\x (the less-than symbol followed by a backslash followed by a letter). If the short form is used, the text cannot contain the |(vertical bar) character.

If you use the first syntax, the <\esc> end tag is required.

See Also

• "Displaying HelpTag Symbols"

• "<vex> "