This chapter describes the Help system in the Java Desktop System.
The source documents for the online Help in the Java Desktop System are XML files. The XML files are written to the DocBook XML Version 4.1.2 document type definition (DTD). The DocBook XML files are converted to HTML, and the HTML is displayed in the Help browser. For more information about DocBook XML, see the following URL:
http://www.oasis-open.org/docbook/xml
The Java Desktop System can display Help in two Help browsers, as follows:
JDSHelp
Yelp
The JDSHelp
browser is based on the Javahelp
browser. For more information about Javahelp
file formats, how to write documents for Javahelp
, and how to group documents in hierarchies, see the following
URL:
http://java.sun.com/products/javahelp/reference/docs/index.html
The Yelp
browser uses Open Source
Metadata Framework (OMF) files, and a cataloging system.
The XML file for each manual has an associated OMF file. The OMF file
contains information about the manual that is used by the Yelp
browser. OMF files have a .omf extension.
When you install an application, the installation process installs an
OMF file to a directory of OMF files. If a Help document has an associated
OMF file in an OMF file directory, users can access the Help document
from the Yelp
browser.
OMF files contain information about Help documents such as the following:
The location of the XML file for the Help document
The title of the Help document
A subject category to which the Help document belongs
ScrollKeeper
is a cataloging system for documentation. The Yelp
Help browser uses ScrollKeeper
to catalog the manuals
on the system. ScrollKeeper
manages the information
in the OMF files for the Yelp
Help browser.
ScrollKeeper
uses the information in the
OMF files to enable the Yelp
Help browser to find
Help documents on a system. When you install an application, the installation
process installs an OMF file to a directory of OMF files.
ScrollKeeper
builds a table of contents for
each Help document that has an associated OMF file. ScrollKeeper
builds the table of contents from the XML file specified in
the OMF file. The table of contents for the Help document is displayed in
the left pane of the Yelp
Help browser window,
and enables users to navigate the Help document in the left pane. The title
of the document in the OMF file is also displayed in the left pane of the Yelp
Help browser window.
ScrollKeeper
contains a hierarchy of subject
categories to which a Help document can belong. The Help documents are organized
into this hierarchy of subject categories in the left pane of the Yelp
Help browser window. The subject category of the document
in the OMF file determines the location of the document in the hierarchy.
The hierarchy of subject categories is defined in the following file:
/usr/share/scrollkeeper/Templates/C/scrollkeeper_cl.xml
The subject category of a document must correspond to a subject category in the following file:
/usr/share/scrollkeeper/Templates/C/scrollkeeper_cl.xml
If the Help document XML file is moved to a new location, then you might need to update the location in the OMF file.