FraserSoft: Help for Programmers

 

Using GenHelp starts by setting up options for importing. Go to the Options dialog and set it up as you require. By default the Getters and setters for properties are not imported as part of the property syntax and their related (protected) functions are also not imported.
If your code has self documenting comments then uncheck the 'Ignore all comments' checkbox on the 'Importing Comments' tab. The options in this dialog allow for different user conventions for documentation of code.
When importing comments, GenHelp looks for standard 'tokens' to denote that the following comment is for a specific section. The list of tokens is shown on the left hand side and for each token is a box that describes what section the comment following the token will be imported into. If the 'Keep Token Text' checkbox is checked, then that token will NOT be deleted as part of the file import. If a token is not found for a comment, then these comments will be placed in the section denoted by the 'Default Section' box.
Import the source files for the project using the 'File - Import File' menu or tool button. Multiple files may be selected to speed the import operation. If you are writing a object pascal component for Delphi, create the C++ headers also and scan them in as well. This will mean that your component is documented for C++ Builder users also, using standard C++ syntax. A dialog box shows the progress of the import which may be cancelled at any time	Once the import has completed, you will need to edit the files the actually document the functions. You will probably need to edit the table of contents to add new topics to help the user of your component start working with it. Note that when deleting topics from the table of contents, they will not be deleted from the output files. You need to go to the 'Class/Topic' tab to delete topics. When deleting topics on the 'Class/Topic' tab, you can either permanently delete topics or just delete them. Permanently deleting topics means that they will be added to a list of deleted topics and will never be imported again. This 'deleted topics' list can be edited using the 'View permanently deleted topics' menu command.
At any time during editing, you can check on the 'finished' status of your help file by expanding the tree on the left hand side. By default, unfinished topics are shown in red but you can change this colour in the Options dialog on the 'View' tab. This tab also lets you define what sections must be filled in for a topic to be 'finished'
Once the help file has been completed. Use the 'Generate' menu or tool button to create the final help file. It is normal to create a different help file for each version of Delphi and C++ Builder as properties get added and deleted for each version. However, GenHelp does allow you to create a single help file for all versions with combined syntax. The Options - Help dialog allows you to specify what type of help file to create. You will also find more options under the 'Generate' menu which specify which version of Delphi/C++Builder your help file will be created for.
Once the help files have been created you may want to create help for your web site to promote the component. Use the 'Generate - Export Html' menu command to create html files which will then need uploading to your web site.