Extended .HHP Settings

This section enables you to add or overwrite sections of the HHP project file used to generate your HTML Help output. (See HTML Help project files for details). Normally you will never need to use this feature but there may be situations where you want or need to make changes to your HTML Help output by making changes or additions to the HHP file.

Please only use these feature if you understand HHP files and how to edit them. You can find information on the settings in the documentation distributed with Microsoft HTML Help Workshop.

Adding entries to the HHP file:

To add entries to the HHP file enter the section heading name in upper case and enclosed in square brackets, followed by the settings you want to add or change, entering one setting per line with a hard line break (ENTER) at the end of each line. Don't enter any section heading more than once.

Note that merging files into your CHM file is much easier with the Baggage Files section in the Project Explorer. See Using Baggage Files for details.

Example:

This example shows some of the Extended .HHP settings we used for the old Help & Manual 3 help, before the Baggage section was available. It is now much easier to add

When Help & Manual compiles your project all the HTML Help project files, including the HHP file, are generated in a temporary directory called \~tmpchm and then fed to the Microsoft HTML Help compiler. This directory is created in your project directory, which is the directory containing your .hmxp or .hmxz project file.

This means that all file paths entered in the Extended HHP Settings must be relative to this directory, because that is where the .hhp file is located. In the example above, for instance, the files referenced are located in the project directory, which is one directory up from \~tmpchm. This is why ..\ must be prefixed to each file reference so that the compiler can find the files.

If your files are stored in other locations you must adjust the relative paths accordingly. Storing them in the project directory is usually the simplest solution, however.

HTML Help TOC options:

Below the Extended HHP Settings editing window are some additional options with which you can adjust the appearance and behavior of the TOC in the Microsoft HTML Help viewer:

Display plus/minus icons:
Activates or deactivates the +/- icons displayed to the left of closed/open chapter icons ("books") in the HTML Help viewer's TOC.

Draw lines between items:
When this is activated fine dotted lines are displayed between related items in the TOC, making it easier see which topic belongs to which chapter in complex TOCs.

Track selection (mouseover effect):
When this is activated an underline is displayed below topic entries in the TOC when the user moves the mouse over them. This makes it easier to be sure which topic you are going to click on.

Only expand a single heading:
When the user selects a new chapter any other chapters on the same level in the TOC that are open will be closed automatically. This is useful for complex help documents with lots of chapters, because it is easier to navigate in the TOC if you do not have multiple chapters open.

Child file TOC settings

This setting is only relevant if the current project is a child project in your modular help system. It controls what happens when the user tries to open the child .chm module directly.

Its own table of contents
This makes the child file open with its own table of contents as a separate help file in its own right.

Table of contents of the master file
This automatically opens the master .chm and loads the child .chm into its TOC when the child file is opened. This is effectively the same as opening the master .chm directly. Use the browse button to select the master .chm file (this must be present in the same directory on the user's computer at runtime).