NCSU CDK Openbook Assistance

Note: $cdk_dir == toplevel directory of NCSU CDK

This document is to assist the admin in creating Openbook help screens for use with custom forms. It is under construction and currently contains just some hints.

$CDS_DIR/doc/openbook/config/hrfs contains a link to $cdk_dir/local/doc/ncsuHelp.HRF

You have to jump through several hoops to make sure that the "help" button on any forms you create actually links to your help file:

• Create your help file in FrameMaker (hints below). (It's easiest just to copy an existing file in $cdk_dir/doc and use it as a template.)
• In the hiCreateAppForm call of your form, be sure to set the ?help field value to "ncsuHelp". This is to make sure DFII looks in $CDS_DIR/doc/openbook/config/hrfs/ncsuHelp.HRF.
• In $cdk_dir/doc/ncsuHelp.HRF, add a line with your form name and a link to the help file. (The format is pretty self-explanatory.)

To lock/unlock a help document in Maker: <esc>Flk

To create hypertext links in Maker 5 (this assumes the document is unlocked):

• Highlight the target text (or place the cursor in front of the target text), and choose Special->Marker... (!sm). In the "Marker" window that appears, set the Marker Type to Hypertext, and erase the text that appears in the Marker Text entry area. Then type "newlink linkname" (no quotes) in the Marker Text entry area (replacing linkname with a unique name for the target marker). Click the "New Marker" button.
• Highlight the button text (i.e. where you want the user to click to get to the target you just made). The "Marker" window should still be up, and the text you just highlighted should be in the "Marker Text" entry area. Replace whatever's in the "Marker Text" area with "gotolink linkname" (no quotes), where linkname is the same as in the prior step. (Don't forget to change the Marker Type to Hypertext.) Click "New Marker."
• If you want the link to just jump to a certain page, you can leave off creating the target marker, and just create the button text as in the second step. However, instead of the "gotolink" command, use the "gotopage pagenumber" command (as always, no quotes), where pagenumber is replaced by the page you want to jump to.
• Note that for any of the above commands, you can jump to a different file using the "filename:" modifier, e.g. "gotopage filename:pagenumber" takes you to page "pagenumber" of file "filename."
• Also note that the cool boldface highlighting of followed links (as in the topic outline view in the left part of the window) is not done automatically---you have to create a new text insertion area over the button text, and re-type the boldface button text in it (so that it completely covers the old button text).