Online Help is topic, procedural or reference information delivered through computer software. It is a form of User Assistance. Most Help is designed to give assistance in the use of a software application or operating system, but can also be used to present information on a broad range of subjects. When Help is linked to the state of application (what user is doing), it's called context-sensitive Help. Software redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Context-sensitive help is a kind of online help that is obtained from a specific point in the state of the software, providing help for the situation that is associated with that state. ...

Online Help is created through Help authoring tools. It is delivered in a wide variety of formats, some proprietary and some open-standard, including: A help-authoring tool or HAT is a software program used by technical writers to create online help manuals. ... Proprietary indicates that a party, or proprietor, exercises private ownership, control or use over an item of property, usually to the exclusion of other parties. ... This article or section cites very few or no references or sources. ...

• Hypertext Markup Language (HTML), which includes HTML Help, HTML-based Help, JavaHelp, and Oracle Help.
• Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF)

HTML, an initialism of HyperText Markup Language, is the predominant markup language for web pages. ... “PDF” redirects here. ...

Microsoft Help Platforms

Microsoft develops the platforms for delivering Help systems in the Microsoft Windows operating system. Windows redirects here. ...

• Microsoft QuickHelp - Ralph Walden joined Microsoft in 1987 and wrote an online help system for MS-DOS and OS/2 called QuickHelp. Ralph was also primarily responsible for WinHelp and HTML Help 1.x.
• Microsoft WinHelp (.HLP) - Based on Rich Text Format, this was the industry standard for Windows 3.1 and Windows 95/NT. The popular Windows Help program (WinHlp32.exe) was included with all Windows operating systems from Windows 3.0 until the Windows XP operating system. However, the Help engine will not be included with Windows Vista and will only be available via download. [1] (click Help Engine Support)
• Microsoft Compressed HTML Help (.CHM) - Based on compiled HTML and other data such as images and JavaScript. In 2006, this is the current standard available from Microsoft as HTML Help 1.4. Originally, HTML Help 1.0 was released in 1997.
• HTML Help 2.0 - In 2001, Microsoft announced plans for a wide release of HTML Help 2.0. This platform was developed by Microsoft and shipped in 2002 as the help format for Visual Studio .NET, MSDN Library and Technet products; however Microsoft announced it had cancelled plans to make the format publicly available.
• AP Help 1.0 - Assistance Platform Help is the new generation of online Help being developed for and shipped with Windows Vista. It will not be made publicly available as an authoring platform for other software vendors. It will be used by Microsoft, OEMs, and certain corporations.
• AP Help 2.0 - This version of the new Assistance Platform Help engine is currently on hold.

Microsoft WinHelp is a proprietary format for online help files that can be displayed by the Microsoft Help browser winhelp. ... Windows 3. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Windows Vista (pronounced ) is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... Microsoft Compressed HTML Help is a proprietary format for online help files, developed by Microsoft and first released in 1997 as a successor to the Microsoft WinHelp format. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... For the band, see 1997 (band). ... This article is about the year. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... Windows Vista (pronounced ) is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ...

Other Platforms

• Apple Help (.HELP) - Apple Computer's proprietary help platform for the Mac OS 8.5+ operating system.
• Sun JavaHelp (.js) - A platform-independent help system written in Java programming language by Sun Microsystems. It runs on any platform and browser that supports the Java Runtime Environment (JRE). [2]
• Oracle Help - Two formats developed by the Oracle Corporation: Oracle Help for Java (OHJ) and Oracle Help for Web (OHW). [3]
• DotNetHelp - A new Windows Help format, designed to replace the .chm format, that also supports .NET applications.
• The Texinfo program and format (also known as the "info" system) is the official documentation system for the GNU project.
• Unix man pages are the standard method used to document Unix commands.
• Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is the help system used by IBM's OS/2 system.

Apple Inc. ... Mac OS 8. ... Java language redirects here. ... Sun Microsystems, Inc. ... Java Logo The Java Runtime Environment, or JRE, or J2RE is a software bundle from Sun Microsystems that allows a computer system to run a Java application. ... Oracle Corporation (NASDAQ: ORCL) is one of the major companies developing database management systems (DBMS), tools for database development, middle-tier software, enterprise resource planning software (ERP), customer relationship management software (CRM) and supply chain management (SCM) software. ... GNU Texinfo is a free computer program for generating documentation in multiple formats from a single source file. ... The GNU logo, drawn by Etienne Suvasa The GNU Project was announced in 1983 by Richard Stallman. ... The man page on man Almost all substantial UNIX and Unix-like operating systems have extensive documentation known as man pages (short for manual pages). The Unix command used to display them is man. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®, sometimes also written as or ® with small caps) is a computer operating system originally developed in 1969 by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... Information Presentation Facility (IPF) is a system for presenting online help and hypertext on IBM OS/2 systems. ... OS/2 is a computer operating system, initially created by Microsoft and IBM, then later developed by IBM exclusively. ...

See also

• Balloon help
• Web help
• Microsoft Assistance Markup Language (Microsoft AML)
• Darwin Information Typing Architecture