Adding Help on the Web with JavaScript and Netscape's NetHelp
By Nancy Hickman
Not all visitors to your Web site are equally proficient in Web interactions or applications. Visitors who perform tasks incorrectly may become frustrated and either monopolize your support desk or simply leave. You can avoid these problems by adding Help.
Whereas most computing platforms have their own genre for providing Help that clearly distinguishes them from the main application, there is no de facto standard for the Web; thus, the line between content and Help easily blurs.
Help from Netscape
NetHelp, the framework Netscape has devised for adding Help to Web sites, illustrates how to build a basic Help system using only HTML and JavaScript. NetHelp can provide Help to documents and applications hosted by Netscape and can also serve as a Help engine for native Windows, UNIX, and Macintosh applications. Using this framework separates Help into a second window, clearly distinguishing it from the main theme of your Web site. It allows you to develop a single set of Help content files that will look and act the same on all platforms.
A beta version of the NetHelp SDK is available through the NetOne developer's kit. Keep an eye on the NetHelp site, because Netscape intends to develop it into a repository of free and purchasable objects, plug-ins, and code samples useful to Help developers. Currently, the NetHelp kit is free, and it offers basic documentation, sample graphics and code, and a couple of test utilities for Windows.
