The Index file (*.hhk) provides
an Index of keywords the user of the compiled
Help file can view in order to navigate the
HTML Help file's topics (see Figure 7.23).
FIGURE 7.23 The Index of an HTML Help file
as seen by the end user.
Strictly speaking, you don't
need an Index file. An Index file is really
a specialized HTML file that uses a specific
HTML format, that of the unnumbered list of
OBJECTS (with standard HTML tags such as <UL>…</UL>,
<LI>…</LI>, and <OBJECT>…/OBJECT>).
Listing 7.4 provides a sample of an Index file.
A SAMPLE HTML HELP INDEX FILE
<HTML>
<HEAD>
</HEAD><BODY>
<UL>
<LI> <OBJECT type="text/sitemap">
<param name="Name" value="Benefits">
<param name="Name" value="Medical
Insurance">
<param name="Local" value="html\Medicalinsurancestatus.htm">
</OBJECT>
<LI> <OBJECT type="text/sitemap">
<param name="Name" value="Divorced">
<param name="Name" value="Marital
Status">
<param name="Local" value="html\maritalstatus.htm">
</OBJECT>
<LI> <OBJECT type="text/sitemap">
<param name="Name" value="Female">
<param name="Name" value="Gender
of Employee">
<param name="Local" value="html\Gender.htm">
</OBJECT>
<LI> <OBJECT type="text/sitemap">
<param name="Name" value="Gender">
<param name="Name" value="Gender
of Employee">
<param name="Local" value="html\Gender.htm">
</OBJECT>
</UL>
</BODY></HTML>
Each OBJECT of type "text/sitemap"
in the unnumbered HTML list represents a topic
file already included in the project with one
or more keywords pointing to it. For example,
in the listing we see that the Help topic furnished
by the file MedicalInsuranceStatus.htm has two
keywords that point to it, "Benefits"
and "Medical Insurance."
You can add a reference to an
Index file of your project by using the Files
tab on the Project Options dialog box (available
from the Change Project Options icon on the
main screen of the HTML Help Workshop).
You can automatically create and maintain an Index file using
the Index tab on the main project screen.
