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Creating and Assigning Identifiers

The first steps in developing context-sensitive Help (CSH) for your project are to add a header file and add an alias file. After this, you need to work on the identifiers for the header file:

• If it is decided that you are responsible for creating the header file in context-sensitive Help (CSH), you need to create AND assign identifiers in the Alias Editor.
• If it is decided that the software developer is responsible for creating the header file in CSH, you only need to assign the identifiers (which should already be contained in the header file that the developer provides for you). Before assigning the identifiers in the alias file, you must first import the header file from the developer so that it is located in the Advanced folder in the Project Organizer. See Importing Header Files.

Creating and assigning identifiers means:

• Creating topic IDs and unique numerical values that correspond to the different CSH Help topics that you want to include. For example, if the software application that you are documenting contains a dialog called the "Properties dialog," you might have written a topic for it called "Using the Properties dialog." To connect the actual dialog with your topic, you might create a topic ID in the Alias Editor, naming it "Properties_Dialog." Furthermore, let's say that you have already created similar topic IDs for 157 other topics and dialogs. You have given each of those topic IDs a unique number from 1 to 157. So for "Properties_Dialog," you assign number 158. Therefore, you end up with a topic ID and numerical value that looks like this: Properties_Dialog 158.
• Assigning a topic (or even a bookmark within a topic) to a topic ID that you created. For example, if you have created a topic ID called "Properties_Dialog," you need to somehow link it to the topic that you want users to see when they click the Help button in that dialog. Let's say you want to link that topic ID with your topic named "Using the Properties dialog." Therefore, in the Alias Editor, you would select the topic ID, select the topic, and then click the Assign button. This "ties" the topic ID to that specific topic.
• (Optional) Assigning a skin to a topic ID that you create. For example, let's say that you want most of the topics in your Help system to open in a window that is 5 inches wide and 7 inches high (as well as other characteristics). Therefore, you create a skin that contains those specifications and name it "Main." However, for CSH topics that are opened from individual dialogs or windows, you want the Help window to be only 4 inches wide and 6 inches high (as well as other characteristics). So you create an additional skin containing those specifications and name it "Dialogs." In the Alias Editor, after you create your identifiers, you can assign the "Dialogs" skin to each one.

The following steps show you how to create and assign identifiers to topics at the same time, create identifiers only, and assign identifiers to topics and skins only. Use whichever set of steps best applies to your situation.

How to create and assign identifiers at the same time

1. Open the alias file that you created.
2. If you have more than one header file in your project, click the down arrow at the top-left side of the Alias Editor and select the header file for which you want to create identifiers. Otherwise, you can just leave "(all identifiers)" in the field.

3. On the right side of the Alias Editor, select a topic that you want to assign to a new identifier.

   If your topics are organized in separate folders in the Content Explorer, you can limit which topics are displayed on the right side of the Alias Editor by clicking the down arrow at the top and selecting the appropriate folder. If you want to "tie" the identifier to a specific bookmark within a topic, click the Show Bookmarks check box at the bottom of the Alias Editor and then select the bookmark from the Topics list above.

4. Click the Assign New button.

   The Assign New Identifier dialog opens.

5. In the New identifier name field, either keep the name automatically provided for you, or type one of your own to represent a specific dialog or window in the software application (e.g., Properties_Dialog).

   Note: Make sure you use underscores between words because spaces are not allowed.

6. In the Value for the identifier field, either keep the number automatically provided for you, or change it to any number you want (as long as no other identifier has the same number).

7. Click OK.

   A new row is added to the left side of the editor, with the name of the new identifier, the name of the topic to which it is assigned, and its unique numerical value.

8. If you want to assign a specific skin to the identifier, select the skin from the Skins list below.

9. With the identifier still selected, click the Assign button.

   The skin name is added to the identifier row on the left side of the Alias Editor.

10. Repeat these steps for each identifier that you want to add (each one to represent a different dialog or window in the software application).
11. Press CTRL+S or click to save your work.

How to create identifiers

1. Open the alias file that you created.
2. If you have more than one header file in your project, click the down arrow at the top-left side of the Alias Editor and select the header file for which you want to create identifiers. Otherwise, you can just leave "(all identifiers)" in the field.

3. Click the New Identifier button at the bottom of the Alias Editor.

   A new row is added to the left side of the editor, with a temporary name for the identifier and a unique numerical value.

4. Click in the Identifier cell and change the name to represent a specific dialog or window in the software application (e.g., Properties_Dialog).

   Note: Make sure you use underscores between words because spaces are not allowed.

   You can leave the identifier numerical value that has been provided, or you can click in the Value cell and change it to any number you want (as long as no other identifier has the same number).

5. Repeat the previous two steps for each identifier that you want to add (each one to represent a different dialog or window in the software application).
6. Press CTRL+S or click to save your work.

How to assign identifiers to topics and skins

1. Open the alias file that you created.
2. On the left side of the Alias Editor, select an identifier that you want to assign to a topic and/or skin.

3. On the right side of the Alias Editor, select a topic that you want to assign to the identifier that you selected in the previous step.

   If your topics are organized in separate folders in the Content Explorer, you can limit which topics are displayed on the right side of the Alias Editor by clicking the down arrow at the top and selecting the appropriate folder. If you want to "tie" the identifier to a specific bookmark within a topic, click the Show Bookmarks check box at the bottom of the Alias Editor and then select the bookmark from the Topics list above.

4. Click the Assign button.

   The topic name is added to the identifier row on the left side of the Alias Editor.

5. If you want to assign a specific skin to the identifier, select the skin from the Skins list below.

6. With the identifier still selected, click the Assign button.

   The skin name is added to the identifier row on the left side of the Alias Editor.

7. Press CTRL+S or click to save your work.

Note: If you are importing FrameMaker documents, you can create topic alias markers in the source files as an alternative to creating identifiers in Flare. When you import the FrameMaker files, the identifiers will be created for you in Flare. See Creating Topic Alias Markers in FrameMaker for Context-Sensitive Help.

WHAT'S NEXT?

After you create and assign identifiers, you need to associate the alias file with the target that you want to build (if you have more than one alias file in your project). Then you need to provide the developer with a copy of the header file (if you are responsible for creating the header file), build the output for the target, provide the developer with a copy of the output files, and test the CSH.

See Also

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