The HP NewWave Environment Help Fac...

The HP NewWave Environment Help Facility

DURING THE INVESTIGATION AND DESIGN phases of the help facility for the HP NewWave environment, the increase team followed objectives passed down from the a whole level. Among these were ease of use, emphasis in succession the tasks instead of the tools, and consistent user interfaces. The decision had already been made to include a help facility in all constituents of the NewWave environment. The decision was easy because customers await some form of on-line help and there was a general desire to restore the need for users to give in charge to the manuals. Other objectives were also added specifically for the help facility, if it be not that all of these objectives can be summarized at four descriptors: common facility, adjoining matter sensitive, intuitive user interface, and unobtrusive.

customary Facility

Since each NewWave component has to yield help, it makes sense for help to be implemented as single facility that can be called from each component. Help roll ons as a separate program in the Microsoft Windows environment, like the other NewWave architectural elements However, help does not be pendent upon the NewWave architecture since it has to provide services for the NewWave Office, NewWave formatter, NewWave agents, other architectural constituents and NewWave applications. Since the help facility is concentrated in single progam, it can afford to provide additional features that would have been prohibitive to implement in multiple composings The character display formats, related topics buttons, window move and other functions are examples of features that would have been duplicated.

The use of a shared program to provide help also guarantees that the help user interface is identical for all NewWave composings All displays look alike and all user interface features work identically across NewWave applications. A user can ask for help in the same way, regardless of whether the petition for is for a reminder of the final cause of an icon or for information in succession how to perform a specific operation upon some data.

A belonging to all help facility also gives the NewWave developer several advantages. united obvious advantage is that the developr of an application does not have to bring out the help facility. Also, maintenance of the application is simplified, since it uses the existing help facility. The help clause can be written as a separate activity from the application collection of laws development, further reducing the workload in succession the developer. Help clause maintenance is also easier since this theme is separated from the other theme materials in the application code

connected thought [i]or[/i] thoughts Sensitive Help

For the help facility to be useful, it has to fitting the expectations of users, which means that it should be words immediately preceding [i]or[/i] following sensitive. When a user asks for help, the resulting information applies to the specific situation at that force instead of to a general situation, which might not provide any meaningful information to a user at all. For example, a user who povertys to know how to use a topic input box in the middle of a cloak is not interested in finding without that the screen is used to communicate information and to learn many types of input. The user would rather have--and gets--instructions onward what a correct entry might gaze like or what choices are expected

Intuitive User Interface

In most numerous cases, a user can anticipate at the screen and figure gone out how to use the help facility without a chance of training or searching in consequence of the manuals. Thus single in kind can get help immediately when it is in the greatest degree needed, when a small hint or short explanation will allow the task to be complet without a extended delay or distraction. Help can be started from a menu from a function guide or from a pushbutton. Index items can be chosen by means of mouse scrolling, keyboard scrolling, or typing. The help user interface allows all everyday modes of operation so that its use will present the appearance intuitive to as many users as possible.

Unobtrusive

Help has to be able to proper the needs of users without becoming another question at issue Therefore, it allows flexibility and now remains efficient in execution and use of memory. The help window is large enough to such a degree there is room for explanations, nevertheless users can still see their originals tasks. If it is necessary or them to papal court more of the previous window, they can instigate the help window out of the way or make it disappear until they want to make it reappear. If they rouse the help window aside, they can continue working in succession the previous task and impute back to the information given in the help verse window.

Starting Help

To start help, the user can good one of two menu items from the help pull-down menu The help pull-down menu for NewWave goals contains two items: Help Index and Screen/Menu Help. The menu items activate the help index and screen/menu help variety respectively. The user can make the selection by dint of using the mouse or by the agency of using accelerators (keyboard interface). The accelerator for gaining access to the help index is f1

The user can also start by way of selecting the help pushbutton from a dialog enclosed seat [i]or[/i] seats When the help pushbutton is pitch uponed the help text window containing information pertinent to the dialog case is displayed.