
One of the most important part of the help is the table of contents. This navigation panel is a place where you can easily define the structure and appearance of the table of contents for your help.

When you select the topic in table of contents, an appropriate page is automatically displayed, where you can select, create (or open for editing) the topic file, that you want. Alternatively you can assign the "merged contents" or the "heading" for current content item.
The table of contents navigation panel and the topic page is closely linked, and in fact constitute a whole, that can quickly and effectively define the help contents.
The most important options and actions, concerning the editing of contents and topics, are available also at ribbon bar (the Contents tab).
In addition to the standard editing features, the Precision Helper offers a wide support of the clipboard and drag & drop functions. And not only in the context of the application and its instances, but also between Precision Helper and other applications (see below).
See also the description about the automatic insertion of topics into the contents and description about the index editing.
Note:
If there is a more tables of contents in the project file (eg, in window type definitions),
a button for easy switching between them is displayed in the navigation panel.
Editing Table of contents
- Add heading - adds a new heading. At any time the "heading" may be changed to the "topic" and vice versa, through the "Select a topic" options.
- Add topic - adds a new topic to the table of contents. In the Options dialog you can choose what action will be triggered when you add the topic (selecting a file, creating an empty topic, etc.)
- Rename - renaming the contents item. This is not a change of the topic text, but the name of the content item as such. Precision Helper allows automatic detection of the topic title and its assignment to the content item (see Options - General - Editing - Always use topic title).
- Delete - deletes the topic from the contents (including subtopics). Of course, this is not a deletion of the topic file, but the deletion of the content item as such.
- Cut - cuts the selected topics to the clipboard. Cut is fully functioning within the contents of Precision Helper (and its instances) only.
When transferring to another application, this action behaves as a "copy to the clipboard" (topics in the contents are not removed, after pasting from the clipboard in another application).
Note: Selecting multiple items in the table of contents is constrained to one level of items. - Copy - copies the selected topics to the clipboard (including the subitems when used within the Precision Helper)
- Paste - pasting the topics from the clipboard
- Duplicate - duplicates selected topics. This is actually the conjunction of events Copy + Paste.
- Dragging the mouse - you can freely drag the topics both in the same contents and / or between different instances of Precision Helper, and between Precision Helper and other applications (eg. text editor, spreadsheet processor, etc.)
- Tip:
When you paste the list of files from the clipboard (such as copied in Windows Explorer, in a text editor, etc.) Precision Helper creates the topics, including links to the files and inlcuding automatic detection of topic file titles. - Move up - moves selected topics up in the structure
- Move down - moves selected topics down in the structure
- Move left - moves selected topics left in the structure
- Move right - moves selected topics right in the structure
- Sort - sorts the selected level alphabetically
- Expand all - expands all topics (and subtopics)
- Collapse all - collapses all topics (hides subitems)
- Quick search - if you want to find a topic in the table of contents (according to its label or the topic file), use the Search field (in the top right corner)
- Auto add topics - opens the wizard for automatic insertion of topics into the table of contents
- API Tester - opens the API Tester tool (to quickly verify the definition of context help identifiers or the definition of keyword)
- Select file in project - selecting a topic via Project file selection dialog
- Select file - selecting a topic via system open file dialog
- Enter path or url - entering the topic path or the url manualy (the dialog contains also the combo box with all the topics defined anywhere in the project)
- Create a new topic from existing file - creates a new topic file in location, that you select, by copying an existing topic file, that you choose. For the existing topic file selection is displayed the Project file selection dialog and then the system open file dialog is displayed to select the file name and the path for newly created topic.
- Create a new blank topic - creates a new blank topic file in location, that you select
- Select from external help - selecting a topic, that is a part of the external help file (see the Project file selection dialog)
- Include another contents - merges the current structure with an external table of contents. You can choose another contents file (.hhc), or the link to the table of contents, that is a part of the external help file.
- Clear (make heading) - cleans the topic link, so the item becomes a heading
- Note:
Precision Helper remembers the last "Select a topic" option (except the option "Include another contents") and offers this as the default in whole application.
More topic editing options
- Inspector - shows the Object Inspector, where you can edit properties of current topic as well as the properties of whole table of contents
- Edit - opens the current topic in associated external editor. In drop down menu of the "Edit" button, there are all associated applications available (this means the predefined editor and browser and applications that are associated with the extension of currently selected file).
- Keywords - panel in the Object Inspector tab, that is used for quick assignment of keywords. You can simply check the keyword to assign it to a topic, or you can add a new keywords via the panel popup menu.
- Tip:
When you select a text anywhere in displayed topic, and then you select the option Add key in the "Keywords panel", the selected text will be added as a new keyword. - Print - prints the current topic
- Preview - print preview of current topic
- Find - finds text on currently shown topic page
- Text size - option for displayed text size of current topic page
- Zoom in - zooms the topic page in
- Zoom out - zooms the topic page out
- Backward - goes backward in the browsing history of displayed topics
- Forward - goes forward in the browsing history of displayed topics
- Refresh - refreshes current topic view
- Synchronize - synchronizes the table of contents with currenlty displayed topic
Style of the table of contents (in Object Inspector)
- Always show selection - selected content item will be highlighted, even if the "contents tab" is not focused
- Auto expand - selected content item is automatically expanded in the help viewer (the others are collapsed)
- Auto generated - indicates that this table of contents was generated automatically by the html help compiler (read-only) (see Project properties)
- Auto track selection - automatically selects the content item according to the currently displayed topic (useful when browsing through the links in the topics)
- Background color - the table of contents background color
- Default font - the default font for the contents of the resulting help
- Draw tree lines - the lines of the contents structure will be displayed
- Font color - font color of the table of contents
- Frame ID - the default frame identifier, where the content items (topics) will be displayed (see also Other topic properties)
- Full row selection - selection of content item will be indicated by highlighting the whole row
- Icon file - help in CHM format allows you to use your own file (bitmap) for content item icons. Here you can select this file.
- Icon width - here you must enter the width of the single icon within the user defined icon file (see previous option)
- Show border - the contents tree will have an larger border (about 2 px)
- Show buttons - shows the +/- buttons for expanding/collapsing the contents
- Show tree root - shows buttons (+/-) and lines also in the root level
- Use folder images - by default the headings and the topics use a classic icons (books and docs with a question mark). This option defines the use of folder icons and doc icons with lines.
- Window ID - the default window type identifier, where the content items (topics) will be displayed (see also Other topic properties)
- Extended window style - (for developers only) Extended window style (in the integer form)