Hyperwise 2.0: Helpful Hints and Tips
Creating multimedia books and help files is proving to be a necessary part of today's electronic communications and computer software. Hyperwise 2.0 offers editing and linking capability in one product. One of Hyperwise's greatest advantages is that it exports a document into formats that are "readable" on three different operating platforms. That is, you can create one document and export it to .INF or .HLP formats and read it on both OS/2 and Windows. You also can export the same document to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) format and "read" it on the Internet's World Wide Web.
Helpful Hints and Tips
The following are some hints on using Hyperwise:
- Because of the tremendous popularity of the Internet, many developers want to know how to create a home page. You can now use Hyperwise to do this, as follows:
- Double-click on the Create New Document icon.
- Name your document; be sure to give it a .WF extension.
- When prompted if you want to create an outline, answer Yes.
- Type the headings for each topic in your home page. You must start with head level 1. Be aware that the greater a head level number is, the smaller the heading will appear. For example, a Head1 topic appears larger on the screen than a Head2 topic.
- Hyperwise constructs a separate, discrete panel for each topic heading. Export attaches each heading so the document appears as one long home page on the Internet. If you want to create links to other documents, see the instructions later in this article.
- Fill your panels with content. (The element used most often is the paragraph. To create a paragraph, use Ctrl+P or double-click on Paragraph in the element list.)
- Add any special effects you want, such as color or font changes, by marking text and double-clicking on a font from the font list or a color from the color bar. (Both are available from the toolbar.)
- Export your document to HTML by clicking on Document, then Export, and then HTML.
- If you want to create links between panels within the same Internet document, follow these steps:
- Mark the text or graphic that you want to turn into a link.
- With the mouse pointer on the marked area, drag and drop the anchor onto a panel title (in the Panel list).
- Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each link you want to create.
- Export your document to HTML by clicking on Document, then Export, and then HTML.
- If you want to create a link from one document or home page to another document or home page, do the following:
- Mark the text or graphic that you want to turn into a link.
- Click on Panel on the action bar.
- Click on Link.
- Click on Panel.
- Type the panel identifier in the appropriate field.
- Type the path and name of the document to which you are linking.
- In the other document, give the target panel the same panel identifier as you entered in step 5.
- To assign a panel identifier, double-click on the panel title with mouse button 2. Or, if the panel is open, you can double-click in an empty area of the panel. Then a dialog window will be displayed so you can assign the identifier.
- Click on the global attribute checkbox.
- One of the questions most frequently asked by developers is, "How do I display two panels side by side?" To display two panels this way, each has to be a different style and have a different group number. To do so with Hyperwise, follow these steps:
- Click on View and Panel style list to see all of the styles available.
- Double-click with mouse button 1 on any style and you'll see how it looks.
- You can also create your own panel styles. See "Creating and Modifying Information for IPF and Panel Properties" in the online User Guide.
- To display two panels, each having an equal share of the screen, do the following:
- Double-click on Left50% in the Panel style list.
- Double-click on Right50% in the Panel style list.
- With both panels open and empty, double-click on the left-hand panel with mouse button2.
- In the Panel Properties dialog window that appears, click on the Update button.
- When the Update dialog window appears, type 1 in the Group number field.
- Repeat the steps 5 through 7 for the right-hand panel, but enter the number 5 in the Group number field.
- Export to INF or HLP by clicking on Document, then Export, and then INF or HLP.
- Now you have created two panels that can appear side by side. Each has a different style and a different group number. From now on, every panel you create in that document with the Left50% and Right50% styles can display side by side.
- Some Hyperwise customers have created fonts and found that IPF (the OS/2 and Windows viewer) does not display them correctly. The reason is that IPF currently displays only bitmap fonts. To create a font that appears correctly in IPF, do the following:
- To enable Advanced mode, click on Document and then User Preference. Then check Enable Advanced Mode and click on OK.
- Click on Styles, then Font, and then Add.
- Name the font you want to create and then select the style and size.
- The size must be one that has a predefined height and width. For example, one Tms Rmn font is shown with the following heights and widths: 13x4, 16x5, 19x6, and so on. Another Tms Rmn font shows 20 and 24 with arrows. The arrows allow incremental changes in height and width. The first Tms Rmn font is viewable by IPF; the second (the one with the arrows) is not. If you plan to export to INF or HLP, create only fixed height and width fonts.
Getting Help with Hyperwise
You can obtain Hyperwise technical support through CompuServe, the Internet, and by fax. In addition, we now have an entire CompuServe forum devoted to Hyperwise, as well as supporting code samples and demos of related products. A growing number of software companies and technical writers are using Hyperwise. We invite all discussion.
To access the CompuServe forum, type GO PSPAPROD at the ! prompt. We are on section 15, and our ID is 73423,2767. Our Internet address is hyperwise@bocaraton.ibm.com. Our fax number is 407-734-5771.
Reprint Courtesy of International Business Machines Corporation, © International Business Machines Corporation
