What is the best Help format for .net?

[Guest]

Hi all,

I can make a htmlhelp, help 2.0, nethelp, or winhelp format help file for my
..net2 application. Which works best, easiest to use, compatible etc? I want
to run on windows 98 and higher including vista.

What does Microsoft say to use?

Thanks,

Tom

 

[PvdG42]

Hi all,

I can make a htmlhelp, help 2.0, nethelp, or winhelp format help file for
my
.net2 application. Which works best, easiest to use, compatible etc? I
want
to run on windows 98 and higher including vista.

What does Microsoft say to use?

Thanks,

Tom

AFAIK, HTML Help is the defacto standard. I found this specific:

<quote>
Note for Help content providers who are shipping .hlp files
The WinHlp32.exe technology is officially obsolete, starting with the
Windows Vista release. The WinHlp32.exe technology will not be supported in
its current form in future Windows releases. Therefore, we strongly
recommend that software developers stop using the Windows Help application
in Windows Vista. Software developers who ship programs that rely on .hlp
files are encouraged to transition their Help experience to an alternative
Help file format, such as .chm, .html, or .xml. They will also have to
change their calls from the WinHelp() API to the new content source. Several
third-party tools are available to help authors convert content from one
format to the other format.
</quote>

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917607

 

[Peter Macej]

I recommend HTML Help (chm).

Don't use Help 2.0. It has no advantage over chm and it is very
difficult to handle and register. It is only used in VS and MSDN and
Microsoft doesn't provide any official support for this format.