The context sensitive help system in version 5 and earlier was based on html format. Version 6 extends the context sensitive help system so that other formats, such as Microsoft's .CHM (HTML Help) can also be used.

In version 5 one could associate a help topic with an user element by using a relative URL. For example, the sphere tool told its help url as follows:

  spheretool = R3New(R3CLID_SPHERETOOL,
                     R3WGA_HelpURL, "tools/analytics.html#SphereTool",
		     ....

Pressing F1 over the sphere tool would attempted to locate the page reference/[application]/tools/analytics.html" and locate the target "SphereTool" in the document. This still works in version 6 so you don't have to touch your plugins to keep them V6 compatible.

To get any manual format supported, V6 introduces an optional format independent way of describing help URLs.

The new syntax is as follows:

  spheretool = R3New(R3CLID_SPHERETOOL,
                     R3WGA_HelpURL, "realsoft::/tools/analytic/sphere"
		     ...

where "::" splits the string into two parts: a document file and a topic in the document.

Depending on the users (or developers) choice these format independent help urls are mapped to format specific strings. So it is even possible to install the manuals in several formats and let the user to decide which one to use.

Realsoft 3D Windows version uses .CHM as a native format. You can build these documents with Microsof't HtmlHelp workshop.

As a 3rd party developer you may have a help file 'foo.chm' and it may contain a topic 'mytool'. The help URL would then look as follows:

  mytool = R3New(R3CLID_MYTOOL,
                 R3WGA_HelpURL, "foo::mytool"
                 ...

With .CHM manuals the above help URL would map to "foo.chm::mytool.html" page. With html manuals it would map to "foo/mytool.html" page.