Adding New TOC Topics

New Pages

To create a new page in your TOC, select "New Page" from the "Add Topic" toolbar menu. HelpLogic will ask you to name your page and select the location in the TOC where you want it saved. You will also be asked to assign an HTML page to this new topic, so that when users click on the topic, the TOC knows what help page to display. There are also fields for assigning keywords and descriptions to the selected topic, which are very important so that users can search your help pages and find the right results. Keywords are also used by help formats that support indexes by listing linked keywords alphabetically.

Keywords should be separated with commas. For example: "first word, second word, third word". This comma-delimited format allows HelpLogic to support multiple word keyword phrases and Apple Help keyword conventions. Take special care to craft meaningful keywords and keyword phrases since they are not only used in searches but they will also be listed alphabetically in a help index. For example, in Web-based Help, your TOC keywords are displayed as an alphabetical index in the Index tab, and the Search tab's search engine scans your TOC keywords to find related page matches.

New Chapters

To create a new chapter in your TOC, select "New Chapter" from the "Add Topic" toolbar menu. HelpLogic will ask you to name your chapter and select the location in the TOC where you want it saved.

Organizing Your Topics

Your TOC should start with a Page as your first topic (such as your introductory page), and NOT a Chapter.

To rearrange your topics into the sequence you want, move each selected TOC Page or Chapter via drag and drop to another position or into another TOC Chapter.

Your goal is to make your help system intuitive and easy to use. HelpLogic provides a lot of assistance by publishing your help system with a professional interface and innovative help technology, but your job is to find the best way to organize your content for a truly effective TOC that's easy for users to navigate.

Refreshing the List

All changes should be reflected in the TOC column, but if, for some reason, the TOC column does not reflect your most recent changes, simply click on the arrow button at the top right of the column to display an options menu. From that menu, select "Refresh List" to update the TOC column.

File Properties

Select a page topic from the TOC column and its HTML source file path is automatically displayed in the status bar at the bottom of the main project window. The Visual TOC Builder also includes icon buttons for "Source File", "Keyword Tags", and "Description Tag". Single click on a Topic's "Keyword Tags" icon or "Description Tag" icon to view that Topic's keywords or description respectively in the bottom status bar. Single click on a Topic's "Source File" icon to view that Topic's source file path in the bottom status bar.