HPlogo Message Catalogs:Programmer's Guide: HP 3000 MPE/iX Computer Systems > Chapter 6 Creating Your Own HELP Facility

Creating the Source File
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The source file is in EDIT/V format and must have a maximum record length of 72 characters. It contains special catalog commands that begin with a backslash (\) in column 1. There are two different kinds of commands used in a source file:

  • Keyword Commands

  • File Commands

Keyword Commands

Keywords identify the set of text that is output when a keyword is input to the HELP facility. For example, if the keyword HELLO is input to the MPE/iX HELP Facility, a description of the :HELLO command, and an explanation of its syntax, operation, and parameters is output.

There are three keyword commands:

  • \ENTRY=entryname comment, where entryname is a major divisional entry point in your HELP facility and comment is optional text about the entry. The entryname must be in upper case.

  • \ITEM=itemname, where itemname is an entry point subordinate to entryname.

  • \SUBITEM=subitemname, where subitemname is a subordinate entry point to itemname.

Keywords are entrynames, itemnames, and subitemnames. Keywords must not contain spaces or nonalphabetic characters. In your source file, the text on the lines between the keyword commands is output to the user and is accessed in the hierarchical method shown in Title not available.

Figure 6-1 Keyword Subdivisions

[Keyword Subdivisions]

File Commands

The other commands in the source file specify information that is not output to users. The file commands are:

  • \ALL indicates the end of the source file. It is required.

  • \STOPHELP denotes the start of a section in the file that will not be shown when the facility is accessed.

  • \STARTHELP denotes the point at which the HELP facility resumes displaying help information.

  • \SUBSET, put at the beginning of the file, allows all text between \STOPHELP and \STARTHELP to be excluded from the formatted catalog.

Example Source File

The following is an example of a HELP source catalog: 

     \entry = ENTRYKEY 
     This is a entry point 
     \item = itemkey 
     This is the listing for an item 
     \subitem = subitemkey 
     This is a subitem 
     \subitem = more 
     This is another subitem. 
     \stophelp 
     This text will not be displayed in the help catalog. 
     \starthelp 
     \entry = ENTRY2 
     This is the second entry point 
     \all


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Formatting the Source File