Creating Your Own FlashHelp Skins (Part 1): The Structure of FlashHelp Skins

The FlashHelp Runtime

The FlashHelp runtime, as it appears to the end user, consists of four distinct sections, the Toolbar, the Navigation Bar, the Navigation Pane, and the Topic Pane (Figure 1). The Topic Pane is an HTML-based content area that is unaffected by the FlashHelp skin. The other three sections are Flash-based and you can completely customize them. Let's look at these sections in more detail.

Figure 1. The FlashHelp runtime.

Toolbar

The Toolbar (Figure 2), which is located along the top edge of the Help window, contains buttons for the Table of Contents, Index, Search, Glossary, and Print; a full-text Search input field; and a "Powered by FlashHelp" icon. You can customize each of these elements, as well as the background itself with Flash, including adding animation and audio.

Figure 2. Toolbar

Navigation Bar

The Navigation Bar (Figure 3), located under the Toolbar, provides additional elements for navigating the Help system. Likewise, you can customize each of these elements, as well as the background itself with Flash, including adding animation and audio.

Figure 3. Navigation Bar

Navigation Pane

The Navigation Pane (Figure 4), located under the Navigation Bar, is a space that displays content and text input fields for several navigation structures, including the Table of Contents, Index, Search, and Glossary. Each navigation structure has its own elements that you can customize, including icons, fonts, and animated text transitions. You can also customize the scrollbar.

Figure 4. Navigation Pane

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