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

FlashHelp SDK: Using Templates

RoboHelp, the Help authoring software used to generate online Help systems in FlashHelp format, ships with a FlashHelp Skin Development Kit (FlashHelp SDK). Even if you haven't yet purchased RoboHelp, you can use the FlashHelp SDK included in the free RoboHelp trial to follow this article and begin building skins. There are three templates included in the FlashHelp SDK, which automatically installs at C:\Program Files\RoboHelp Office\FlashHelp SDK during RoboHelp installation. View each of the three templates in a browser by opening the appropriate sub-folders (named for the skins, listed below) and double-click start.htm for each template.

Note: I highly recommend that you use one of these templates for your first effort at customizing FlashHelp. Although it is possible to create FlashHelp skins from scratch, beginning with one of the included templates will accelerate your learning and ensure that your customized skin contains all of the required elements for a successful runtime.

Standard: This template is a basic example of a FlashHelp skin. It features a traditional tri-pane layout with straight-edged panes and scrollbars. The buttons feature text labels adjacent to graphical icons. Flash-based effects include various button states, an animated background in the Navigation Pane, and several effects applied to the navigation text.

Curved: This template is similar to the Standard template, but the buttons' icons appear above the text labels, rather than beside them. Also, the navigation scroll bar is curved, a good example of how FlashHelp lets you "break the rules" of Help design to offer end users a more unique, compelling experience.

Vertical: This template is a vertically oriented skin which displays the Navigation Pane on top and the Topic Pane on the bottom. Help systems using this skin are narrower and use less screen space, so they are more easily embedded directly into a web application or website, should you choose to do so. In this template, the text labels have been removed from the buttons, leaving only icons.

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