Create a Help File
Create a help file that can be displayed as a help page within the Maple help system.
Help pages are Maple worksheets. To create a custom help page:
Author the help file in Maple.
Save the help file to a help database. This process is described below.
View the help file in the Maple help system. For details, see View a Help File as a Help Page.
Save a Help File to a Help Database
There are two ways to save a custom help page to a help database. This page describes how to do it through the Tools menu in Maple. You can also use the makehelp command to insert a help file into a help database.
This method converts a Maple worksheet into a Maple help file and saves it into your help database. It is assumed that a directory has been created to contain your help database (.help file) by using your system software. See About Help Databases in Maple. It is also assumed that your .help file exists, as well. for more information on creating a help database file (.help), see the help page on how to Create a new help database.
Create or open the worksheet to save as a help file.
From the Tools menu, select Help Database, and then Save as Help Page. The Save to Database dialog with Database and Indexing information opens.
In the Enter or Select a Writable Database box, enter the full filename (including directory pathname) or select the filename of your help database. Check the contents of the <maple>\lib folder to make sure you use a unique name for your database.
Help database directories only appear in the Enter or Select a Writable Database box if they have been declared in a libname command during the current Maple session and if they already contain a writable .help file.
In the Topic box, enter a help topic name to represent the worksheet. The help topic name is used to display the help page once it has been integrated into the Maple help system by entering ?helptopicname at a prompt. See View a Help File as a Help Page.
(optional) In the Aliases text box, enter alternative help topic names to use for displaying your new help page (see previous step). Separate multiple aliases by using a comma.
(optional) In the Table of Contents text box, enter the location in the Table of Contents where an entry is to be added. If a user clicks the Table of Contents entry for your help page, Maple displays the help page. Use the forward slash (/) to separate the text to display at each level of the Table of Contents.
In the Product box, select Maple or an add-on product name or enter your custom toolbox name, if desired.
From the Language list, select the appropriate language.
Click Save to save the worksheet as a help file in your help database.
If the specified .help file does not exist, you are asked if you want Maple to create it. Click Yes and the .help file is created in the specified directory.
Note: On Windows, you may need to run Maple as administrator in order to create a help database.
See Also
About Help Databases in Maple
Edit a Help File
Help Page Format
Help Page Templates
libname
makehelp
Overview of Creating Help Pages in Maple
Remove a Help File from Your Help Database
View a Help File as a Help Page
Download Help Document