How to create the tuturial like MS Help? 1

[Jennyucf]

Hi, there

Is there any way that we can create an EPSS system, the interface of which looks like MS Help function? Basically, I am thinking about a tree menu on the left(I can use Flash component to do this), and a search function.

Thank you in advance for your help!

Cheers
Jenny

 

[billwatson]

sounds very straightforward....tree to the left...dynamic text box to the right..that parts easy.

search will be something different. in order to allow items to be added/amended/updated everything will be loaded dynamically i assume...xml looks a better bet for this than textfiles.

then searching for a word or phrase retrieving the titles and displaying them in the textbox. you would have to add an asfunction and the correct html to the search results to make them clickable.....yip a lot of work involved once you add a search function.

and i bet thats only a few of the difficulties you will encounter.....but good luck....maybe at the end of the day you will end up with a component...and that would be very useful.

 

[Jennyucf]

Thanks a lot!!

I've found some search tutorials and need to study it. Seriously, I never did xml before...hopefully, I can find some component.

One more question about Tree Menu. Once cliked, it will show a step-by-step demonstration of how to use the software, which obviously contains the text as well as the graphics. I guess it's not difficult to do, is it? Just need to change the dynamic text into the static text and graphic...Correct me if I am wrong..

Thank you !!!!

Jenny

 

[billwatson]

there is a nice component for that

http://www.flashcomponets.net

text flow component.....allows for both images and text

 

[Jennyucf]

Hi,

The component looks great! Thank you.
But I am lost here. Why do I need to use this component to show both text and graphic?

Appreciated...

Jenny

 

[billwatson]

i will make you up a little fla to demonstrate...15 mins

 

[billwatson]

this is just the component made the size of the stage and an image (movie clip) dropped in (draggable0 to show the effect. the image could of course be loaded dynamically into a prepositioned empty clip.

for your purpose you could use the component to display dynamic text and images in the one box

http://billwatson.no-ip.info/public/flowComp.zip

it does have an irritating trace action when viewed in authoring but ive never bothered to dig into the component and comment out that line.

 

[Jennyucf]

Hi, billwatson

I got your file. Thank you very much for making this demo for me. I think the purpose of using this component is that I can use dynamic text instead of making too many static text. Am I right?

Thanks!

Jenny

 

[billwatson]

yes dynamic text and dynamic image in the one box.

 

[Jennyucf]

That's very convenient! Thank you very much!

Jenny