How to create help file in VB.net code for beginners?

Help files are also play very important part in success and smooth working of software. Once a software is developed and send to the user for use, it is responsibility of developer to train the user about “ How to use the software” and also provide a help facility to user, if he trucked he can take help from the help file and run the software smoothly. Once you have developed a software then you have to write a detailed help file. Creating a help file in VB.Net is very easy. How to create a help file in VB.Net is very simple. Just follow the following steps:

·         Create a Ms-Office file and details about your software keeping in mind what are the problems an user can face in the course of using your software and what will be the solutions for that problems which will arise while using. Once you created a word file just while saving just select save type as htm or html from dropdown list and save your ms word file.

·         Then go to your visual basic project and drag helpprovider from toolbox to your form for which you want to provide help facilities. Help provider is under component group in toolbox.

·         Once you placed helprovider on your form for which you want to provide help . The select your helpprovider and set the helpprovider’s helpnamespace property to the MS-word documents which you have just created. Just dig down to the location of your help word document file .

·         Once it is linked you’re your help file just select the form for which you want to provide help and set the following properties of that windows form:

a.      Helpkeyword on helpprovider1- here you can enter the keyword which is associated with your this form.  Supposed your help file is having many help topics which is related with your software in toto. Here you should enter the keyword or enter the name of that topic which is related with this form of your software. Suppose you have help topics, employee, posting, duty etc and this form is related with employee then enter the keyword “employee” because the helpprovider works just like a finder so whenever user press F1 button the help file will open in your internet browser and the Employee porting of your help file will be on screen.

b.      Helpnavigator on helpprovider1: there are list of help navigator just click the dropdown and select a from the list.

c. Helpstring on helpprovider1: as mentioned in Helpkeyword on helpprovider.

                     If you are not setting these properties of your windows for then also help provider will work but it will display the help file from beginning and user has to search the help topic from the help file. It is strongly advised that first include your help file in your project then set these property otherwise when your create a package that time your help file will left out from your package and it will not work when deployed on another computer as your help file is not with your package.