Types of Topics

There are two kinds of topics accessible in the help documentation: (1) internal topics, and; (2) external topics.

Internal Topics

Topics which are developed and compiled as part of the current help documentation are referred to as internal topics. Unless specifically specified, contents refer to those of internal topics. Likewise, unless explicitly qualified, topics mean internal topics.

External Topics

Topics which are found or belong to other help documentations are called external topics. These topics maybe referenced in the table of contents, or somewhere else in the contents of internal topics.

Organization of Topics

There are two types of objects which may be found under the topic block: (1) the Topic object, and (2) the ExtTopic object. The topic object contains an internal topic; while the exttopic object holds a reference to either an external topic or set of topics, or an internal topic.

The heirarchical order of topic and exttopic objects is the source of the table of contents of the help documentation.

Contents

The contents of a topic is built from the three basic complexes or substructures: (1) a head composite complex; (2) a body composite complex, and; (3) one or more contributory feature composite complexes.

These three complexes form the two regions of the contents.

Regions

1. Header Region

The header region is composed of the first head composite complex. This complex is formed by the head composite and all the composites and table complexes under it, including all contributory feature composite complexes of the head composite or any of the composites under it.

This region can be further classified into sections:

• Headnote

A feature composite complex.

• Header

Head composite complex.

• Necknote

A feature composite complex.

2. Body Region

In like manner, the body region is composed of the first body composite complex.

It has the following sections:

• Chestnote

A feature composite complex.

• Body

Body composite complex.

• Footnote

A feature composite complex.

The note sections are contents that are uniform for certain levels of topics. For example, all first level topics in the table of contents would have a set of notes, the second level another set, and the rest another set. This can be done. The feature composite complexes needed to satisfy this requirement are placed in the document palettes.

Please pay attention that both the necknote and the footnote sections are indented. This means that they are one level higher than the other sections. It also means that the necknote is the last part of the header, and the footnote is correspondingly the last part of the body.

A table complex is a substructure of a table object with all its rows and columns, and all the composites and nested table complexes, including all contributory feature composite complexes of composites under such table.

Any feature composite complex is formed by the feature composite and all its composites under it. These composites may not have their own contributory feature composite complexes.

Some parts of the whole structure may be missing. To form a valid content, however, a topic must only have either one of the header composite or the body composite object. With more and more parts, the contents of a topic becomes heirarchical. There is an outline of contents that is generated.

Nuggets

Each generic composite (either head composite, body composite, composite, or feature composite object) contains a nugget of contents or text nugget. This nugget is made up of zero or more labels (or rich labels) and zero or more paragraphs in the contents attribute. Typically, however, it contains one label with one or more paragraphs.

The actual outline of contents for each section is determined by the presence of labels in the nuggets. The level of the paragraphs correspond to the level of the label in the same nugget. However, this neat situation is not always the case. If the nugget does not have a label, the level of its paragraphs is the same as the level of the label of the nearest preceding sibling or ascendant composite, of its own composite object. Correspondingly, the nuggets of its descendant composite have their levels adjusted as well. The result of these adjustments is a well-organized outline of contents.