Context sensitive help
Context-sensitive help is within the context sensitivity an online help that matches the displayed context of use, usually in dialogue or item level. The less conceptual knowledge is necessary for the target group and the facts, the more suitable are context-sensitive aids at element or dialogue level in contrast to context-free aids .
Context sensitive help at element level
The context-sensitive help at element level is also called direct help. Elements can be individual fields , buttons , commands, etc. Online help at element level can only provide very selective and isolated information.
Context sensitive help at dialogue level
Context-sensitive help at dialog level describes a dialog , window or tab as a whole, including all elements, their relationships and dependencies.
Appearance
The appearance of context-sensitive help can be very different. Are usual Bubble Help , pop-up -Help own windows in which the online help is displayed. When context-sensitive help is displayed in a specific area of the user interface , it is called embedded help.
Connection to user interface
The connection of the online help to the software that is visible to the user can also be very different. There are the following options:
- Help menu in the graphical user interface: the individual commands open certain parts of the online help (e.g. the search dialog or the table of contents)
- F1 help: by pressing the F1 key, the appropriate information for the selected element is displayed in the help window
- Help button in the dialog or question mark in the title bar
- Dynamic help: embedded help that is automatically displayed in the user interface according to the current action