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Microsoft Help 2.0 |
Microsoft Help 2.0 is a relatively new help system introduced with Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002. Originally designated as the successor of Microsoft HTML Help 1.0, Microsoft did not make Microsoft Help 2.0 available for general use, other than for use in Visual Studio .NET. The lack of a publicy available redistributable package makes Microsoft Help 2.0 unsuitable for application help; however, it is a must for ISVs and component vendors who whish to integrate their help content with Visual Studio .NET.
Microsoft Help 2.0 includes some important features that HTML Help 1.0 lacks, such as Unicode support, yet it also has a few drawbacks, such as a complicated registration method, which forfeits the simple deployment method that Microsoft HTML Help 1.0 features.
Consider using Microsoft Help 2.0 if:
In order to be able to view Microsoft HTML Help 2.0 files, the customer’s computer must have either Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2002, Microsoft Visual Studio .NET 2003, Microsoft Visual Studio 2005, or the Microsoft .NET Framework SDK installed. At the time of writing, the Microsoft Help 2.0 viewer is not available as a redistributable.
The Microsoft Help 2.0 viewer is a Unicode application, which is designed to support all languages. Currently, there are no known restrictions.