JavaHelp itself is network-capable: the HelpSet Viewer can load a HelpSet from the computer where it is running or from a remote computer. When deciding how to install a particular HelpSet, take into account the network-capability of the application for which you’re providing help. The following sections present appropriate installation decisions for several kinds of applications.
A local application is one that runs on the user’s computer without interaction with any other computer (via a web browser or other type of network connection). When users request help, the application launches the help system locally—that is, on the same computer. In this situation, it is best to install the application and your HelpSet together on the computer, in a single installation process. If the application doesn’t rely on access to a network, neither should the help system.
In a network application, users might have a small part of the application installed on their computer (the client) and access the rest of the application on one main computer on the network (the server). Since a network is required to run the application, it makes sense to install the HelpSet on the server. When users access help on the client computer, the request goes across the network to access the necessary HelpSet files on the server, and then returns the information to display it in the HelpSet Viewer on the client.
I recommend this installation option for any network application. Since users must be connected to the server to run the application, it makes sense to take advantage of the larger disk space usually associated with network servers. What about the performance hit? In most corporate networks, the delay involved in accessing the help files across the network should be quite acceptable. Any performance issues are probably outweighed by the advantages in disk usage and administration. It would be a waste to install the HelpSet on multiple client computers when you have the option to install them once, on the server. If you need to update the HelpSet files later, you can do so in one location instead of multiple locations.
A Java applet is an application that runs within a web browser. This probably means that the user’s computer is on a corporate network (intranet) or on the Internet. In this case, you should install the HelpSet that documents the applet on the server, as described in Section 1.8.2, and have the applet access the HelpSet across the network. In the less typical case where the applet is located on the local computer, you should install the applet’s HelpSet locally, as described in Section 1.8.1.
Some applications have multiple Java components, each with its own online help—for example, an office suite application. The separate components of the suite might include a word processor, a spreadsheet application, and a database application. Each component would have its own HelpSet.
Since the components are part of a larger application, you might want to merge all the HelpSets together, presenting a single, integrated help system to the user.
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