#### 11.8.1.4 Specifying window-access object properties

You specify properties for window-access objects by assigning values to object-property keywords in section [JavaHelpOptions]. Table 11-2 and Table 11-3 list the keywords, the values you can assign to each keyword, and the default when you do not assign a value.

In this section:

§11.8.1.4.1 Changing window type, size, or position via access object

§11.8.1.4.2 Specifying link properties via window-access object

##### 11.8.1.4.1 Changing window type, size, or position via access object

For window type, size, and position you can do the following:

Specify pop-up window size but not position

Specify secondary window size and position

Override secondary window type

Specify pop-up window size but not position

Only one type of pop-up window can be defined, so in the absence of overrides, all pop-up window-access properties apply to all pop-up links and windows. The only way to specify different sizes for different pop-up windows is by inserting special markers before individual pop-up hotspots; see §11.8.1.5 Overriding window-access properties with markers.

Pop-up window position is not configurable; a pop-up window always pops up immediately under the link.

Specify secondary window size and position

The secondary-window size and position settings listed in Table 11-2 override the default size and position parameters in the helpset file for all secondary windows, making the default values moot. See §11.8.1.1 Assigning default window parameters for JavaHelp 2. The only way to configure different sizes and positions for different secondary window types is by inserting special markers before each jump; see §11.8.1.5 Overriding window-access properties with markers.

Override secondary window type

The default value for [JavaHelpOptions]SecName is empty (see Table 11-2). If you do not include a setting for SecName, for each secondary-window jump the properties specified for that jump in [SecWindows] apply. If you specify a value for SecName, then for all secondary-window jumps, any properties (except size and position) you assign to the SecName window type in its own configuration section override the corresponding properties of whatever window type is specified for the jump in [SecWindows]. See:

§7.7 Jumping to secondary windows in Help systems

§11.8.1.1 Assigning default window parameters for JavaHelp 2

Table 11-2 [JavaHelpOptions] pop-up and secondary window properties

Window | Keyword | Value | Default | Comments
Pop-up | PopSize | width,height | 250,300 | One comma, no space between pixel values; these settings override corresponding helpset parameters
Secondary | SecSize | width,height | 250,300
SecLocation | left,top | 600,200
SecName | window name | Default is the secondary window assigned in [SecWindows] to a given jump-hotspot format

##### 11.8.1.4.2 Specifying link properties via window-access object

You can specify a button, a text string, or a graphic for JavaHelp 2 to display as a window-access object for a pop-up link or a secondary-window jump. If you specify a text string, you can assign values to font keywords to apply a limited amount of formatting. Table 11-3 lists the base keywords, and the values you can assign to those keywords, to configure the appearance of a window-access object.

Prefix base keywords with “Pop” or “Sec”

You must supply a prefix for each of the object-property base keywords listed in Table 11-3, to indicate whether the keyword represents a property for a pop-up window link or for a secondary-window jump:

• For a pop-up window, prefix the keyword with Pop; for example:

[JavaHelp window name]

PopType = Graphic

PopGraphic = ../graphics/popicon.gif

• For a secondary window, prefix the keyword with Sec; for example:

[JavaHelp window name]

SecType = Button

Table 11-3 [JavaHelp window name] window-access object properties

Keyword* | Value | Default value and comments
Type | Button Graphic Text | When Type=Button (default), the value of keyword Text is the label When Type=Graphic, the value of keyword Text (or keyword Graphic) is the location of the image file When Type=Text, Font* properties apply to the value of keyword Text
Graphic | URL for image file | Default is ../graphics/1p.gif When Type=Graphic, value is the relative URL of the GIF or JPEG file
Text | plain text &lt; &gt; &amp; | Default is &gt; When Type=Text, Font* properties apply to the value of keyword Text When Type=Graphic, value can be the location of the image (which can be specified as a value either for keyword Text or for keyword Graphic)
FontFamily | SansSerif Serif Monospaced Symbol Dialog DialogInput | Pop-up window default is SansSerif Secondary window default is Serif Not all FontFamily values work the way you might expect them to work
FontSize | xx-small, x-small, small (default), medium, large, x-large
index number bigger smaller +n -n nnpt | index number is a plain digit bigger increases the size by one index smaller decreases the size by one index +n increases the size by n -n decreases the size by n nn pt specifies the font size in points
FontWeight | plain (default), bold
FontStyle | plain (default), italic
FontColor | blue (default), black, cyan, darkGray, gray, green, lightGray, magenta, orange, pink, red, white, yellow
* Prefix the base keyword with one of the following: Pop for a pop-up window property Sec for a secondary-window property

Eschew Type=Text

Despite the limited font-tweaking possibilities listed in Table 11-3, you might want to avoid setting PopType=Text or SecType=Text, unless you are happy with a link that consists of a single >, <, or & character, or a little box (what you get when, for example, you specify PopFontFamily=Symbol and choose a character from the Symbol font). See §11.8.1.3 Understanding JavaHelp 2 window-access limitations.

Multiple markers for each hotspot

To actually create a text hotspot with context-specific content, you would have to insert a collection of markers, all different, before every pop-up link or secondary-window jump in a file, to handle the varying text content and properties—to the limited extent that you can do so. See §11.8.1.5 Overriding window-access properties with markers.

Not all “special” characters work

Keep in mind that JavaHelp does not support the “undefined” characters with ASCII decimal values from 128 through 159, even though these characters are used heavily in Windows for quotes, bullets, and so forth. See §13.16.2 Replacing high ASCII characters for W3C validation.

| 11.8.1.3 Understanding JavaHelp 2 window-access limitations |  | 11.8.1.5 Overriding window-access properties with markers |