Apple Guide
Encyclopedia
Apple Guide was Apple Computer
's online help and documentation system, added to the Mac OS
in System 7.5
and intended to work alongside Balloon Help
. In addition to hypertext
, indexing and searching of the text, Apple Guide also offered a system for teaching users how to accomplish tasks in an interactive manner. However, the process of creating guides was more complicated than non-interactive help and few developers took full advantage of its power. Apple enhanced the help system with HTML
-based help in Mac OS 8.5 which worked in conjunction with Apple Guide providing links to Apple Guide sequences. Apple Guide was not carried over into Mac OS X
, which uses an HTML
-based help system.
Apple Guide made use of the AppleEvent Object Model
(AEOM), allowing the system to examine the state of the application as it ran, and change the help in response. Help content was created in individual steps, and each step could have assigned to it conditions to determine if the step should be skipped, or if the step was needed. For instance, if the user had already completed several steps of an operation and needed help to complete it, Apple Guide could "see" where they were, and skip forward to the proper section of the documentation. Additionally AEOM allowed Apple Guide to drive the interface, completing tasks for the user if they clicked on the "Do it for me" buttons (or hypertext).
A distinctive feature of the system was support for Coaching. Using the AEOM, AppleGuide could find UI elements on the screen, and circle them using a "red marker" effect to draw the user's eye to it.
Apple Guide was also somewhat integrated with Balloon Help
, optionally adding hypertext to balloons that would open the right portion of the documentation based on what object the user was currently pointing at with the mouse.
Apple Computer
Apple Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and markets consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company's best-known hardware products include the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad...
's online help and documentation system, added to the Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
in System 7.5
System 7 (Macintosh)
System 7 is a single-user graphical user interface-based operating system for Macintosh computers. It was introduced on May 13, 1991 by Apple Computer. It succeeded System 6, and was the main Macintosh operating system until it was succeeded by Mac OS 8 in 1997...
and intended to work alongside Balloon Help
Balloon help
Balloon help was a help system introduced by Apple Computer in their 1991 release of System 7.0. The name referred to the way the help text was displayed, in "balloons", like those containing the words in a comic strip...
. In addition to hypertext
Hypertext
Hypertext is text displayed on a computer or other electronic device with references to other text that the reader can immediately access, usually by a mouse click or keypress sequence. Apart from running text, hypertext may contain tables, images and other presentational devices. Hypertext is the...
, indexing and searching of the text, Apple Guide also offered a system for teaching users how to accomplish tasks in an interactive manner. However, the process of creating guides was more complicated than non-interactive help and few developers took full advantage of its power. Apple enhanced the help system with HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
-based help in Mac OS 8.5 which worked in conjunction with Apple Guide providing links to Apple Guide sequences. Apple Guide was not carried over into Mac OS X
Mac OS X
Mac OS X is a series of Unix-based operating systems and graphical user interfaces developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. Since 2002, has been included with all new Macintosh computer systems...
, which uses an HTML
HTML
HyperText Markup Language is the predominant markup language for web pages. HTML elements are the basic building-blocks of webpages....
-based help system.
Apple Guide made use of the AppleEvent Object Model
AppleEvent Object Model
The AppleEvent Object Model was a set of protocols built on top of AppleEvents by which applications running under Mac OS could control each other's functions. Applications that implemented some part of the AEOM were called scriptable because they could be controlled via AppleScript...
(AEOM), allowing the system to examine the state of the application as it ran, and change the help in response. Help content was created in individual steps, and each step could have assigned to it conditions to determine if the step should be skipped, or if the step was needed. For instance, if the user had already completed several steps of an operation and needed help to complete it, Apple Guide could "see" where they were, and skip forward to the proper section of the documentation. Additionally AEOM allowed Apple Guide to drive the interface, completing tasks for the user if they clicked on the "Do it for me" buttons (or hypertext).
A distinctive feature of the system was support for Coaching. Using the AEOM, AppleGuide could find UI elements on the screen, and circle them using a "red marker" effect to draw the user's eye to it.
Apple Guide was also somewhat integrated with Balloon Help
Balloon help
Balloon help was a help system introduced by Apple Computer in their 1991 release of System 7.0. The name referred to the way the help text was displayed, in "balloons", like those containing the words in a comic strip...
, optionally adding hypertext to balloons that would open the right portion of the documentation based on what object the user was currently pointing at with the mouse.