How to add an item to the library (Step-by-step guide)

Learn more: http://www.helpndoc.com/step-by-step-guides/how-add-item-library
Your library in HelpNDoc is a central storage area where you maintain your multimedia files for your entire project: once added to the library, items can be used throughout the documentation project.

Your library supports several multimedia file formats, including:
- Images and photographs (e.g. PNG, JPEG)
- Movies (e.g. MOV, MPEG4, AVI)
- Documents (e.g. DOC, DOCX, RTF, TXT)
- Raw HTML code
- Variables which are placeholders for simple textual data
- Snippets which are placeholders for complex formated texts

There are two steps to add an item to your library. Both are outlined below.

Step 1

You have two options to complete the first step:

Option 1

Click Add item in the Home ribbon tab.
This displays a menu that gives you multiple options as outlined below.

Option 2

Right-click your library panel to display a popup menu then click Add item.
This displays another menu that gives you multiple options as outlined below.

Step 2

Next, you'll select the type of item that you'd like to add to the library.
When you click the type that you'd like to add to the library, this displays a window that allows you to define its properties.
The window that is displayed is dependent upon the type of item that you're adding to the library. Each type and its relative window is outlined below:

1. Add a Picture

Enter the name of the item and select one of the options to include it:

- Include file in project: Select this option to import the image in your project. Click No file included to display a window that permits you to navigate to the file.
- Include a file at generation time: Select this option so that HelpNDoc will load and include the image from your hard drive when you generate your documentation. It will not be displayed in your text editor. Instead, a placeholder image with the file path is displayed in your text editor.
- Display a URL at viewing time: Select this option to display the URL in your published documentation and a placeholder image in your text editor.
Click OK to save it in your library and close the window.

2. Add a movie

Enter the name of the item and define its options:

- Include file in project: Select this option to import the movie in the project and display a placeholder image in your text editor. It provides the video player in your published documentation. Click No file included to display a window that permits you to navigate to the file.
- Include a file at generation time: Select this option so that HelpNDoc will load and include the movie from your hard drive when you generate your documentation.
- Display a URL at viewing time: Select this option to enter the URL for a video that you'd like to show from an online resource.
Properties: Enter the width and height in pixels to determine the size of the video player that is displayed in your published documentation.

Click OK to save the video in your library and close the window.

Add a document

Enter the name of the item and select one of the option to include it:

- Include file in project: Select this option to import the document file in your project and replace the place-holder when generating the documentation. Click No file included to display a window that permits you to navigate to the file.
- Include a file at generation time: Select this option so that HelpNDoc will load and include an external document from your hard drive when you generate your documentation.
Click OK to save it in your library and close the window.

Add HTML code

Select this option to embed raw HTML code into your published documentation.
When you insert HTML code it is insert in your HTML-based documentation (CHM, HTML, ePub, Kindle). However, a placeholder is displayed in your text editor.

Add a variable

When you insert variables into your text editor, the name of the variable is displayed. However, when you publish your documentation the current value assigned to that variable is displayed instead: changing the value of a variable in the library will automatically update all its references throughout the project.

Add a Snippet

Snippets contain rich text content that can be formatted and include images.
After creating a Snippet in your central library, you can insert it once or many times to reuse this rich text content throughout your entire project.
When you update a Snippet in your central library that change is automatically reflected wherever the Snippet has been inserted in your documentation.

Once a library item has been added, it is possible to include it in as many topics as needed. When the item is updated in the library, the change will automatically be propagated to every topic using it.

Learn more and download HelpNDoc free for personal use at http://www.helpndoc.com

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Closed Caption:

Hello Folks. Your library in HelpNDoc is a central storage area where you maintain your media files for your entire project.
Once added to the library, items can be used throughout the documentation project.
The library supports several multimedia file formats, including Images and Photographs, Movies, Documents, Raw HTML code, Variables
which are placeholders for simple textual data & Snippets which are placeholders for complex formatted text.
In this video, we are going to show you how to add an item to your library.
Let's begin with adding a Picture to your library first. Click the 'Add item' button in the 'Library' group on the Home ribbon tab. This displays a
pop up menu with multiple items to choose from. Now select the 'Add picture' option.
This displays the picture properties window for
you to enter the name of the item as well as select one of the following 'Include' options:
Select 'Include file in project' to import the
image into your project. Clicking the 'No file included' link displays a popup menu. Now select the 'Include file' option to open the file
browser window, locate the file you wish include in your documentation, select it and click on the 'Open' button.
Note the 'No file included' link has now changed to 'One file included'.
Or you can select the 'Include a file at generation time' so that HelpNDoc will load and include the image from your hard drive when you
generate your documentation. It will not be displayed in your text editor. Instead, a placeholder image with the file path is displayed
in your text editor. Here, click on the 'File Browse' icon to the right to browse for your file. Select the file of your choosing and click 'Open'.
The path to your file located on your hard drive can now be seen in the file location text box.
You can also select to 'Display a URL at viewing
time' in order to display a URL in your published documentation. A placeholder image with the URL will be displayed in your text editor.
Once finished entering the properties, click OK to save it in your library and close the window.
A second method of adding a Picture to your documentation is to simply right-click anywhere in your library panel, which will then display a
popup menu similar to before. Click 'Add item' and then select the 'Add picture' option from the popup menu. The picture properties window will
pop up as before leaving you to fill in the properties as necessary.
If you would like to add a Movie to your documentation, either click the 'Add item' button in the 'Library' group on the Home tab, and
select 'Add movie'. Or right-click anywhere in the 'Library' panel, hover over the 'Add item' option from the popup menu,
and then select 'Add movie'.
As before, it opens the items properties box allowing you to enter the name of the item and define its properties.
'Include file in project' imports the movie into the project and displays a placeholder image in your text editor. It also displays the video player in
your published documentation. Click 'No file included' as before, and then select 'Include file' from the popup menu to display the file browser
window that allows you to navigate to the file. Select the movie file you wish to include in the project, and click 'Open'.
Once again notice that the 'No file included' link now changes to 'One file included'.
The 'Include a file at generation time' option has HelpNDoc load and include the movie from your hard drive when you generate your
documentation. Here also, click on the 'File Browse' icon to the right to browse for your movie file.
Select the movie file of your choosing and click 'Open'. Notice once again the file path to the
movie file will now be displayed in the file text box for your reference.
And lastly, 'Display a URL at viewing time' lets you enter the URL for a video that you'd like to show from an online resource.
Once again, a placeholder image with the URL will be displayed in your text editor.
We now need to set the dimensions of the movie that we want the video player to show in your documentation. In the 'Properties' box
below, enter the width and height in pixels to determine the size of the video player that will be displayed in your published documentation.
Now, click OK to save this movie item in your library and close the window.
To 'Add a document' to your project, use one of the methods previously shown to open the 'Add item' options menu, and then select the 'Add
document' option to open the document properties box. Enter the name of the document item and then select one of the options below:
'Include file in project' imports the document file in your project displaying a place-holder in the text editor. Which is then replaced when
generating the documentation. Click the 'No file included' link to display the file browser as
before to select the document to include in your project.
'Include a file at generation time' again will load and include an external document from your hard drive when you generate your
documentation. As before, click on the 'File Browse' icon to the right here to browse for the
file which then displays the file path in the file text box once again.
When done entering the properties, click OK to save it in your library and close the window.
The 'Add HTML code' properties box allows you to embed raw HTML code into your published documentation. When you insert HTML code it
is inserted in your HTML-based documentation (CHM, HTML, ePub, Kindle). However, only a placeholder is displayed in your text editor.
When you insert variables into your text editor, the name of the variable is displayed. However, when you publish your documentation the
current value assigned to that variable is displayed instead. Changing the value of a variable in the library will automatically update
all its references throughout the project.
Snippets contain rich text content that can be formatted and include images. After creating a Snippet in your central library, you can insert it
once or many times to reuse this rich text content throughout your entire project. When you update a Snippet in your central library; that
change is automatically reflected wherever the Snippet has been inserted in your documentation.
Once a library item has been added, it is possible to include it in as many topics as needed. When the item is updated in the library,
the change will automatically propagate to every topic using it.
HelpNDoc is free for personal use and evaluation purposes. You can download it at
www.helpndoc.com and see other video guides at www.helpndoc.com/online-help
Thanks for Watching!