ComponentOne Documenter for .NET automatically generates links in reference documentation using the Doc-To-Help character style mechanism. This allows the links to be specified as simple text in the document. The fact that a text is actually a link is determined by formatting the text with a pre-defined style. There is no additional information stored anywhere in the document or in the Doc-To-Help project that is needed to create the link. When compiling the help target, Doc-To-Help recognizes the link style and creates the required connection automatically. You can see links created by Documenter for .NET in the generated document as words and phrases formatting with styles such as Link Class, Link Method, Link Property, etc.
Documenter for .NET does not require your participation in or even knowledge of the process of creating links in the text it generates. However, you will need link styles if you want to use one of the most powerful features of Documenter for .NET, the ability to add your paragraphs, topics and whole documents and be able to easily specify links from your added contents to Documenter generated contents.
To create a link from your text to a generated topic (or to an added topic), all you need to do is to format a word or a phrase in your text (usually it is a name of a property, method, class, etc.) with an appropriate style. You don’t need to search for a topic in some huge list box, or even ensure that your link text corresponds exactly to the target topic name. For example, to create a link from the text MyProperty to the topic MyClass.MyProperty Property, you simply format the word MyProperty in your text with Link Property style. Given that such links are usually very numerous in narrative topics, you can see how Documenter for .NET makes the task of writing narrative documentation much easier. It completely automates creating reference parts, and for narrative parts it automates the mundane task of creating links. It frees you up to do what is most important, write the narrative itself.
If you use the correct style and, optionally, specify your preferences using one of a few special characters described in Special Characters in Link Text, Doc-To-Help will automatically determine the link target topic and will optionally modify the link text according to your preferences. All you need to do to create a link is choose the correct link style and apply it to the text. Doc-To-Help makes it even easier for you providing a special toolbar so you can easily apply a link style, making creating a link really a matter of two clicks, double-click a word, say, a method name, to select it, and click a toolbutton to format it with a link style. For more information, see Documenter Controls and Toolbars.
The following topics provide more information on the Documenter for .NET link styles and link functionality.
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The Link Tag Style