User guide

The User Guide can be found in the tabs window of the Active Worlds browser. It exists as a universe feature and is controlled by the default.awh file, which can be found in the browser's help folder.

Modification

For uniserver owners, the default.awh file is an optional file you may choose to include in your browser distribution. This file will be read in to the browser at startup and is used to define the help interface used by the "User Guide" tab in the tab window.

If you choose to include this file, it should be placed into the root directory of the main installation directory. When users click on a topic in the help window, the resulting URL is sent to the browser web window.

Here is an example default.awh file:

help_base www.activeworlds.com/help/aw34

topic "Welcome"

"Welcome to Active Worlds!" welcome.html

"How do I get started?" get_started.html

help_with_registration "How do I register?" registration.html

"Search the User Guide" search/

endtopic

topic "Getting Started"

"System Requirements" system_req.html

help_with_registration "Immigration and Registration" registration.html

"Video Problems" video_problems.html

"Firewalls and Proxy Servers" firewall.html

"Automatic Upgrades" upgrade.html

endtopic

topic "Register now!"

help_with_registration "How to register" registration.html

"Never reveal your password!" password.html

"Managing your Citizenship" citizen.html

endtopic

File structure

The first line of the file defines the root url for your help pages. All web pages will be appended to this url.

The "topic" keyword is used to define a section of related information that will then be listed under the given heading, and all indented relative to the parent topic. You may nest topics to create a tree hierarchy. Each line after "topic" must be an entry, another topic, or an "endtopic".

An entry consists of the entry label in quotes, followed by the relative url. The url provided will be appended to help_base, and the result will be sent to the web window when the user selects this entry.

An "endtopic" is used to close a set of indented topics.

Modifications in the Active Worlds Universe

Individual users can personally update and freely modify their copy of the User Guide for convenience by following the instructions above. User Guide modification is a useful solution for providing in-browser information without impeding the virtual environment, and its nesting features have proved useful in creating hierarchical teleports lists.

The Ultimate AW User Guide heavily modifies the original user guide that is provided upon installation, providing a broad information base for users.