In order to create a new topic, you simply format the topic heading paragraph with a style that is mapped to a Topic. There are several ways in Microsoft Word to apply a certain style. The following procedure shows the most common methods used to apply a heading style.

Note   The following procedures assume that the heading styles Heading 1 through Heading 6 are mapped to a Topic. The heading level determines the level the topic appears in the table of contents. The first topic in a help document should always be formatted with the style Heading 1.

All templates and themes installed with Help Producer create these mappings automatically. If you do not use a Help Producer template and theme, you need to establish the style mapping yourself. See the topic Style Mappings for details.

Create a new topic page

1. Click where you want to insert the new topic.
2. Type the topic title.
3. Do one of the following to apply a paragraph style between Heading 1 and Heading 6.

   Use keyboard shortcuts (recommended)

   1. Press CTRL+ALT+1 to CTRL+ALT+6 in order to apply the Heading 1 Style to Heading 6 Style.

   Use the Help Producer toolbar

   1. On the Help Producer Formatting toolbar, click Heading 1 Style to Heading 6 Style.

   Use the style dialog (Word 2000 only)

   1. On the Format menu, click Styles.
   2. From the Styles list, select a heading style between Heading 1 and Heading 6.
   3. Click Apply to apply the style to the current paragraph.

   Use the style dialog (Word 2002 or higher)

   1. On the Format menu, click Styles and Formatting.
   2. From the style list, click a heading style between Heading 1 and Heading 6.
4. Press Enter to start the next paragraph. If you use a Help Producer template, Word switches automatically to the style Text.
5. Type the topic text.

See Also

Working with Topics | Styles and Mappings