SAP Online Documentation 

Overview

As of R/3 Release 4.0, SAP delivers online documentation in HTML Help format, which is displayed on the frontends using a web browser or the Microsoft HTML Help Viewer.

The online documentation is offered in three different help types in order to meet the different requirements of frontend platforms. They are differ in file format (HTML or compressed HTML) and in how you access the documents (Web server or file server).

You must specify the help type in the R/3 System by using the profile parameter eu/iwb/help_type . You can do this in the global profile, or for each application server in the instance profile. You require additional parameters to configure the access to the documentation for each frontend platform you use: eu/iwb/* . You can also make these settings locally on the frontend computer. For more information, see the installation guide Installing Online Documentation.

The browsers and HTML Help Viewers supported by SAP are listed in the brochure SAP System Requirements. This brochure is in SAPNet under http://sapnet.sap-ag.de/SSR .

PlainHtmlHttp

In the PlainHtmlHttp help type, the documents are stored as normal HTML files and are displayed using a web server. You can use PlainHtmlHttp on all supported frontend platforms. As a prerequisite ,you need to install a web browser on the frontend.

  1. Application Help is called from the SAPgui
  2. Browser is started
  3. Online documentation is accessed under the URL http://docserver:1080/saphelp/helpdata/... The network protocol used to access the web server is HTTP through TCP/IP.

PlainHtmlFile

The help documents are also stored as normal HTML files here, however they are accessed from a file server. The file server must allow access to the files from the corresponding frontend platform. Your frontend must also support a web browser.

  1. Application Help is called from the SAPgui
  2. Browser is started
  3. Online documentation is accessed from the path G:\helpdata\... The network protocol that is used to access the files depends on the type of file server. It could be TCP/IP, Novell IPX/SPX or NetBEUI.

HtmlHelpFile

In the this help type, the documents are stored in a "Compressed HTML" (CHM) format. CHM is a format developed by Microsoft for storing HTML files in a compressed format. The document is displayed in the HTML Help runtime environment that replaces Microsoft WinHelp. HTML Help is currently available only for Windows NT 4.0, Windows 95 and Windows 98.

  1. Application Help is called from the SAPgui
  2. The HTML Help Viewer is started
  3. The online documentation is accessed under the path \\docserver\docu\helpdata\... The network protocol that is used to access the files depends on the type of file server. It could be TCP/IP, Novell IPX/SPX or NetBEUI.

Local Help Settings on Windows 32-Bit Frontends

You can override the settings locally for the online help on frontends with Microsoft Windows 95/98 and Windows NT 4.0. These settings are determined in the profile parameters of the R/3 System. The information required for this is entered in the file SAPDOCCD.INI . The file is searched in sequence in the Windows directory of the frontend PC ( C:\WINDOWS or C:\WINNT ), in the SAPgui directory or in the directory directly above it.

When you first call the Application Help, an attempt is made to read the file. If the file SAPDOCCD.INI was not found or the file does not contain any information for overriding settings, the settings from the profile parameters of the R/3 System are used.

For more information on the parameters you can set in the file SAPDOCCD.INI see the guide Installing the Online Documentation.

Online Documentation in a WAN

If you use SAP frontends in different locations you need to guarantee access to the online documentation. You have two options:

If you want the remote frontend host to access the documentation in the computing center, you may experience problems if the SAPgui connection is made through SAProuter. This is because the SAProuter cannot relay access to the documentation. You can use HTTP proxy servers that allow indirect access, however only for the help type PlainHtmlHttp. You can install the proxies on the hosts where the SAProuters are running. You can also make this connection through multiple intermediaries. The proxy must be accessed through SAPDOCCD.INI on each frontend host. The WAN must bear the network load caused by users accessing the documentation.

Another option is to set up a separate frontend server for the online documentation (and other services) at each remote location. The server must be accessed through SAPDOCCD.INI on each frontend host. You can use all help types. The local network bears the entire network load caused by users accessing the online documentation. You must keep the documentation on the local server up-to-date, either by copying from the central documentation server, or by importing the documentation from the SAP Online Documentation CD.

The following graphic shows both options: