--- a/artifact-database/src/main/java/de/intevation/artifactdatabase/state/AbstractState.java	Fri Apr 12 19:17:56 2013 +0200
+++ b/artifact-database/src/main/java/de/intevation/artifactdatabase/state/AbstractState.java	Mon Apr 15 12:30:38 2013 +0200
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@
 import de.intevation.artifacts.CallContext;
 import de.intevation.artifacts.CallMeta;
 
+import de.intevation.artifacts.common.utils.Config;
 import de.intevation.artifacts.common.utils.XMLUtils;
 
 import de.intevation.artifactdatabase.data.StateData;
@@ -57,6 +58,10 @@
      * to. */
     public static final String XPATH_FACETS = "facets/facet";
 
+    public static final String XPATH_HELP_URL = "/artifact-database/help-url/text()";
+
+    public static final String HELP_URL = "${help.url}";
+
 
     /** The logger that is used in this class. */
     private static Logger logger = Logger.getLogger(AbstractState.class);
@@ -77,11 +82,24 @@
     /** A list of output modes which are available for this state. */
     protected List<Output> outputs;
 
+    private static String helpUrl;
+
 
     public AbstractState() {
         outputs = new ArrayList<Output>();
     }
 
+    public static synchronized final String getHelpUrl() {
+        if (helpUrl == null) {
+            helpUrl = Config.getStringXPath(XPATH_HELP_URL, HELP_URL);
+        }
+        return helpUrl;
+    }
+
+    public static String replaceHelpUrl(String string) {
+        return string.replace(HELP_URL, getHelpUrl());
+    }
+
 
     /**
      * The default constructor.
@@ -99,7 +117,7 @@
 
     public AbstractState(String id, String description, String helpText) {
         this(id, description);
-        this.helpText = helpText;
+        this.helpText = replaceHelpUrl(helpText);
     }
 
 
@@ -159,7 +177,7 @@
      * @param helpText The help text.
      */
     public void setHelpText(String helpText) {
-        this.helpText = helpText;
+        this.helpText = replaceHelpUrl(helpText);
     }
 
 
@@ -232,6 +250,10 @@
         helpText = (String) XMLUtils.xpath(
             config, XPATH_HELP_TEXT, XPathConstants.STRING);
 
+        if (helpUrl != null) {
+            helpUrl = replaceHelpUrl(helpUrl);
+        }
+
         setupOutputs(config);
     }