I program my radios / helicopters in one of two ways. Either Adavanced for aerobatics and 3D or Novice / Scale

Typically, You should set-up from the swashplate down making sure the swash is level and the servo arms are perpendicular to the rods. If you are setting up for 3D the swashplate should be at the middle of its travel. If you are setting up for novice / scale the swashplate should be where you expect to be hovering.

From there, you set up the head adjusting linkages to your desired pitch "limits' and then adjust with the pitch curve.

Some helicopters now have links that are not adjustable, then you have to re-think your adjusting strategy, maybe working from the head down to the servos. In that case, you should find a way to "lock" the blade pitch at a pre-set angle (probably 0).

Let me know if that helped.

Rafael