6 replies to this topic

[MilesAhead]

I know it's an old thread, but I just found this tool. I tried the ABC CHM Merge tool. Tried this tool. Same thing happens. It starts to churn on input files and there's no output, no compilation.

I'd love to be able to search using F1 via a single CHM file when user functions provide .chm files, in SciTE. But I can't seem to get any merges to work. Even HtmlHelp workshop itself won't let me merge anything.

Nothing worked in Windows Seven so I booted XP SP2 to try this tool. Starts to churn on the input, and quits with a beep. No error message.

Edit: I gave it another go. Got it to work when I followed the exact sequence on your web page. Nice tool. Thank you very much for sharing it.

[MilesAhead]

Just in case you ever decide to update this script, I'd request command line params for language and main window title, or produce an .hhp project file that can be edited. On English Language versions of Windows, because the language in the compiled CHM is French, the main window title will always say "HTML Help" instead of the title. It's something to do with unicode vs ansi and code pages. I decompiled the output and created an .hhp file specifying English language, main window title, and default htm page to get it to work with a help launcher that saves the window position and size by title. But that starts to take the automation out of it. Although trying to decompile several CHM by hand is a hassle, as you found out while debugging I'm sure.

I tried a CHM editor app. Editing the CHM in place changing language and title will not work. The main title says HTML Help no matter what.

If you have no longer any interest in working this utility would you consider posting the source?

Thanks again for the program.

[T800]

It's been a while since I was into html help stuff big time and now I don't have time to make a similar/better utility,
instead of recompiling chm files (problems can be numerous) I would rather suggest using the concept of merging html help files as it was done with Windows XP help system where many chm files are accessed through a master file that refers all others. This is a flexible and modular approach, for more info see here:
<!-- m -->http://helpware.net/...ow_to_merge.htm<!-- m -->
<!-- m -->http://www.hypertexa...utor/merger.htm<!-- m -->
<!-- m -->http://www.omsys.com... ... mfiles.htm<!-- m -->
<!-- m -->http://support.microsoft.com/kb/311151<!-- m -->
<!-- m -->http://community.fle... ... p?t=192497<!-- m -->
<!-- m -->http://forums.madcap... ... f=8&t=7814<!-- m -->

Btw KeyTools link seems to be outdated (dead?), hereis my backup copy if anyone needs it.

[MilesAhead]

Thanks. I looked at that first. I got as far as getting the 3rd of 3 .chm files to appear in the TOC of the master. But the index would not show up. I'm working with 3rd party help files. The only way I can get the components is to decompile. Anyway, I did get it to work once. That was good enough for me to write a master project that got around the HTML Help window title.

Hopefully I won't have much of a need. It just would be cool for a program that amalgamated the stuff already done like this does when it works.

I wrote a small shell extension back in 2001 and I remember doing the HTML Help was more work than the code. I had a nice little script I downloaded from a magazine or someplace that would whip up .hlp help without any special tools in a few minutes. Html Help is just a pita!!

[MilesAhead]

I found another tool that may be helpful:

<!-- m -->http://www.be-precision.com/download/<!-- m -->

Precision Helper Portable. It has some idiosyncrasies. When decompiling a CHM it produces an hhp project file. Can help to get things started.

I haven't used it on a new project. Ironically, the help is kind of weird for the program.