This is the mail archive of the docbook@lists.oasis-open.org mailing list for the DocBook project.


Index Nav: [Date Index] [Subject Index] [Author Index] [Thread Index]
Message Nav: [Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]

Re: DocBook to WinHelp


Its been a long time, but I recall Microsoft switching over to HTML Help
as its default help environment.  I believe this is seen in
Win98,2000,ME.  Also all their new office products use it.  It has a lot
better feature set.

If I recall correctly simply distributing two ocx's makes HTML Help work
on Win95/NT clients.  It is pretty much HTML with a few little
oddities.  I would think it woudl be MUCH easier to make Jade create
HTML Help files than winHelp. 

Just a thought. Also you could do as normal HTML as Jade already
supports this.  Then in your application write custom code to reference
the HTML code with an internal broswer. (the ocx for IE is included on
every windows box).

Of course the best solution is dont use windows. ;-)  But as I know all
too well in corporate world sometimes that just aint an option. :)

Derek Neighbors
GNU Enterprise
http://www.gnue.org
derek@gnue.org

Kirk Zurell wrote:
> 
> I am starting to do just this. My process involves generating RTF with a
> heavily-customized print stylesheet, then running the RTF through a Perl
> filter (lots of s///g; rules).
> 
> No, I will not give out the files because it is wobbly at best. But it
> may be easier to do it yourself:
> 
> In your print stylesheet customization, cause your (element sectn) DSSSL
> script to search for (say) index entries within the section. Output a
> "footnote" in plain text ("{K foo:bar;blat:yoikes}"). In the RTF, braces
> are escaped as "\{" and "\}" (or something like that). In the Perl
> filter, execute
> 
> s/\\{K ([^\\]*)\\}/K{\\footnote K $1}/g;
> 
> to "unencapsulate" them. Then compile with Winhelp compiler.
> 
> I learned this trick from a long-ago package called "helpfile.dtd". It
> still might be available from the Cover pages. It had a simpler DTD and
> a simple Perl script.
> 
> It is a pitiful solution, but less so than Winhelp authoring tools.
> 
> I'm reading the Jade source to learn how to create a "footnote" flow
> object (or at least how to improve the currently output RTF words, like
> bookmarks _around_ the text of heading text, not before them). But
> that's C++, so, pray for me.
> 
> Kirk Zurell
> Byte Craft Limited.
> 
> Bernd Kreimeier wrote:
> >
> > DocBook is under consideration for a cross platform
> > project over here. The Win32 group wants to generate
> > WinHelp files. I have found no documentation or mention
> > whatsoever with respect to this, is it safe to conclude
> > that this is not supported, and not available? Any
> > workarounds?
> >
> >                                          b.

Index Nav: [Date Index] [Subject Index] [Author Index] [Thread Index]
Message Nav: [Date Prev] [Date Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next]