Re: Getting Started with HTML Help
I found HTML Workshop, but I don't even know if it was installed by VS or
something else (I also have Help & Manual installed).
Once I got the RTF help files working, they worked pretty good for me. And
it's a little cleaner when you can define multiple topics in a single file.
Since older versions of Windows couldn't run HTML help without additional
downloads, I avoided switching. But now that Vista no longer includes
WinHelp without additional downloads, I see it's time to convert.
I'll probably end up using some third party tools (I'm not sure what I think
about using Word to design HTML). But, on the surface, it appeared like VS
would do more than it does. It has one of the best HTML editors around. It
automatically generates HTML files. They just happen to be so bad they all
need to be scrapped. So I was mostly curious about using VS and what
Microsoft had intended there. Oh well...
Thanks.
--
Jonathan Wood
SoftCircuits Programming
http://www.softcircuits.com
"Dan Bloomquist" <public21@lakeweb.com> wrote in message
news:M3fJj.1159$Cn4.108@news02.roc.ny...
Jonathan Wood wrote:
I seem to be having a heck of a time figuring out how to get started with
HTML help in my MFC applications. The vast majority of stuff I've found
on the Web seems quite outdated.
I see there is an option to create HTML help when creating an MFC
application in VS2008. So far, that works.
This option creates three help project files (*.hhc, *.hhk, and *.hhp).
What are these files? I believe they are to be processed by HTML Help
Workshop but is that part of VS2008 or a separate download?
And why are all the HTML help files created by the MFC wizards using
uppercase tags, which VS2008 itself flags as not being allowed.
I could really use a current, high-level discussion on how help files are
designed to be created using VS2008.
My wife does the help. Our chm is some 10 megs. We use an old tool,
hhw.exe. I think I got it from 6.0. The version on it is from 1999. It
does compile the chm fine. The three files you listed are the for...mmmmm
hhp is the main project file
hhc is the contents for the help
hhk is the index for the help
All the files are txt so if you have to make a major revision to paths or
something, notepad++ is the place to do it.
She edits the html files in word, adds new sections to the project, and
bing, a chm file.
Years ago I started with rtfs, what a pain compared to html.
As the real work is done in Word, we haven't had a need to get a better
tool. When I have to work with it, like putting in IDH_es, I just open the
hhp in notpad and add them.
If you would like, I could zip the help project directory and upload it.
Then you could see how we have it all structured.
Did you find hhw.exe and get it running? It needs some dlls in its
directory to work.
Best, Dan.