Creating a help file for standalone

keyless · Post by **keyless** » Tue Apr 22, 2008 11:17 pm

How do most people create help files for rev. Since my product is Windows only I was leaning towards a .chm file. Is Html help or winhelp better? PDF? something home rolled in rev maybe, revBrowser might be an option?

Mark · Post by **Mark** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 3:29 pm

Hi keyless,

There is nothing agains CHM files, except that they are not cross-platform. You could download the files here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en
and make your own help files.

For most projects, I create a built-in help system. Just a stack with all information in it. This saves me a lot of time.

Usually I include a separate Read Me file in PDF format. This is cross-platform.

It might be possible to create help files that can be displayed both in Windows' help system and in a browser. That might be your best option, if you don't want to use a stack.

I wish there were an easy way to create both Mac help files and CHM files from identical HTML files. Although it may exist, I haven't discovered such a method yet.

Best,

Mark

keyless · Post by **keyless** » Wed Apr 23, 2008 10:25 pm

"I wish there were an easy way to create both Mac help files and CHM files from identical HTML files. Although it may exist, I haven't discovered such a method yet."

Anytime you say something like this in a programing website, hopfully some would be developer is lurking around and this will be their next great project

..........maybe I'll take stab at it when I'm done with this one.

Thanks for the great info and link.

I think I'm going to try a PDF or Html viewable in the app with revBrowser

FourthWorld · Post by **FourthWorld** » Thu Apr 24, 2008 8:53 pm

I tend to dislike the Help systems on both Mac and Windows; the Mac one takes too long to load, the Windows one is unattractive, and neither are cross-platform or directly integrated with my app.

Most of my apps use Help built with Rev, like this one:
http://www.fourthworldlabs.com/hrhelp.jpg

Not only do we get cross-platform support using Rev, but we can provide links that open windows within our app as needed. Very handy for the user, very convenient for us to develop.

keyless · Post by **keyless** » Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:32 am

Richard I think that is definity the way I will go with cross platform apps. Good looking and the right functionality.

I took a look at some of the cross platform apps I have installed, seems a lot go for just simple html. Plasq for instance does a framed html that opens in IE. Not a real fan of having a folder with all the loose html bits and graphics. Especially when Picase (what people with no iPhoto use) picks them all up.

I'm going with chm for this one though, it's quick to do and MS gives you the tools, file sizes are tiny, and windows users are used to them. Vista makes them a little more attractive.

keyless · Post by **keyless** » Mon Apr 28, 2008 11:26 pm

Of note is the fact that many 3rd party CHM makers will also export in webhelp format which appears to be cross platform. I haven't tried it yet, but apparently it is the native format for Adobe Robohelp.