MsHelp 2.0
Chris Moore
there a Beta SDK available? I can't seem to find any documentation on the MS
website that discusses this.
Thanks,
Chris.
![Rob Chandler [MVP]'s profile photo](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/a/default-user=s40-c)
Rob Chandler [MVP]
I talked to MS last week and it seems that Beta are ready to ship
but there is some licensing red tape to get through before they can release.
There was an early H2 preview that was released last year
at WinWriters conference - http://helpware.net/mshelp2/download.htm
Rob
"Chris Moore" <NTDev...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:u0TgXTVuBHA.2412@tkmsftngp03...
Kit
And the .NET SDK is H2 format?
--
Regards,
Kit
"Rob Chandler [MVP]" <m...@helpware.net> wrote in message
news:ep$ildZuBHA.2660@tkmsftngp05...
Rob Chandler [MVP]
> Is it really won't release this year?
http://helpware.net/mshelp2/msannounce.htm
> And the .NET SDK is H2 format?
As Shane says (link above) they have developed a special Help 2 SDK
(runs under VS.NET) so that folk can get started with the new collection
technology.
The H2 runtime is out there now in Office XP Developer, .NET Framework SDK,
the VS.NET/MSDN. Prior to the 2003 release this is the only way that you
can get/distribute the H2 runtime files.
The help engine is very solid (even way back in the preview release).
The only reason they have not released is because of feed back from
ISV/MVP/Users who say "Do It Right The First Time" -- So they will
not relasing until viewer, installation etc are all 100%.
Rob
Kit
I want to ask ".NET SDK Documentation is in H2 format?", but I think I got
the answer, I think it should be...
--
Regards,
Kit
"Rob Chandler [MVP]" <m...@helpware.net> wrote in message
news:ujp5R$buBHA.2672@tkmsftngp03...
Rob Chandler [MVP]
> sorry, I missed something in my question...
> I want to ask ".NET SDK Documentation is in H2 format?", but I think I got
> the answer, I think it should be...
Appologies Kit, I took the sceneic route with that answer. :-)
If this is the same as the .NET Framework SDK then the answer is yes
(apparently).
Open the SDK help - Right-click the topic and select properties. If the URL
looks like
ms-help://MS.MSHelpSDK/mshlpsdk/html/hxoriMicrosoftHelpEssentials.htm
then its MS Help 2.
The ms-help prefix indicating the topic has been pulled out of a HxS MS Help
2 help file.
Kit
yes, its Help 2, its like that.
("ms-help://MS.NETFrameworkSDK/cpguidenf/html/cpovrintroductiontonetframewor
ksdk.htm")
Thanks.
--
Regards,
Kit
"Rob Chandler [MVP]" <m...@helpware.net> wrote in message
news:ez44RnduBHA.1552@tkmsftngp05...
Chris Moore
Thanks for the link!
Chris.
"Rob Chandler [MVP]" <m...@helpware.net> wrote in message
news:ep$ildZuBHA.2660@tkmsftngp05...
Peter Plamondon [MS]
(actually called the Visual Studio Help Integration Kit, VSHIK) that enables
component vendors to integrate help content for their components into Visual
Studio .NET, using Help 2.0.
VSHIK will include a treasure trove of technical information about Help 2.0,
but will not be generally useful to the help community because we will not
have a standard viewer ready for release until "at least calendar year
2003". Until then, a user will need to have VS.NET or the .NET Framework
SDK installed to view Help 2.0 content.
--Peter Plamondon
This posting is provided “AS IS” with no warranties, and confers no rights.
Please do not send email directly to my reply email address . This email
address is for newsgroup
purposes only. To correspond with me directly, remove the 'online' from my
reply email address. This is to prevent automated spam to my real email
address.
"Rob Chandler [MVP]" <m...@helpware.net> wrote in message
news:ep$ildZuBHA.2660@tkmsftngp05...
Rob Chandler [MVP]
So..
* VSHIK releasing soon
* Standard viewer not available but DExplore viewer
(which comes with VS.NET, .NET Framework SDK)
will do the job.
* Distributable runtime (with standard viewer) available next year (2003).
Q..
* Does VSHIK require you to have VS.NET installed first?
If not the SDK + FAR (or RoboHelp, or etc) will be enough to produce/view
content.
Rob
"Peter Plamondon [MS]" <peterpl...@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:OETy0sAvBHA.2660@tkmsftngp05...
Bryce Utting
> Thanks Peter ;-)
>
> So..
> * VSHIK releasing soon
> * Standard viewer not available but DExplore viewer
> (which comes with VS.NET, .NET Framework SDK)
> will do the job.
> * Distributable runtime (with standard viewer) available next year (2003).
>
> Q..
> * Does VSHIK require you to have VS.NET installed first?
> If not the SDK + FAR (or RoboHelp, or etc) will be enough to produce/view
> content.
Supplementary Q:
* What IS the benefit to migrating towards MsHelp 2.0?
As a developer (even though I'm only supporting two documented
projects), the most important things to me are (a) that my
documentation is complete and well-written, and (b) that my users are
able to read it. So far, my home-brewed WinHelp editor serves me best
for (a), and if there's a version of Windows that doesn't support (b)
then that's news to me. I haven't even seen compelling reasons to
migrate to HTMLHelp (given documentation of < 200 entries, less
popups), let alone plan for MS's further pipedreams.
Incidentally: I'm in the middle of trying to decide whether my
unfinished help editor should be released to other developers here &
in mpvbd, just to get the thing finished. (I'm too busy with my day
job to do so on my own.) So, question: a writer-oriented WinHelp
editor is a useful enough application to consider this, true or false?
(Yes, it'd not only be no-strings-attached freeware, but source would
also be available; and while I'd like to retain control over the
source if it's completed, it'd only be to ensure an authoritative
version that includes -all- useful contributions. Maybe I should put
the alpha on my company website, along with a buglist and todo?)
butting
Rob Chandler [MVP]
> Supplementary Q:
>
> * What IS the benefit to migrating towards MsHelp 2.0?
I can answer this one :-)
There may be no benifit for you.
It still has HTML content, TOC, Index, FTS + Tripane view.
Extras
* New collection technology handles huge document sets
* Filters - Drop down filter to reduce scope of TOC/Index/FTS
* Virtual Topics - Keywords, FTS info can be parsed even from a topic
like a PDF file. You provide the compiler with a kind of proxy file
containing
keywords and FTS info inplace of the PDF, JPG etc.
Its not a huge leap forward. Evolutionary not Revolutionary (as Shane likes
to say).
My H2 2001 conference notes notes are are available to read here...
http://helpware.net/mshelp2/h20.htm
http://helpware.net/mshelp2/adoc_notes.htm
> As a developer (even though I'm only supporting two documented
> projects), the most important things to me are (a) that my
> documentation is complete and well-written, and (b) that my users are
> able to read it. So far, my home-brewed WinHelp editor serves me best
> for (a), and if there's a version of Windows that doesn't support (b)
> then that's news to me. I haven't even seen compelling reasons to
> migrate to HTMLHelp (given documentation of < 200 entries, less
> popups), let alone plan for MS's further pipedreams.
Well its a very big job to migrate to HH.
For many authors, WinHelp is all that is required.
For us HTML Help provides all the power of the Internet Explorer
Web Browser - HTML, Shockwave, Script, ActiveX.
We all have different needs.
> Incidentally: I'm in the middle of trying to decide whether my
> unfinished help editor should be released to other developers here &
> in mpvbd, just to get the thing finished. (I'm too busy with my day
> job to do so on my own.) So, question: a writer-oriented WinHelp
> editor is a useful enough application to consider this, true or false?
>
> (Yes, it'd not only be no-strings-attached freeware, but source would
> also be available; and while I'd like to retain control over the
> source if it's completed, it'd only be to ensure an authoritative
> version that includes -all- useful contributions. Maybe I should put
> the alpha on my company website, along with a buglist and todo?)
Cool. Put it on a web page and advertise it here. I'm sure
many folks would be helped out by a good WinHelp editor.
Cheers
Rob
Peter Plamondon [MS]
> Thanks Peter ;-)
>
> So..
> * VSHIK releasing soon
> * Standard viewer not available but DExplore viewer
> (which comes with VS.NET, .NET Framework SDK)
> will do the job.
> * Distributable runtime (with standard viewer) available next year (2003).
>
> Q..
> * Does VSHIK require you to have VS.NET installed first?
> If not the SDK + FAR (or RoboHelp, or etc) will be enough to
produce/view
> content.
>
> Rob
Yes, VSHIK requires VS.NET already be installed. Specifically, VSHIK does
not include the Help2 engine DLL, and relies on VS.NET having already
installed that DLL. As Shane noted in his schedule announcement (which Rob
has at http://helpware.net/mshelp2/msannounce.htm):
"The Help 2 engine will be provided with several developer-related products,
including Visual Studio .NET, MSDN Library, .NET Framework SDK, and
Microsoft Office Developer."
Any of these products will install the Help2 engine, and then products which
already have support for Help2 (like FAR) find the services they need to
operate.
Help author and end user scenarios must wait for the Help2 release in "at
least calendar year 2003", which will include a redistributable Help2 engine
and standard viewer.
Rob Chandler [MVP]
Rob
"Peter Plamondon [MS]" <peterpl...@microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:#1KI85hvBHA.212@tkmsftngp02...
Bryce Utting
>> unfinished help editor should be released to other developers here &
>> in mpvbd, just to get the thing finished. (I'm too busy with my day
>> job to do so on my own.) So, question: a writer-oriented WinHelp
>> editor is a useful enough application to consider this, true or false?
>>
>> (Yes, it'd not only be no-strings-attached freeware, but source would
>> also be available; and while I'd like to retain control over the
>> source if it's completed, it'd only be to ensure an authoritative
>> version that includes -all- useful contributions. Maybe I should put
>> the alpha on my company website, along with a buglist and todo?)
>
> Cool. Put it on a web page and advertise it here. I'm sure
> many folks would be helped out by a good WinHelp editor.
No real announcement yet, but I might as well post to keep a thread
alive in -my- newsreader at least: I'm currently rewriting a couple of
dialogue boxes so they don't rely on ComponentOne's TDBGrid (no point
releasing source that depends on controls others mightn't have...),
then I'll put the executable up. (But probably not a complete install
package; I'll just assume anyone interested has a VB development
environment already set up.) Source on request. I haven't decided on
where to put it on the web, but a help file written with it can be
downloaded from:
http://www.elliottchemicals.co.nz/downloads/innhelp.zip
(blast; there's no .cnt in that zip file. I'll fix that up later
today.)
I'll probably include the source database for that file with the
executable. (Which needs a database to get started, anyway; making it
smart enough to build its own from scratch is just -one- of the things
on the todo.)
I'll post the final link for the .exe here once I've decided on it,
rather than add it to the above site's public structure. Work is
agrichemicals, which'd otherwise be an -odd- place to find tools for
software developers...
General description: MDI help file editor, where each topic is treated
as a separate document (all stored in the same database, of course).
Editing any topic opens a child window with with title, ruler, and an
RTF edit area. Links are handled by various nasty hacks but -are-
marked clearly (and cleanly) when editing. Properties (completion
status, whether topic is a popup or not, etc.) can be viewed on a per-
topic basis in a separate dialogue, as can a list of index topics for
each topic. (Linked to a master list of index topics.)
Incidentally: anyone got any bright ideas for a name for such a
package? It's calling itself HelpAuthor for now, but that's (a) taken
and (b) unimaginative, so...
butting (buried in other work for now)