Help Workshop

[Eberardo Topher]

TheMicrosoft HTML Help compiler is available free of charge. You need it to turn HTML pages into a compiled help (.chm) format. The package includes a help file with detailed documentation of the entire HTML Help system.

It is an invaluable time saver, lets you work in a comfortable environment similar to that of a word processor. In addition CHM files you can also generate HTML5 website-based documentation, PDF manuals, Word documents, universal eBooks and several other formats.

Further development of FAR HTML has been discontinued. A year ago, the shop at helpwaregroup.com was closed. As the translator (DE) of the software at the time, I have no contact with the former developer at the moment. I assume the domain will be abandoned.

I will continue to provide the download of FAR HTML as freeware and the corresponding licence keys as far as possible at:

-info.de/en/far-html/far-download/#far-html

Please remember, HTMLHelp (CHM's) is nearly 25 years old and Microsoft's Windows based help system is in "maintenance mode" only. No new features and support are expected. As far as I know there is no new help systems being developed at Microsoft.

FAR HTML is a collection of help authoring and file utilities. If you need to quickly manipulate HTML, XML, ASCII text files, or author help projects (HTML Help 1.x, MS Help 2.x, MS Help Viewer 1.x, Help Viewer 2.x and Uncompressed Web Help) then FAR will save you lots of time and money. You can safely use FAR HTML and MS Workshop/SDK side by side. FAR also works in batch (unattended) mode.

HelpNDoc is available completely free for personal use and evaluation purposes: you can use the full version of HelpNDoc for as long as you want. All the features are available and enabled, there are no hidden fees or registration process and it doesn't contain any virus, spyware or malware of any kind. The only restriction is that the Personal Edition of HelpNDoc or its generated files can't be used for profit: only personal non-lucrative work and evaluation purposes are permitted by the license.A discreet banner is added in the generated documentation to remind that it has been created by the Personal Edition of HelpNDoc. To remove the banners and use HelpNDoc for commercial purposes, you might consider ordering a full version of HelpNDoc.

As you can see, the online HTML version of my help systems have a Table of Contents and Search features. I made customizations to the build process to include the Scroll to Top icon in the bottom right.

But at the same time, I can, and do, compile CHM versions of the help documentation which I put on my website packaged in setup executables. My software allows you to choose to download and install the CHM version of the help systems if you don't want to use the online HTML version.

Yes it's quirky but it just does the job reliably. So every couple of years, I look at the replacements, many of which offer a lot more than MS Help usually at a price. And I always drift back to MS Help.

To answer the OP, MS Help is not perfect, but it's pretty close for what it aims to do. A more modern UI would be nice, but enjoy the retro feel of something that was originally developed for Windows 95 !

I am working with HTML Help sources that were generated by converting an older WinHelp help sources (converted from the .RTF files that were edited with Word using a Microsoft conversion tool). This source has not been touched since it was converted and some preliminary work done sometime around 2014 or earlier.

I am currently using Visual Studio 2005 with a Windows 7 PC to update this HTML Help source. I have created a project and added all the various sources: HTML files, BMP files containing images, a file containing JavaScript and a file containing CSS. The older WinHELP based content used a lot of popups which the conversion put into individual files and by just merging these small files used in only a single place, I have reduced the number of files by a third.

My target for the help files is desktop users of Windows 7 and Windows 10. I am planning to move to Visual Studio 2015 with this source once I have the basics cleaned up. I have done a test project converting the VS 2005 to VS 2015 and the conversion seemed to work fine and the HTML source to compile into a .chm file that was usable.

From what I can find, it appears that HTML Help Workshop from Microsoft is being maintained but is no longer under active development. The last version seems to be 1.32 published in 2012 though it is for HTML Help version 1.4 according to the HTML Help Workshop and Documentation download page. See also Microsoft HTML Help 1.4 in Microsoft Docs.

Visual Studio 2005 is indicating that some of the markup, which I think is HTML4, is deprecated. The html help source seems to compile to a .chm file fine anyway and the resulting .chm file works fine under Windows 7.

I am a bit confused about this compiling process. My impression is that the workshop compiler packs all of the various .html files together along with a couple of files it generates and then compresses it all into a single archive.

There is some, simple Javascript which uses div tags for some basic user interaction. That works just fine. Can I expect that whatever Javascript HTML DOM is supported by Microsoft Edge is available for use with this help text?

You know Windows HTML Help is delivered as a LZX compressed binary file with the .chm extension. It contains a set of HTML files, a hyperlinked table of contents, and an index file. The file format has been reverse-engineered and documentation of it is freely available e.g. Unofficial (Preliminary) HTML Help Specification

The file starts with bytes "ITSF" (in ASCII), for "Info-Tech Storage Format" (see Microsoft's HTML Help (.chm) format documentation). The CHM can be opened using FAR HTML like shown in the screenshot of this SO thread to get CHM details from help ID

Please note the aged Internet Explorer is used inside HTMLHelp Viewer (hh.exe) for rendering the HTML content. HH.EXE is distributed with HTML Help so you can rely on it being present. It lives in the Windows folder and has a limited number of command-line options. HH.EXE is associated with .CHM files. So double-click a *.CHM file and Windows will open the file using HH.EXE. Its a very small file like a wrapper, it mostly passes the help filename onto a HH API library.

The Edge browser is not used in this context. Many things still work with the more than 20 years old HTMLHelp, such as the integration of SVG. But, I recommend not to use the standard HTML5 completely and to be very careful. The content itself should be as easy to maintain as possible. This can also be achieved with a simplified HTML.

You may know Microsoft is building a Chromium-powered web browser that will replace Edge on Windows 10. I'm not sure how Microsoft will integrate the required Internet Explorer rendering engine to support the CHM Viewer in this future environment.

It's a bit dated but please read Make your CHM Help Files show HTML5 and CSS3 content . See as well Web Browser Control & Specifying the IE Version which discusses using the X-UA-Compatible HTML meta tag.

Workshops are offered for those who prefer receiving general information about the legal process and want to be assisted in an on-line group setting. Workshops are presented by Self-Help attorneys or paralegals under the supervision of an attorney. Presenters cannot provide legal advice.

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This workshop is for those without an attorney who need help starting a case to end their marriage or domestic partnership. The workshop will go over important laws and procedures on divorce, legal separation, and nullity cases. Additionally, those who participate in the workshop will receive assistance with completing the forms needed to start a case. If you already have an open case for divorce, legal separation, or nullity, you should not attend this workshop.

Please note that if you plan to attend the workshop in person, children are not permitted in the workshop. Children's chambers may be available for children ages 2.5 to 16 years of age. Children must be fully potty-trained and able to use the restroom without assistance. Children wearing pull-ups or diapers are not considered fully potty-trained. Additionally, no sick children will be admitted.

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The ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Following on the success of the first such workshop in 2023, NIFA is hosting another Grants Support Technical Assistance Workshop to support prospective applicants and other stakeholders interested in grants development and/or grants management.

NIFA hosted the first Grants Support Technical Assistance Workshop in May 2023 that attracted about 1,700 registrants, with an average daily attendance of 600. We received positive feedback and recommendations for future sessions.

Are you a party to a civil case on appeal? If you need help working your way through the appeal process and have not retained an attorney, the Civil Appellate Self-Help Workshop can provide you with important information about procedures and resources that will help you handle your own appeal.

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