RE: HAT for non-browser based HTML help?

[Chuck Martin <CMartin -at- serena -dot- com>]

The simple answer: No.

The more complex answer: Possibly, but not without potentially severe
headaches (and you thought working with long documents in Word would be
tough).

By definition, HTML requires a browser to display its content correctly.
However, now you start to have to define "browser."

A component of each major "browser," such as IE and Netscape, is the HTML
parsing/rendering component. From a user standpoint, you can't install just
that component. So the question is: do the browser manufacturers allow
programmers to grab just the HTML parsing/rendering components and use them
as part of your application? Answer: I am not sure. You may be able to do
this with Microsoft's HTML Help.

There are third-party HTML parsers/renderers, most, as far as I know (and
don't ask me for names) are designed for embedded Help systems, that is,
panels that are integrated into the program's GUI. (This is, by the way, an
excellent idea, where a lot of good Help systems are going.) The potential
drawback to these components: HTML compatibility. You know that the Big Two
are compliant with most of the W3C standards, but you would have to do
intensive testing on the add-in components to ensure compatibility.

You could always have your programmers write their own HTML parser/renderer.

AS far as authoring goes, most HATs use IE to render HTML when they are
doing their WYSIWYG display. As an author, you probably would want to test
in the major browsers anyway, even if your Help system isn't planned to be
used in them, simply because you're going to be distributing HTML files, and
some user may just Find them and try to view them.

> -----Original Message-----
> From: joanne grey [mailto:j_grey -at- writeangles -dot- com]
> Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2000 10:32 PM
> Subject: Re: HAT for non-browser based HTML help?
> 
> Undoubtedly it's poor form to answer myself but I thought I'd add
> this...
> 
> joanne grey wrote:

I have a customer who is looking for HTML-based online help that doesn't
require that a browser be installed. - that is, the customer doesn't
need to have IE, Netscape, or any of the other browser to see the OLH. 
> 
> > She says that Forehelp claims to work this way, so I'm 
> playing with the
> > demo version now. Are there any other choices out there?
> 
> After playing with Forehelp's Interhelp, I can see that it uses a
> standard browser. So now my question is "does anyone know of an
> HTML-based HAT that has its own browse window/HTML parser?" 
> 
> Thanks, and sorry for wasting the bandwidth asking basically the same
> question twice!
>        -joanne
> 

--
"I don't entirely understand it but it is true: Highly skilled carpenters
don't get insulted when told they are not architects, but highly skilled
programmers do get insulted when they are told they are not UI designers."
     - anonymous programmer quoted in "GUI Bloopers"
       by Jeff Johnson

Chuck Martin, Sr. Technical Writer
cmartin -at- serena -dot- com 


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