Re: RoboHelp's WebHelp

[Kandis Weiner <kandis -at- toonboom -dot- com>]

"Adrianne L. Sessions" wrote:
> 
> We are working on a Mac application that will need online help. I have
> created and implemented online help (including context sensitive) for the
> same app for Windows. What I would like to do is generate my existing help
> files into WebHelp files. Has anyone successfully done this for the Mac?
> 

Hello Adrianne,

We are looking to create online help for both our PC and Mac users. I've
just been discussing this possibility with some members of the HATT
(Help Authoring Tools and Technologies list on www.egroups.com)
listserv. (You might want to check some of the resources of this group
too.)

WebHelp is cross-platform. However, I have been warned that WebHelp
should be tested on both platforms. WebHelp also supports
context-sensitivity, so you should be able to continue to produce
context sensitive help for the Mac and PC.

To get WebHelp files from your HLP files, you must use RoboHTML to
convert the WinHelp file to WebHelp (their creation - a combination of
Java applets, DHTML and scripting). Be forewarned: you will loose
formatting and graphics (BMPs are not supported in WebHelp). You might
consider producing WebHelp for all your users, rather than WinHelp for
PCs and WebHelp for Macs. This will reduce the amount of time you spend
"tweaking" for both output formats.

I'm currently looking into producing Apple Help (which is HTML based)
from the HTML pages generated from WebHelp. Should be possible, but I
don't know what kind of code WebHelp creates that might cause problems
with Apple Help HTML requirements...

Other tidbits: OSX does not support BubbleHelp; Quick Help is a program
that will convert your WinHelp files to Mac readable files:
http://www.altura.com/QuickHelp/qh_frame.htm - however this is a pure
dump, you have to license the viewer and you must compile on OS8.

HTH!
k

-- 
Kandis Weiner
kandis -at- toonboom -dot- com
http://www.toonboom.com