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Subject:Re: Next question... cross-platform help engines From:Mary Deaton <Marymd -at- HALCYON -dot- COM> Date:Thu, 29 Sep 1994 07:56:10 PDT
>Can I use the Microsoft help engine on the Mac? How
>do I find out? What else is available? We looked at one prospect but it
>was expensive. We want to, and are planning to, incorporate context
>sensitive help - on the Windows side, the help file contains context
>strings and context numbers associated with the various dialog boxes in
>the programme. Can I do this on the Mac? Who, if anyone, has written
>online help for the Mac. What issues did you encounter? The programme
>is the same on both platforms, the differences show up in small places
>like the wrapper around windows and dialog boxes (and the font).
You can use Help files created in Windows on the Mac IF the users has Microsoft
Excel, Word or Powerpoint on the Mac
that is displaying the Help file. However, you will not get all of the same
functionality because of OS differences.
There are products out there that claim to convert HLP files to Mac readable
files without the user having to have any
of those MS products, but I have never used one. The one I can remember reading
about on the Help forum on CompuServe is
HLPDK (I think). I am not sure how to contact them, but Ron Lowey sometimes lurk
on this forum and I think he is
associated with them.