atw: Re: Windows Security Hotfix affecting HTML Help

Hi Wayne

Are these .chm files you have made yourselves (i.e. do you have the project 
files) or were they prepared elsewhere?

If the former, you could try putting most of html files (uncompiled) on the 
network. Then modify the TOC for the project to link to those files (absolute 
path) instead of compiling them in. Recompile, and distribute the new slimline 
.chm to your individual workstations. Only have basic, stable topics compiled 
in. When a user clicks on one of the uncompiled topics in the TOC pane, the 
topic will be displayed inside the chm window just like the compiled ones. 

I think you'll find that works. It works for me now with uncompiled files 
stored on the web. Of course, there can be big advantages in keeping much of 
your content uncompiled, especially volatile content. 

Even if they're an external supplier's .chm files, you can use MS HTML Workshop 
to decompile (with the supplier's permission, and if they enabled that on 
compilation). That gives you the source files and then you can go the above 
route.

See my example at http://www.netpublish.net/samples/chelpdemo.chm (the 
web-based topic in there contains some notes on this approach to .chm content). 
There are some tricks and pitfalls to this; feel free to email me privately if 
you need more info.

Peter

------------------------------------------
Peter Bloxsom
http://www.netpublish.net
peter@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Damian Forlani-Brennan 
  To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
  Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 4:30 PM
  Subject: atw: Re: Windows Security Hotfix affecting HTML Help


  Hi Wayne (Kelly)

  I understand that WinHelp support is being phased out by Microsoft and that 
it will be eliminated altogether in the next version of Windows.  The latest 
hotfix to XP prevents chm files being viewed across a network (although you can 
still see them on the local machine).  Its the thin end of the wedge.  It is 
particularly tragic if you have thousands of pages of user documentation in no 
other format.  Bleh!

  Cheers
  Damian Forlani-Brennan
  Technical Writer
  ER Mapper


    ----- Original Message ----- 
    From: wayne.kelly@xxxxxxxx 
    To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx 
    Sent: Wednesday, December 07, 2005 12:00 PM
    Subject: atw: Windows Security Hotfix affecting HTML Help



    Can anyone remember  Windows 2000 Service pack 4, and what it did to our 
.chm help files? 

    Well it seems the same thing has happened with XP.  MS pushed out a number 
of security patches for XP yesterday and suddenly a complaint has arisen that 
"I cannot access help anymore" . 

    Does anyone have any ideas how to limit the impact these updates have on 
our chm files? 

    Regards, 
    Wayne

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