Create help files html

How to create compiled html help file

However, when you compile your help project to the HTML Help format, HelpSmith uses the HHC.exe compiler to create the final CHM help file. You can download and install MS HTML Help Workshop from our website and then specify the path to the HHC.exe file in HelpSmith settings.

What is a compiled HTML help file?

Help system. Microsoft Compiled HTML Help is a Microsoft proprietary online help format, consisting of a collection of HTML pages, an index and other navigation tools. The files are compressed and deployed in a binary format with the extension .

How do I open a compiled HTML help file?

If you just double-click on the CHM file to open it, you get the “Navigation to the webpage was canceled” screen.

1. To unblock the CHM file, right click on the file, select “Properties”. Click on the “Unblock” button, then click “OK”.
2. You should now be able to view the CHM file.

How do I convert a compiled HTML file to a PDF?

1. Choose the CHM file you want to convert.
2. Change quality or size (optional)
3. Click on “Start conversion” to convert your file from CHM to PDF.
4. Download your PDF file.

How do I open Microsoft HTML executable file?

The HTML Help executable program (Hh.exe) runs whenever a user clicks a compiled help (. chm) file or menu item that opens the help file inside the Help Viewer. The HTML Help executable program calls the HTML Help ActiveX control, which opens the help file and provides navigation and other features to the user.

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Creating HTML Help Files

HelpSmith allows you to compile your help project as an HTML Help (CHM) file, a standard help format used by Windows applications.

HTML Help Compiler

To create HTML Help (.CHM) files, HelpSmith uses the HHC.exe help compiler which is available with Microsoft HTML Help Workshop. You can download the MS HTML Help Workshop package, install it, and then link the HTML Help compiler (HHC.exe) with HelpSmith in program settings .

For full details, please see this help topic .

Compile an HTML Help (CHM) File

1. On the Project tab, in the Project group, click Compile .

2. In the Compile Project dialog, in the Output Format box, select HTML Help .

3. If necessary, select build tags and other options that you want to apply to this compilation.

Remark: You can also access the Compile Project dialog by pressing F9 .

Quick Compilation with the Previous Options

You can skip the Compile Project dialog and apply the previously used options including the build tags that were selected for this output help format:

1. On the Project tab, in the Project group, click on the arrow in the bottom of the Compile button.

2. In the popup menu, under Quick Compilation , click HTML Help .

Batch Compilation Mode

If necessary, you can use the batch compilation mode that allows you to compile documentation in multiple output formats or to generate different versions of the same help file (by using build tags ) with a single click. You can visit this topic for more details on how to add a new compilation task.

HTML Help (CHM) Output Directory

When you compile an HTML Help (CHM) file, you can use the default output directory or specify a custom location of your help file.

By default, HelpSmith puts the compiled CHM help file to the same directory where your project file is located. If your help project has never been saved, HelpSmith will use your Windows «My Documents» folder as the default output directory.

Distributing an HTML Help System

• An HTML Help system is stored within a single .CHM file which is the only file that you need to distribute with your application.

• However, if your CHM help file contains video files, you should also distribute these video files along with the CHM file. For more details on using video in HTML Help (CHM), please visit this help topic .

Integration with an Application

A Windows desktop application can use HTML Help API to interact with an HTML Help (CHM) file and to provide Context-sensitive Help. For more details on HTML Help API, you can refer to Windows SDK, MSDN or to the documentation of your development tool.

Also, below you can find examples of interacting with a CHM file from different IDEs, and from the command line.

Customizing an HTML Help System

The following topics describe different categories of the HTML Help-related options:

Using JavaScript and CSS in HTML Help

HelpSmith allows you to include and use JavaScript and CSS files in help topics of your HTML Help (CHM) system, add HTML attributes to the page elements, and also to insert custom HTML code into a help topic. These capabilities can be used to implement non-standard functionality in HTML-based documentation, or to apply any special formatting attributes.

Known Issue: a CHM File is not Displayed Properly

In some cases, when you open a CHM file, the HTML Help viewer can display a message like «Navigation to the webpage was canceled» or «This program cannot display the webpage» instead of the actual topic content. Since a CHM file contains HTML code, it can be blocked by Windows security policy as a potentially harmful object.

Mostly, this problem occurs when a CHM file is accessed from a network PC and usually this problem does not occur when the CHM file is distributed with an application and accessed from the local PC. For more details on the reasons and solutions of this issue, you can refer to this article .

If you need your users to access your help system through a network, you can consider the Web Help format as an alternative to HTML Help.

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How to Create HTML Help .CHM Help Files

HTML Help is a help file format introduced by Microsoft in 1997 as replacement to the obsolete WinHelp files. A single HTML Help file (with the .CHM extension) represents a container that stores all the data of a help system including HTML files of help topics, CSS styles sheets, JavaScripts files, the hierarchical Table of Contents, alphabetical keywords for the Index tool, full-text search database, images files, embedded videos, and other data files.

Features of a CHM Help File

The key features supported by HTML Help include:

• A tree-type Table of Contents to organize the help file structure by using headings, sub-headings, topics, and also links to external URLs.
• The Index tool that allows the user to quickly find a specific term in a sorted list of keywords and also the topics associated with that term.
• Built-in search engine that provides full-text search capability through the entire help file.
• Based on the Internet Explorer control, HTML Help provides full support for the HTML/CSS features. Thus, help topics in a .CHM file can include hyperlinks, images, tables, videos, forms, collapsible parts of text, and any other objects including the objects implemented with a JaveScript library such as jQuery UI.
• Full Unicode support for the content of help topics. However, it should be pointed out that the TOC, Index, and Search tools are not fully Unicode in HTML Help, so they depend on the language and character set settings.
• The possibility to merge several .CHM help files into a single help system with a common TOC.

HTML Help Viewer

In the Windows environment, a standard viewer is used to display CHM help files. Available since Windows 98 as a built-in application, HTML Help viewer enables users to open and view CHM files on any Windows computer today.

There are also third party tools that enable opening a CHM file on other platforms including Linux. Some of these applications are xCHM, GnoCHM, Chmox, ChmSee, and KchmViewer.

A CHM help file displayed with standard HTML Help viewer

CHM Compiler (HHC.exe)

To create a CHM file from a series of HTML files, the HTML Help compiler is used. The CHM file compiler (or HHC.exe) is a part of Microsoft HTML Help Workshop package which represents a CHM creation utility with basic features.

On practice, to create a help file, technical writes prefer to use a full-featured help authoring tool that provides a visual editor to write the content of help topics with the possibility to insert hyperlinks, images, and also includes tools necessary to produce and maintain a middle-size or large documentation project.

Download HTML Help Workshop (HHC.exe compiler)

You can download MS HTML Help Workshop with the CHM file compiler (HHC.exe) by clicking the link below:

How to Create a CHM Help File

Thus, to create a CHM help file, you can download MS HTML Help Workshop for the help compiler and also a help authoring tool such as HelpSmith or Help and Manual which allow you to:

1. Add and write help topics using a built-in word processor with a spell checker.
2. Build the hierarchical Table of Contents by organizing your help topics into headings, sub-headings, and subsubheadings.
3. Associate topics with keywords to provide the alphabetical Index.
4. Add and manage graphic images to illustrate your help file.
5. Insert hyperlinks, lines, tables, any other objects in a visual editor without the need to deal with coding HTML.
6. Define settings of your help file such as title, copyright, language, and character set.
7. Compile your help project into the CHM file.

By using a help authoring tool, you can make a help file not only in the CHM format, but also in other formats including an online manual for your website, and printable PDF manual.

Add Context-sensitive Help to Your Application

Since the HTML Help format was created for use with Windows applications, it provides API allowing developers to integrate a .CHM file with their programs. Also, major IDEs such as Visual Studio and Embarcadero RAD Studio include components or interfaces that simplify integration of a CHM help file and providing context-sensitive help.

If you need to integrate a CHM help file with your application, below you can find code examples for different development environments:

CHM File Issues

When you view an existing CHM file, or produce your own one, you may face some of the known issues such as blocked content, or non-working search. In fact, these are quite frequent problems for which you can find an easy solution by clicking the below.

Advantages and Disadvantages of HTML Help

While HTML Help is a standard help file format on Windows, it may also be used to create and distribute other kinds of documentation including e-books.

Concerning the advantages of this help format, it should be pointed out that a CHM file has smaller size than separate HTML files thanks to the built-in LZX compression, it provides rich formatting possibilities of HTML and CSS for the help content, and also it includes the full-text search engine.

Among the disadvantages is the lack of native support of CHM files on non-Windows platforms such as Linux, Mac OS, and mobile systems like iOS and Android, not full Unicode support, and also the potential access issues mentioned above.

Download a Help Authoring Tool

You can download one of the recommendable help authoring tools that combines a rich feature-set, slight learning curve, and affordable price.

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