English letters not shown properly when compiled in JPN env.

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Akira KAKINOHANA
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:41 am

English letters not shown properly when compiled in JPN env.

Unread post by Akira KAKINOHANA »

Hello,

I'm having the following case and wondering if this has been observed in the past:

 (1) Create an HMX file in English Windows environment.
 (2) Open that HMX file (created in (1)) in Japanese Windows environment, and..
  (2-1) Select "Project | Project Properties..", select "Language Settings" under Common Properties, and select the following :
   - Language of Help file* : 日本語 (日本)
   - Font charset : SHIFTJIS_CHARSET
   - Default Font : MS P Gothic,8.0
   - Unicode Mode : Force UNICODE text
  (2-2) compile a CHM file.
 (3) In the compiled CHM file, some letters are not shown properly.
*The text "日本語 (日本)" means "Japanese (Japan)".

Used H&M version : 4.3.0 Build 1138

Thank you in advance!
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Tim Green
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Re: English letters not shown properly when compiled in JPN

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Akira,

Help & Manual 4 is several years out of date and is not really supported directly any more. Also, the copy you are using is out of date as well, the final version is 4.5. You can download the installer with the link down at the bottom of the main download page here:

http://www.helpandmanual.com/downloads.html

This may help. In addition to this you should also select a Unicode font that includes all of the characters in your project in both languages, or set separate fonts for the English and Japanese sections, with suitable fonts in both cases. Otherwise you will get automatic Windows font substitution for the missing characters and this may look strange and have incorrect kerning. You can also try switching the CID font mode between off and Unicode in your Font Embedding settings (Project Properties > PDF > Font Embedding).

Finally, you should also check the printer driver being used for PDF. H&M uses a printer driver to generate PDFs. You can access the reference printer driver settings in HM4 in Tools > Customize > PDF Export. By default, H&M will use the screen device driver, but you can often get better results by using a real printer driver. By the same token, some printer drivers can also cause problems, particularly optimized drivers from printer manufacturers. It is generally better to use one of the standard drivers supplied with Windows.

Activate and select one of the known good standard drivers included with Windows. You don't have to actually have the physical printer. Just add the driver with Add Printer in the printer section of the Windows Control Panel and then select it as your reference driver in Help & Manual. The standard Windows Brother HL-2040 and HL-2060 drivers deliver good results, and standard LaserJets and DeskJets are usually also OK.

Important Notes:

DON'T use use "PDF printer drivers" like Adobe Distiller for this! This will not work properly and is actually counter-productive.

The default page size set for the printer driver in the Windows control panel must be at least as large as the page size you have set in your print manual template. If it is smaller you will get clipping in your PDF pages.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
Akira KAKINOHANA
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:41 am

Upgrading H&M version (with concurrent license)

Unread post by Akira KAKINOHANA »

Dear Tim Green

Thank you very much for your prompt and detailed answer!

If I understood you correctly, the first thing I should do is to upgrade the version of the Help & Manual.

The version I'm using is, as written in the original post, 4.3.0. This is run by concurrent license. Would I be able to upgrade the Help and Manual version by simply specifying the location, where the EXE file of version 4.3.0 is located (on the network)?

Thank you very much in advance!
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Tim Green
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Re: English letters not shown properly when compiled in JPN

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Akira,

Would I be able to upgrade the Help and Manual version by simply specifying the location, where the EXE file of version 4.3.0 is located (on the network)?
Yes, just run the installer (you can do this from a client machine or from the server) and choose the location where the current EXE is stored as the installation location. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

Private support:
Please do not email or PM me with private support requests -- post to the forum directly.
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