Downloaded CHM file contents blank

[Ed Dressel]

We have a CHM file we wanted to share with a company. I compiled it and it looks fine on my computer.

When I sent it via MS Teams to a coworker to check and the contents are blank. When I download the same file I sent in Teams, the contents are blank. When I compare the downloaded file with the one I produced, they are the same. Sigh.

FYI... I am compiling inside the IDE and there are no compiler messages.

Thank you,

Ed Dressel

[Tim Green]

Hi Ed,

You and every other user of Microsoft Windows everywhere in the world. CHM files have been banned on network drives, external drives and the Internet for many years, ever since Windows XP SP2. This is for security reasons, because of the unrestricted support for ActiveX in the CHM viewer, which would make them a powerful malware vector. They are now exclusively a local format that can only be used for documenting software installed directly on local drives. For help accessed on networks or the Internet you need to use WebHelp accessed in a browser.

Programmers can solve the problem by adding code to their applications to make a local copy of the CHM file on the user's computer and then making their help calls to this copy. However, since H&M makes it very easy to publish the same project to both CHM and WebHelp (it's just a question of selecting a different output format when you compile) it's no problem to produce different version for each scenario: HTML Help for help that must be installed on local computers and WebHelp for help on networks.

In the current version of Help+Manual you also have the option of using the new EWriter format, which combines the benefits of CHM and WebHelp and eliminates the disadvantages of both:

https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/inde ... writer.htm

CHM files sent by email or downloaded directly:

There is also one other case where you can experience this: If you mail or otherwise send a CHM file via the Internet, Windows will notice this and will automatically block the CHM as a security measure. When this happens you can unblock it by right-clicking on it in Windows Explorer, selecting Properties and then "Unblock" at the bottom of the Properties dialog displayed.

[Ed Dressel]

Thank you.

What is the "I=..." setting for compiling to WebHelp, and what are some of the options. i.e. my CHM settings include:

I=CHM,OPT_FB,OPT_HDBG,OPT_HDLOGO,...

I searched the H&M help but didn't find anything.

Much appreciated.

[John Johann]

Those are the include options.
You can find more info here:
https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/hm_a ... yntax.html

[Ed Dressel]

Thank you.

What is the extension of an ebook? My .ini file looks like this:

Code: Select all

EBook=..\Output\TRAKWebHelp.EWriter
I=EBook,...
V=..\Compiler\VariablesStreet.txt

I tried (after looking at the help file) .ebk and .epub but neither worked.

[Tim Green]

Hi Ed,

The EBOOK reference needs to be all caps as shown in the documentation, the capitalization is important. The full syntax is available here:

https://www.helpandmanual.com/help/hm_a ... yntax.html