FINAL BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

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Alexander Halser
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Alexander Halser »

Download link for beta 11:
http://download.ec-software.com/ewriter-beta-11.zip

Fixed:

1) Invalid icons might prevent the eBook from starting
2) Admin mode doesn't work at the moment (but did before)
3) Probably fixed: occasional errors when compiling the eBook ("resource update failed")

Thanks to Jeff for the icon! It just had an unfortunate size, but that could have happened with any other icon as well. The bug was in the function that searches for the data offset in the viewer. This has been implemented with a very fast search with a Boyer-Moore algorithm, and with a tiny bug that ran into an endless loop when the data offest exactly matched the buffer boundaries.

To all users who experienced a DOA, please try beta 11!
Alexander Halser
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bsonnino
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by bsonnino »

Alexander Halser wrote:Thanks! I can duplicate the problem as you described it. We are on it...
Ok, so you don'n need the icon anymore, no?

Bruno
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by jgodfrey »

Alexander Halser wrote:Download link for beta 11:
http://download.ec-software.com/ewriter-beta-11.zip

Fixed:

1) Invalid icons might prevent the eBook from starting
Yep, that's a winner. The offending icon is no longer problematic. Thanks Alexander!

Jeff
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Martin Wynne
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Martin Wynne »

Hi Alexander,

A few problems:

1. Keyboard shortcuts:

Working:
Ctrl+C Copy
Home
End
Up/Down arrows

Not working:
Ctrl+A Select All
Ctrl+Plus, Ctrl+Minus, Ctrl+0 Zooming (Zooming is possible using Ctrl+MouseWheel.)
Ctrl+Home
Ctrl+End

2. F7 Caret Browsing is not recognised and can't be turned on.

3. F11 Full Screen is not recognised and can't be turned on.

4. It is not obvious to the user that Internet Explorer is being used internally. If javascript is off in IE it is also off in eWriter and the pages don't work -- but the user has no way of knowing that the solution lies in his IE settings (which he may not want to change).

Why use IE after years of suggesting to users that other browsers are preferable? Can eWriter be made to use Firefox to render the pages instead?

regards,

Martin.
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Larry Nelson
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Larry Nelson »

Tim, I was using Premium Pack 2.31. Now I've downloaded 2.33. I've looked in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin (date stamp shows as 17/01/2014 on my machine, size is 489 KB), and I still cannot find the code.
Tim Green wrote:Hi Larry,
Tim, many thanks. I can't find the code in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin. It's there; I should look harder?
No, that just means that the Premium Pack skin you are using is out of date and you need to download the current version anyway. 8) You can get it with the download link and password you received when you purchased the Premium Pack.

If you no longer have the information, or if you have an old link that no longer works, please mail me at support AT ec-software.com (replace the AT with @) and I'll help you out. Please include your current PP version number, which you can find in the introduction sections of the Premium Pack help chapter in the main Help & Manual help.
Larry Nelson
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Mike Linacre
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Mike Linacre »

Alexander and Tim: Beta 11 worked for me. The same configuration file with the same icon succeeded in Beta 11 that had failed in Beta 10.
bsonnino
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by bsonnino »

Alexander:

This version works fine with the icon and in kiosk mode, but in kiosk mode, when I navigate to some page, the top bar appears, but it cannot be clicked. It could not be there, and if there, it could be clicked.

Bruno
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Tim Green
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Larry,
Larry Nelson wrote:Tim, I was using Premium Pack 2.31. Now I've downloaded 2.33. I've looked in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin (date stamp shows as 17/01/2014 on my machine, size is 489 KB), and I still cannot find the code.
See the image below to locate the place where you need to look for it:
pp1template_edit99.png
pp1template_edit99.png (39.36 KiB) Viewed 7963 times
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Larry Nelson
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Larry Nelson »

Hello again, Tim, and thanks for your assistance.

Yes, I can also find the code in slate_blue_horiz.hmskin.

But I cannot find it in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin.

Cheers, Larry
Larry Nelson
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Larry Nelson
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Larry Nelson »

Hello again, Tim, and thanks much for your assistance.

Yes, I can also find the code in slate_blue_horiz.hmskin.

But I cannot find it in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin.

Cheers, Larry
Tim Green wrote:Hi Larry,
Larry Nelson wrote:Tim, I was using Premium Pack 2.31. Now I've downloaded 2.33. I've looked in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin (date stamp shows as 17/01/2014 on my machine, size is 489 KB), and I still cannot find the code.
See the image below to locate the place where you need to look for it:
pp1template_edit99.png
Larry Nelson
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Curtin University
Western Australia
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Tim Green
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Larry,
But I cannot find it in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin.
That's because it's not there. 8) I didn't deal with that skin because the screenshot you posted was only from the older skin type. You shouldn't have that problem with the Premium Pack 2 WebHelp skins, so you don't need to make any change there.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Larry Nelson
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Larry Nelson »

Hmmm, I certainly do have the problem and, in fact, it's not at all limited to the new eBook compiler. I have two or three websites made with H&M 6, with specially-adapted modifications of WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin, and they are all prone to the problem. It doesn't happen all the time, but, on the other hand, it does indeed happen frequently, especially with IE (not so much with Chrome).
Tim Green wrote:Hi Larry,
But I cannot find it in WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin.
That's because it's not there. 8) I didn't deal with that skin because the screenshot you posted was only from the older skin type. You shouldn't have that problem with the Premium Pack 2 WebHelp skins, so you don't need to make any change there.
Larry Nelson
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Tim Green
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Larry,
I have two or three websites made with H&M 6, with specially-adapted modifications of WebHelp_SlateGrey.hmskin, and they are all prone to the problem.
The phrase "specially adapted" is probably the key there, in particular as it is also likely that your adapted version is based on an older version of the skin. You can mail me a copy of the skin and a demo project illustrating the problem at support AT ec-software.com (replace the AT with @) and I can check it for you if you like.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Alexander Halser
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Alexander Halser »

@Martin:
1. Keyboard shortcuts:
2. F7 Caret Browsing is not recognised and can't be turned on.
3. F11 Full Screen is not recognised and can't be turned on.


That's correct and intentional behavour. Keyboard shortcuts are suppressed to protect the content of the eBook.
4. It is not obvious to the user that Internet Explorer is being used internally. If javascript is off in IE it is also off in eWriter and the pages don't work -- but the user has no way of knowing that the solution lies in his IE settings (which he may not want to change).
This is true. But it won't matter much in Help & Manual, because the Webhelp/eBook output of H&M works even when Javascript is off. The old exe viewer did not support Javascript at all, so it is a huge step forward.
Why use IE after years of suggesting to users that other browsers are preferable? Can eWriter be made to use Firefox to render the pages instead?
Because MSIE is the built-in display engine for HTML content on Windows. On other OS it would/will be a different browser. The viewer relies on the OS-specific built-in display engine, using FF for instance would probably make the viewer 10-20 MB in size instead of 1 MB.
Alexander Halser
Senior Software Architect, EC Software GmbH
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Mike Linacre
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Re: BETA: New HTML-to-EXE eBook compiler for download

Unread post by Mike Linacre »

Alexander wrote: "it won't matter much in Help & Manual, because the Webhelp/eBook output of H&M works even when Javascript is off."

Except the e-Book Search Tab stops working when IE Scripting is disabled, even though the .chm Search Tab does work.
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