Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

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Do you still need local, non-server WebHelp?

Poll ended at Thu Jan 09, 2020 6:15 am

Yes, I need it even though eWriter is available
3
50%
No, I'm fine with eWriter as an alternative
3
50%
I don't care either way, I never used it anyway
0
No votes
 
Total votes: 6

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Tim Green
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Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Tim Green »

The V3 skins in the Premium Pack still have support for local WebHelp without a server. However, this has a number of drawbacks and now that eWriter is available with stand-alone Windows Store and Win32 viewers, the need for local WebHelp is all but eliminated. eWriter packages WebHelp in a single file that can be viewed and accessed locally on Windows computers with full support for context-sensitive calls to topics. In addition to this, calls to eWriter from your application always open in the same viewer, whereas every call to WebHelp opens a new browser tab or window. eWriter can use identical skins, so it looks exactly the same as WebHelp and you avoid having a whole folder full of vulnerable individual files. And eWriter files are neutral data files that can be distributed easily without any restrictions, even by email.

As a result of all this I would very much like to completely remove support for local WebHelp from the V3 skins in the next major update. It adds a lot of internal complexity and requires a divergent, non-standard URL syntax for local access. Removing it would make the scripts in the skins simpler and more efficient, and anyone who needs local WebHelp can get much better results with eWriter.

The question is, do you feel there is still a need for local WebHelp without a server? For example for use on other platforms (Linux, MacOS) where there is not (yet) an eWriter viewer available. Personally, I feel that even on those platforms, server-based WebHelp is still a better solution. It allows you to update your documentation whenever you like without redistribution of a complex package of individual files. So even there, local non-server WebHelp is a tiny, niche requirement that adds significant, otherwise unnecessary complexity to the entire system.
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Ted Carlson
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Re: Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Ted Carlson »

Good morning,
I am one of the users who would prefer to stay with WebHelp without a Server. My one and only project has grown substantially over the last 2 years. It has approximately 3100 images (4kb to 8mb each), 4500 topics, and an estimated 9000 links (mostly to open a PDF file to a specific page). I expect this project to triple in size over the next 4 years.

Originally this project only had a web presence so it was no big deal. About a year ago I started getting requests for a local version, since quite a few customers work in extremely remote areas with no reliable Internet connections or in environments where WiFi signals present a safety issue. WebHelp without a Server was an excellent solution.

After your original post I attempted to compile this project into an eWriter book with no success. I emailed an error report to you all but have not heard anything since (not surprising given the holidays and all). I did create a couple of small projects just to try some things out, and one big issue cropped up. My links in my current project are weblinks, and they do not appear to work in eWriter books. I would have to modify all of my existing links to include filelinks. Granted, I could write a VBA script to go through and modify but it would be painful.

If the error issue can be resolved I would be fine with going to the eWriter format.

Thanks,
Ted
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Tim Green
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Re: Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Ted,

Thanks very much for the comprehensive feedback on this. That's very helpful. Very large projects that need to be accessed locally are certainly one good argument for local WebHelp, since eWriter files do need to be loaded into memory entirely to be displayed, and we'll certainly consider that.
My links in my current project are weblinks, and they do not appear to work in eWriter books.
That's a little strange. In your eWriter settings, have you activated the option "Open external links in default browser"? That's crucial to getting good performance. Also, what are you linking to, files or web pages? And if files, what kind of files and where are they located relative to the eWriter file?
...emailed an error report to you all but have not heard anything since (not surprising given the holidays and all).
Where did you send it? I haven't seen that in the support mails and we also check the spam filter every day for false positives. 8)
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Ted Carlson
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Location: Washington, DC area
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Re: Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Ted Carlson »

Hi Tim,
In your eWriter settings, have you activated the option "Open external links in default browser"? That's crucial to getting good performance. Also, what are you linking to, files or web pages? And if files, what kind of files and where are they located relative to the eWriter file?
Yes, the option is active. Most of my web links are to PDF files, which are located in their own directory. A typical weblink would be "pdf/cbu.pdf#page=10" I also tried with the PDF located in the same directory as the eBook and that did not work either. The typical error message is a 404 Not Found.
Where did you send it? I haven't seen that in the support mails and we also check the spam filter every day for false positives. 8)
I sent it to the defaul email... bugreport (at) ec-software (dot) com. I still have it. Let me know if you want me to send it elsewhere.

Ted
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Tim Green
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Re: Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Tim Green »

Hi Ted,

Sorry, you actually do need to use file links to link files outside of eWriter. This is because the entire "web space" for eWriter is inside the the file, and there's no way you can link outside of its web space with an HTML URL. However, changing your links from web links to file links is actually quite simple. You just need to change this part of the link in the XML:

Code: Select all

type="weblink" href="NewProject.pdf" target="_blank"
into this:

Code: Select all

type="filelink" href="NewProject.pdf"
I.e. you change the type from "weblink" to "filelink" and remove the target= attribute. That should be quite simple to do globally on the XML source files using a multi-file search and replace tool like the free Notepad++.
I sent it to the defaul email... bugreport (at) ec-software (dot) com.
That address is only for automatic bug reports for Help+Manual itself. Any manual reports should always be sent to support AT ec-software.com (replace the AT with @).
Regards,
Tim (EC Software Documentation & User Support)

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Ted Carlson
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Location: Washington, DC area
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Re: Do you want local WebHelp without a Server?

Unread post by Ted Carlson »

Tim,
OK, I can do the file link thing. Actually I'll have to go thru each link and do a IF->THEN->ELSE to each one, so I can use the same pages on the website too. I have done this before when I was trying out various .chm things. Still prefer the Webhelp without a Server though.

Meanwhile, I have sent the bug report to your support address.

Ted
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