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> -----Original Message-----
> From: Murrell, Thomas
>
> David, we haven't tried to create HTML Help files, if that is
> what you are
> wanting to do, but we have had success creating HTML pages
> from MS Word
> templated documents using a product from InfoAccess called
> "HTML Transit."
---
I'll second that -- this is how I produce HTML Help because it offers a lot
of flexibility. However, it isn't the most efficient way of doing things.
For example, HTML Transit doesn't (in version 3) create the HHC and HHK
files -- you have to do that in HTML Help Workshop or a third party utility.
For a really quick way of producing HTML Help, have a look at WebLite by
Virtual Media -- the same people who produce HDK (I think that the URL is http://www.vmtech.com/). You input an RTF into this, configure how WebLite
should split the file into topics, choose from a variety of HTML formats
(including HTML Help), and click Compile. That's it -- once you've
configured it for your source files, you can produce HTML Help from an RTF
in minutes. On the down side, the formatting isn't very versatile and I've
found it necessary to decompile the resulting CHM, attach a stylesheet to
all the topic files, and then recompile. This process takes less than an
hour with the right tools, so it's still a lot faster than with Transit.
Another limitation is that WebLite only works with one source file at a
time -- so if you have a multifile source, you must stitch the files
together before invoking WebLite.
If you don't mind putting in a bit of effort restructuring the source
document, Doc-To-Help offers yet another alternative. This offers true
single-sourced documentation. That is, you can produce good-looking printed
docs, HTML Help, and WinHelp from the same files. However, each of these
targets has its own limitations and D2H tends to work to the lowest common
denominator.
Just a few thoughts,
Geoff Lane
Cornwall, UK
geoff -at- gjctech -dot- co -dot- uk
