[ros-dev] Implementing a help system

Karim Liman-Tinguiri kltinguiri at gmail.com
Tue Feb 22 12:17:45 CET 2005


There is no need to, since the documentation at
http://www.geocities.com/mwinterhoff/helpfile.htm is more than
complete.


On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 21:37:20 +1300, Wesley Parish
<wes.parish at paradise.net.nz> wrote:
> On Tue, 22 Feb 2005 04:08, Karim Liman-Tinguiri wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > I've recently joined the ReactOS project (1) where I intend to work as
> > a coder primarily. After downloading the LiveCD and trying it out, I
> > found out it lacks (amongst many) a help system. I believe it should
> > be added amongst the urgent TO-DOs checklist now that the OS runs,
> > provides a minimal GUI, and is stable. Built-in user assistance is
> > essential since the React Operating System is intended for the large
> > audience; not only for hackers.
> >
> > Therefore I am wondering if there is a current project started to code
> > one. If not, I plan to code an open-source version of the winhlp32.exe
> > file located in the system folder able to open and show windows .hlp
> > files. The goal is to have a winhlp32.exe that runs and behaves
> > exactly like (or very close to) that of the Microsoft copyrighted
> > winhlp32.exe. It should therefore be able to serve existing windows
> > apps with a help server without any modification to the program. I've
> > verified the dependencies of winhlp32.exe; all of them have already
> > been implemented in ReactOS, so it should not be a big deal to code it
> > from scratch. Despite the fact that the .hlp file format isn't
> > officially documented, it has already been reverse engineered and its
> > documentation can be found on the web (2). However, if there already
> > is a help support project up and running, I intend to join it.
> 
> If I remember rightly, there was an article in DDJ in the early nineties on
> the structure of the MS Win Help files.  If my memory serves me right, it
> takes the form of a compressed file system.
> 
> Search on the DDJ site - they've got an archive of articles - failing that,
> get in touch with the editors.
> 
> Wesley Parish
> >
> > Besides, as soon as this is ready (why not before ?), I advise we
> > convert all documentation on the reactos.com's library (and all
> > further documentation) to the DocBook (SGML) format: it has the
> > advantage of being easily converted on-the-fly to pdf, html,
> > post-script and many others. A tool chain to convert it to .hlp will
> > however have to be created (meanwhile we can use the standard tools
> > for compiling .hlp files).
> >
> > (1) I'm referring to the developer mailing list
> > (2) http://www.geocities.com/mwinterhoff/helpfile.htm
> > _______________________________________________
> > Ros-dev mailing list
> > Ros-dev at reactos.com
> > http://reactos.com:8080/mailman/listinfo/ros-dev
> 
> --
> Clinersterton beademung, with all of love - RIP James Blish
> -----
> Mau e ki, he aha te mea nui?
> You ask, what is the most important thing?
> Maku e ki, he tangata, he tangata, he tangata.
> I reply, it is people, it is people, it is people.
>


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