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When our Compiled HTML Help (.chm) file (created with Author-It) is opened, it looks 'dated' because the HTML Help application (even on Windows 7) doesn't appear to enable 'visual styles'. Is there a way to enable visual styles (common controls 6) when opening a .chm file?

HTML Help screenshot http://www.arachnetech.com/temp/HTMLHelp.png

This is Windows 7, but note the old-style Contents/Index/Search tabs and (although less important) the Windows 2000-style buttons in the dialog.

If this is a limitation of compiled HTML help, is there something newer and better that we could use?

Helen
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davidm_uk
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2 Answers2

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Not easily. If it doesn't automatically, it doesn't autodetect XP+ theming support, and thus won't react to later themes.

It might be possible by putting a hh.exe.manifest file next to it. (in the windows dir, next to the hh.exe file), but probably hh.exe is only a runner for the main hhctrl.ocx, and I don't know if the activeX applet would inherit the manifest.

I also don't know if this kind of XP manifests can also be in an external file (like UAC manifests), and/or if they need special installing if they do.

I dug into my links, and I found a reference how to create such manifest for older Delphi's:

http://delphi.about.com/library/bluc/text/uc111601a.htm

It also warns to some of the dangers

updated I suddenly remember that there are indeed windows style flags in the CHM too.

See table 5.51 in http://chmspec.nongnu.org/latest/INI.html#HHP and then specially field 14 and 15

Marco van de Voort
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  • Thanks, Marco. I feared that might be the case (although obviously I was hoping that someone would say "just set the XXX flag in the .chm"! – davidm_uk Sep 26 '12 at 09:05
  • Hmm. Maybe. Have a look at the updated text in the post. Your remark jogged some memory that there were winapi related values in the chm .hhp file too. – Marco van de Voort Sep 26 '12 at 10:16
  • Interesting, thanks. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think the style and extended style flags are sufficient to enable Windows visual styles though, are they? – davidm_uk Sep 27 '12 at 12:54
  • I've no idea, I only knew these exist when I implemented the chm compiler. I never looked further into them. – Marco van de Voort Sep 27 '12 at 13:02
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One answer (not the one I was looking for) is to use a 3rd Party CHM viewer. Examples found by Google (I've not personally tried these) are:

davidm_uk
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