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Questions tagged [html-help]

Microsoft HTML Help is a help system to use compiled HTML web content (in ".chm" files) for help topics. Use this tag for questions about using the "HTMLHelp" API and for general questions about designing and using the system. Questions about building HTML Help content with the "HTML Help Workshop" program should use the [html-help-workshop] tag.

HTML Help was Microsoft first help system to use HTML web content for help topics and was first shipped with IE4 and Windows 95 many years ago. Microsoft have created other help systems since WinHelp (.hlp) and HTML Help (.chm) but they are tied to various systems:

  • MS Help 2.0 for Visual Studio 2002/2003/2005/2008 & Office help.
  • AP Help for Windows Vista OS/OEM help (based on MS Help 2)
  • MS Help Viewer 1.0 for Visual Studio 2010 help.
  • MS Help Viewer 2.0 for Visual Studio 2012 & Windows 8 OS/OEM help.

So for offline (local) help, HTML Help is the only Microsoft help platform available for general application help unless you turn to 3rd party solutions or use web pages.

HTML Help is in maintenance mode, which means no new features are expected for either the runtime or the compiler. Only critical updates will occur from here on. All mainstream development on HTML Help has stopped.

HTML Help Workshop is used to compile the content to a .chm compressed help file. The Table of Contents file (.hhc) and Index file (.hhk) are authored using Microsoft's free HTML Help Workshop tool or other 3rd party solutions. The HTML Help viewer (part of Windows Operating System) can then open and display the contents of the .chm help file using hyperlinks and standard TOC/Index/Search tabs to navigate the help content.

The HTML Help runtime files (needed to view a .chm help file) are part of the Operating System (Windows 95 and higher). When you double click a .chm help file the HTML Help Viewer (hh.exe) runs and displays your help file.

HTML Help is an older ANSI technology. This means when compiling foreign language help you must be on a foreign language machine or have Windows regional settings set correctly in Control Panel. To neglect this will cause problems with sorting etc. Using Unicode HTML topics will also cause problems. Always make sure your translators work in ANSI format.

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Is there a limited number of merge levels html help can retain index/search items for?

I created a RoboHelp html help project that merges three projects into a master project. Indexes and search terms work fine in the Master.chm. However, this Master.chm gets merged into another "Super-Master" application that my application is a…
Theodosius Von Richthofen
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Launch HTML Help as Separate Process

I am using XE7 64 and I am looking for a strategy to solve several problems I am having when displaying HTMLHelp files from within my applications (I have added the HTMLHelpViewer to my uses clause). The issues are the following: 1) Ctrl-c does not…
TomT
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How can I use HTMLHelpCtrl.ocx ActiveX control on a x64 platform

Actually we are running a x86 Windows Desktop C++ Qt application with HTMLHelpCtrl.ocx ActiveX control (all modules x86) in order to call the .chm HtmlHelp of the application. Now we want to port our application to x64. Unfortunately it is not…
Martin Pakula
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Migration VC++ 06 to Visual Studio 2012 : remove hcw from the compilation

I'm migrating a VC++ 06 project to Visual Studio 2012. I got an error when I compile. 1> Copying contents file... 1> the specified file is not found 1> Making help include file... 1> Making help file... 1> The system cannot find the file…
Gura
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Alternatives to HTMLhelp in VS2013

I'm porting an some code to VS2013, and ran across a linker error today: htmlhelp.lib(init.obj) : error LNK2026: module unsafe for SAFESEH image So, I'm faced with two alternatives: Find an htmlhelp.lib that's compatible, or find an…
Anthony Wieser
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If AKeyword is described on .chm file (html help) twice the application for Delphi XE2 freezes

We are using the following code to call html help by A-links on the application for Delphi XE2: var aLink: THH_AKLink; begin ZeroMemory(@aLink, SizeOf(aLink)); aLink.cbStruct := SizeOf(aLink); {$WARNINGS OFF} aLink.pszKeywords :=…
Dmitry
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htmlhelp.lib for Visual Studio 2012 MFC app?

Anyone know of 3rd party or open source alternatives to MS' old htmlhelp.lib library? It was compiled w/ an older version of Visual Studio and apparently is no longer supported. I'm porting an old program to VS.2012. Looks like the official way to…
kenyee
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How to add support of HTML help files (.chm) on Delphi XE2?

How to add support of HTML help files (.chm) on Delphi XE2? We need to use A-links (A-keywords) on HelpContext property of every control to lookup help pages. Delphi XE2 has native support of HTML help files by unit HTMLHelpViewer. But how to use…
Dmitry
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Microsoft HTML Help and Internet Explorer retirement

Does anyone know how Microsoft HTML Help is affected by the ongoing retirement of Internet Explorer? To browse .chm files, hh.exe is used, which internally uses hhctrl.ocx, which in turn uses old MSHTML (Trident) Internet Explorer rendering engine.
tibx
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Cannot instal HTML Help 1.3 in WindowsXP

My system is running on Windows XP. I downloaded Microsoft HTML Help Control.exe. When Double clicked error message shown is "HTML Help 1.3 cannot be installed on Windows 2000".
Vivek
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How to handle the Help button on CMFCPropertySheet / CMFCPropertyPage?

According to MSDN: Help in CPropertySheet is supported by the F1 key and the Help button only. The Help button appears in the application framework by default. No intervention by the user is necessary. When the user adds the help information for…
Andrew Truckle
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C# Help.ShowHelp White Right Panel network .chm

I am trying to start my help from my C# wpf application and so I use : System.Windows.Forms.Help.ShowHelp(null, @"//UNCPATH/Help.chm", System.Windows.Forms.HelpNavigator.Topic, "/GOOD_TOPIC.htm"); And this starts the hh.exe with the help but the…
user3704628
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Can't compile a HHP into CHM using HHC.EXE with Visual Studio 2017 RC

OK, I know this is for Visual Studio 6 but I have been able to compile CHM files from within Visual Studio for years: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa733976(v=vs.60).aspx Now, on 2017 RC, I am having problems. The Html Help folder is…
Andrew Truckle
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How can i open my .chm to be merged into another .chm into a new window?

Using Robohelp if it matters. How can i get the path at runtime of my help file in HtmlHelp? I have a .chm that is merged (but not by me, by the main application). How can i get the slave .chm to open in its own window when its entry in the TOC…
Theodosius Von Richthofen
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How can i stop context sensitive help from opening Help if that particular child isn't installed?

Finally got help working in a merged scenario. If there is a topic that doesn't exist, since the child .chm hasn't been installed in the directory, why does Help open anyway to a blank topic when F1 is pressed on that control? There is a mapping…
Theodosius Von Richthofen
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