Editing Windows .hlp files

[Guest Franc Zabkar]

I need to edit/translate a Russian language .hlp file. Does anyone

know of a suitable freeware help file editor that runs under Windows

98? Is it even possible to do this? I'd rather not re-create the help

file from scratch as the original has some embedded graphics.

 

- Franc Zabkar

--

Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Editing Windows .hlp files

 

Check this Franc:

http://www.helpscribble.com/decompiler.html See section titles "Decompiling

Existing HLP Files". It suggests that HLP files are compiled from HPJ and

RTF files, plus any image files. Suggests that the text first section

provides for a HLP compiler.

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote in message

news:jj4do3d95q12fpcbat0plcfmbi2fgae68u@4ax.com...

>I need to edit/translate a Russian language .hlp file. Does anyone

> know of a suitable freeware help file editor that runs under Windows

> 98? Is it even possible to do this? I'd rather not re-create the help

> file from scratch as the original has some embedded graphics.

>

> - Franc Zabkar

> --

> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

[Guest Alan Edwards]

Re: Editing Windows .hlp files

 

Not exactly what you asked for as it is not freeware but I played

about with this a long time ago with Win98.

Help to RTF - http://www.herdsoft.com/catalog/ehlp2rtf.html

 

I see I still have 2.12 installed on a Win98 machine though I didn't

ever seriously use it.

 

....Alan

--

Alan Edwards, MS MVP Windows - Internet Explorer

http://dts-l.com/index.htm

 

 

 

On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 09:08:31 +1100, in

microsoft.public.win98.gen_discussion, Franc Zabkar

<fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote:

>I need to edit/translate a Russian language .hlp file. Does anyone

>know of a suitable freeware help file editor that runs under Windows

>98? Is it even possible to do this? I'd rather not re-create the help

>file from scratch as the original has some embedded graphics.

>

>- Franc Zabkar

[Guest Franc Zabkar]

Re: Editing Windows .hlp files

 

On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:06:53 -0800, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> put

finger to keyboard and composed:

>Check this Franc:

>http://www.helpscribble.com/decompiler.html See section titles "Decompiling

>Existing HLP Files". It suggests that HLP files are compiled from HPJ and

>RTF files, plus any image files. Suggests that the text first section

>provides for a HLP compiler.

 

Thanks, that worked! The decompiler extracted the HPJ and RTF files,

as well as the WMF images.

 

Thanks to Alan as well.

 

- Franc Zabkar

--

Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

[Guest Gary S. Terhune]

Re: Editing Windows .hlp files

 

Well, I THOUGHT I'd posted an update, but it's disappeared (not even in my

Sent box).

 

Microsoft has it's own "Microsoft Help Workshop". It works very nicely.

http://download.microsoft.com/download/office97dev/helpws97/4.03/win98/en-us/hcwsetup.exe

 

I had problems with the compiler provided by that other site, so I went

looking some more. While playing with the above, I found a cute one. If you

Cancel the installation of the above, after accepting the EULA (when it

offers a WinHelp dialogue with Cancel or Next), the final dialogue has a

button that says, "Darn!" instead of "OK". Had me wondering until I found

the file at MS and checked it out.

 

--

Gary S. Terhune

MS-MVP Shell/User

http://www.grystmill.com

 

"Franc Zabkar" <fzabkar@iinternode.on.net> wrote in message

news:d9ffo31v5rl08k6fanq0is3md5fd9mc3uo@4ax.com...

> On Thu, 10 Jan 2008 15:06:53 -0800, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> put

> finger to keyboard and composed:

>

>>Check this Franc:

>>http://www.helpscribble.com/decompiler.html See section titles

>>"Decompiling

>>Existing HLP Files". It suggests that HLP files are compiled from HPJ and

>>RTF files, plus any image files. Suggests that the text first section

>>provides for a HLP compiler.

>

> Thanks, that worked! The decompiler extracted the HPJ and RTF files,

> as well as the WMF images.

>

> Thanks to Alan as well.

>

> - Franc Zabkar

> --

> Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

[Guest Franc Zabkar]

Re: Editing Windows .hlp files

 

On Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:47:16 -0800, "Gary S. Terhune" <none> put

finger to keyboard and composed:

>Well, I THOUGHT I'd posted an update, but it's disappeared (not even in my

>Sent box).

>

>Microsoft has it's own "Microsoft Help Workshop". It works very nicely.

>http://download.microsoft.com/download/office97dev/helpws97/4.03/win98/en-us/hcwsetup.exe

>

>I had problems with the compiler provided by that other site, so I went

>looking some more. While playing with the above, I found a cute one. If you

>Cancel the installation of the above, after accepting the EULA (when it

>offers a WinHelp dialogue with Cancel or Next), the final dialogue has a

>button that says, "Darn!" instead of "OK". Had me wondering until I found

>the file at MS and checked it out.

 

Thanks. I had already found that freeware compiler and used it to

create a new HLP file after translating the original Russian RTF to

English.

 

BTW, Google's "translator" still has a looong way to go.

 

For anyone interested in creating their own help documentation (in

..hlp format, not .chm), this freeware looks promising:

 

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Authoring-tools/Help-e-book-creators/Shalom-Help-Maker.shtml

 

- Franc Zabkar

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Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.