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Technical documentation, online help and manuals are increasingly distributed as HTML on CD or DVD, or installed locally together with the software. The HTML-based “WebHelp” generated by modern documentation tools like Help+Manual, RoboHelp and Doc-to-Help comes with powerful navigation, search and other features and displays in standard web browsers, making it very user-friendly and accessible.

The problem is that browsers are increasingly implementing security features that prevent WebHelp from running properly when it is opened from local drives or optical media without a web server. It used to be possible to get Internet Explorer to run JavaScript locally with the help of proprietary tags. However, the latest versions of modern browsers like Google Chrome are now making it all but impossible to use scripts that communicate between the frames or iFrames needed to display a scrolling table of contents, topics and other elements on the same page.

Help+Manual 2 Go is a mini web server that solves this problem: It consists of a single 1.7MB file that contains everything needed to serve a complete WebHelp system to the local browser - even when opened from optical media. The browser sees a normal web server and behaves accordingly, opening the WebHelp with full functionality. You just need to store the HM2GO.EXE file on the CD or install it along with your software and start it together with the WebHelp documentation.

For more information please browse:
http://www.helpandmanual.at/hm2go.html

JTF Associates announced the Tech Comm Toolbox. One of the most common questions heard on many forums is “What tool do you use for [purpose]?” Answers vary, of course, because everyone has their own favorites and some folks will even answer that the right tool is “the one that best meets your needs”.

Sometimes, many people will answer that you need to look at the different tools, download trial versions, and test. But where is the list of tools to choose from?

It’s at TechComm Toolbox, your online resource for all applications, services, and consultants related to technical communication.

For further information please see:
http://techcommtoolbox.com

Easy to use online PDF to Word doc converter. To start click on “Browse” button and select the PDF file you want to convert. Then click on “Convert and Download” and wait for conversion to complete. Download the ready Microsoft Word document to your computer.

Features:

• Convert PDF to Word online.
• Convert as many files as you like.
• No restriction on the individual PDF file size.
• No registration required.

Check out www.convertpdftoword.net

Paul O’Rear [MS] (was a Help MVP) has finally got his Namespace# 2.0 tool released on the MS web site. And it’s free! :-) 

A nice MS Help 2.0 diagnostics tool that goes beyond the features of Namespace.exe (free tool with VS SDK). It allows you to view all Help 2.0 namespaces on your system and drill into the files and information associated with each namespace.

• http://code.msdn.microsoft.com/NamespaceSharp
  Click on the “Download” tab.

Great tool. Very similar features to our FAR H2 Utilities and reads Namespace information a little faster than FAR. Requires .NET 2.0 runtime (which you should already have if VS is installed).

Welcome to HelpInfo.eu Blog! This is the initial release of this blog and the primary concern is to support the Help Community (Microsoft Online Help).