Help file to program. Best practice.

[DagSa 0]

Try to find a solution for help files to my autoit executable.
Its installed from simple XP-POS cash computers to desktop with windows 7, 8, 10.
The compiled AutoIt program itself work everywhere, but the help file??

I need a help file called from from the program and I don't really know what working best in all OS platforms.
1. A wordfile is helpful enough, but word is not installed everywhere.
2. RTF is very big files with pictures.
3. I could save it as pdf, but not all have it either.
4. Tried  .MHT file, but downside is browser could cover hole screen if browser closed this way. I have not found any way to resize it to specific size when open up.
5. Use of IE.au3 lib. Well it could open mht files ,but always got question about use it as default browser or not. Think this also make IE browser lose control so I could not resize.
6. Look at making a  .CHM file, but I don't think its the future do use that format. (.hlp is no no and old)

Any tips of do it in autoit or make a call to open up in some nice format working everywhere.
 

Edited September 14, 2017 by DagSa
typo

[careca 131]

.chm why not?

[DagSa 0]

After some more research I found that MHT created from a word file also create a lot of garbage. That is the reason I cant resize. Test code below.

; Open_Helpfile.au3
#include <IE.au3>

;Local $oIE = _IECreate("www.autoitscript.com")
;Local $oIE = _IECreate("file:///c:/projects/etikettmakarn/autoit/install_activate.mht")
;Local $oIE = _IECreate("file:///c:/projects/etikettmakarn/autoit/Home - AutoIt.mht")
Local $oIE = _IECreate("file:///c:/projects/etikettmakarn/autoit/google.mht")
;Sleep(1000)
;If Not _IEPropertyGet($oIE, "statusbar") Then _IEPropertySet($oIE, "statusbar", True)
Sleep(2000)
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "title","Etikettmakarn - Hjälp med Registrering")
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "menubar", 1)
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "statusbar", 1)
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "statustext", "Do you see this ????")
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "height", 500)
_IEPropertySet($oIE, "width", 700)
Exit

The only working mht file is the google page I created by firefox archive to mht plugin. Autoit homepage does also work as html. All other tested mht are to complicated and _IEPropeetySet don't work. I got this error message:

>Running:(3.3.14.2):C:\Program Files (x86)\AutoIt3\autoit3.exe "C:\Projects\EtikettMakarn\AutoIT\Open_Helpfile.au3"    
--> Press Ctrl+Alt+Break to Restart or Ctrl+Break to Stop
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IELoadWait, $_IESTATUS_ClientDisconnected (-2147417848, Browser has been deleted prior to operation.)
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_COMError (-2147417848)
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_InvalidObjectType
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_InvalidObjectType
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_InvalidObjectType
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_InvalidObjectType
--> IE.au3 T3.0-2 Error from function _IEPropertySet, $_IESTATUS_InvalidObjectType
+>15:47:39 AutoIt3.exe ended.rc:0

So problem is now how to clean the MHT code so it fit.
Question about default browser is coming up, but its a smaller problem.

[Skysnake 49]

CHM is the solution.  Note that Windows will only allow you to run CHM local, so you must copy it over the LAN before you can open it locally.

Skysnake

[DagSa 0]

26 minutes ago, careca said:

.chm why not?

Does it work from XP --> 10 ? I thought it work from windows 7. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms728460(v=vs.85).aspx
And I have to make the chm file. Its overkill for the moment to search for on or two pictures.
But could be easier compared to clean the MHT?

[careca 131]

I got win10 and the chm from autoit for example, works.