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Generate Help Files For Your Programs...


The Ape
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Version: Development (Beta if you will)

All required files in zip... no executables... all source.

Screenshot at the bottom of this post.

DOWNLOAD: MY HELP.zip

UPDATE (1/8/08): Minor (annoying) bugs

UPDATE (12/25/07): Converted MY HELP to be compatible with 3.2.10.0

The intention of MY HELP is to allow Autoit programmers to generate help files for their applications in .Au3 format (which may be independently compiled into an executable), generate a single document Html file (suitable for web publishing), or generate a simple text file. "MY HELP'S" help file was created using this program. The program itself is how the generated help file would look (minus the Manage tab and the icons).

Features

• Customize the look of your help file with CSS (any changes and additions will be exported when generating a Html help file).

• Preview your work before you save... even CSS!

• Include relative links to existing files (if the directory structure isn't compromised, makes for easy web publishing).

• Import and include images, which are copied to the project folder (also relative).

• Add custom tags for quick inclusion while creating or editing a file.

• Quick text formatting generates well structured span tags (color, font family, size, background, style).

• Quickly include horizontal rule, line break, image, or paragraph via buttons or hotkeys.

• Append content to an existing file.

• Quick start allows you to quickly define categories and sub-categories.

• Maintain multiple projects (directories, folders, files) through a single interface.

• And, of course, export any project as a Autoit, Html, or Text file (images, Css, and configuration, are exported as well).

• Create personal "help files" for anything. Other uses...

* Organizer (Recipes, Cd/Lp/Dvd/Books, collectibles, etc.)

* Log (financial, journal, program, etc.)

* Snippets (code, urls, emails, etc.)

* ... create a single document web site

* ... experiment with Css and Html

* ... use as a writing tool to help organize ideas... brainstorm

The true advantage of such a program is its structure. You are capable of creating many projects, each having their own independent Css file and image folder. The structure of folders and files is no different than that of your OS. The difference is, MY HELP seemingly keeps everything separate from your typical OS structure. Everything seems to be contained within MY HELP. Really, the only advantage is to create a structure that you may become comfortable with, without the clutter and distractions of a typical OS.

So, for example and as a comparison... You could use MY HELP to create 10 different projects, for 10 different reasons, and access/maintain all of them "on the fly" through MY HELP.

Or, in spite of MY HELP, you could open Notepad/Word each time you need to create or make additions to a single file. Stumble through your files months later trying to find and organize them.

More importantly, aside from the possibilities concerning personal organization, MY HELP is intended to be a useful tool, for a useful community; a tool which may grow for, and because of, the community. Any help or contributions would be welcome. Any reported errors or bugs would be appreciated.

Requirements

• Autoit - MY HELP was created using version 3.2.10.0 and is being offered as a .Au3 file. Also, required to compile any generated .au3 files.

• Windows OS is questionable... I have no means of testing different versions.

• Internet Explorer is used for the internal browser and preview.

• Knowledge of CSS and HTML is beneficial. Basic knowledge of, at least, HTML is necessary (as previously stated, this could be an excellent tool to help learn CSS and HTML due to the non-destructive preview).

To-Do

• Make category and sub-category ordering independent of the users folder settings and the in-program tree and list options. Currently, trees and lists are being alphabetically ordered. However, if they weren't, then the users OS folder settings would determine the order they appear. I currently have nothing more than an extremely inefficient way of solving this... so, it is being excluded from this release.

• With the above... more directory/folder/file options: rename, move, import/export between projects and/or categories. This will be done, it's simply not priority due to the users ability to maintain these missing options through Windows Explorer (but, that defeats the purpose of this program... so, it will be done).

• WYSIWYG - Currently, I have a working prototype using Whizzy Wig (a simple, automated, embedded Html page). Unfortunately, it is not stable enough to include in this release.

• With the above... editor modes. Besides having a WYSIWYG editor, I would like to expand the normal Html editor with syntax highlighting and calltips (I am currently working with Scintilla.h.au3 and SciLexer.dll).

• Easy style editor. One which doesn't require the user to edit the Css more than pick values that would be inserted into the Css (much like the crap you see on Blogger).

• With the above... templates. Not only a pre-defined list of Css styles to choose from, but variations of the GUI, and the Html layout.

• Fix history. Currently, when a link is followed within the document it is not recorded in MY HELP’S history. So, the result is one page before the previous. However, right-click using IE’s history results in the previous document. Also, when a directory or file is removed... the history resets itself. The problem here isn't that it can't be fixed... it's just tedious and not priority. To retain the history after items have been removed, the file has to be removed from the content, index, and its directory. Then, bookmarks and history have to be cross checked to see if the file exists in either (not to mention, links to the removed file... which might exist in other files). Fixing history will likely be one of the last things to do.

post-15837-1198624232_thumb.jpg

Edited by The Ape
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well nice job

testing now

but can u tell me what version of autoit u used for this

cause I'me having a problem with

Guilist.au3

GuiCombo.au3

Edited by star2

[quote]Baby you're all that I want, When you're lyin' here in my armsI'm findin' it hard to believe, We're in heavenAnd love is all that I need , And I found it there in your heartIt isn't too hard to see, We're in heaven .Bryan Adams[/quote].............................................................................[u]AUTOIT[/u]

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Hi,

would be nice if you update it to latest version of Autoit.

So long,

Mega

Scripts & functions Organize Includes Let Scite organize the include files

Yahtzee The game "Yahtzee" (Kniffel, DiceLion)

LoginWrapper Secure scripts by adding a query (authentication)

_RunOnlyOnThis UDF Make sure that a script can only be executed on ... (Windows / HD / ...)

Internet-Café Server/Client Application Open CD, Start Browser, Lock remote client, etc.

MultipleFuncsWithOneHotkey Start different funcs by hitting one hotkey different times

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Updated first post. Converted MY HELP to be compatible with 3.2.10.0.

99% seems to be working fine. There are a few minor bugs, which I will look at tomorrow (nothing that will hinder the generation process or its product - I will explain when all is fixed). I just wanted to get the update going.

So, thanks for the "heads up" all... and sorry. Not exactly the release I had in mind. :)

Edited by The Ape
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Cool, seems to work very well. Great job!

Thanks.

I just wanted to say that I started this project before 3.2.10.0 was released and I actually thought I was up to date the whole time. I just got done reviewing the new docs for 3.2.10.0 and my eyes are literally bigger than my face! :) I can't believe all the new stuff! It's incredible! Anyway, I'm already seeing a lot of room for improvement.

It's kind of like it's all new again!

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Nice One!

...five stars from me

8)

Valuater! Thank you very much!

Updated "download" in first post. Nothing major. Minor fix with _GUICtrlComboBox_SelectString. I hadn't realized the parameters were changed from _GUICtrlComboSelectString (ordering). Also, adjusted to GUIConstants"Ex".au3.

Again, nothing very noticeable, I just wanted to get it back to the way it was before I made it compatible with 3.2.10.0.

I'm definitely going to make changes/additions due to the newly discovered functions. I'm not going to adjust the "to-do" list, however. These changes will mostly be cosmetic. So... I'll post what I can when I get to it. Most likely, I will not update again until something gets done from the "to-do" list, or, if a bug is reported. My intention is to complete the "to-do" list and release a finished application within the next couple months. I am currently bouncing back and forth between this project, the "game competition" project, and restructuring my site. Happy coding, all!

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This is ausom!!!

Ive been looking all over for a free help file creator that does not leave a sig lol.

I think that I founf a bug that you might want to look at. The editor does not produce a back ground color. Just figured I would report that.

I really love the script man!!!

Spoiler

 

"If a vegetarian eats vegetables,What the heck does a humanitarian eat?"

"I hear voices in my head, but I ignore them and continue on killing."

"You have forced me to raise the indifference warning to beige, it's a beige alert people. As with all beige alerts please prepare to think about the possibility of caring."

An optimist says that giving someone power DOESN'T immediately turn them into a sadist. A pessimist says that giving someone power doesn't IMMEDIATELY turn them into a sadist.

 

 
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I think that I founf a bug that you might want to look at. The editor does not produce a back ground color. Just figured I would report that.

The "editor background" changes just the color of the editor. It has no effect on the Html files "MY HELP" writes.

Is this what you are referring to? The BGC of your files?

Thanks for the feedback. :)

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  • 2 weeks later...

Updated first post.

Nothing major... just annoying.

Also, I'm trying out a different file host (snapdrive).

Changed: When removing files from content or index, items are simply removed rather than reset after removing file from directory (makes it a bit faster).

Changed: When editing a page, white space was building up during each edit (if saved). Removed white space before populating editor.

Fixed: Bug with "duplicate" and edit control focus.

Added: More special characters (replacement of) to the text generation process.

The only file that has changed in the zip is "MY HELP.au3"

Currently (still) working on the to-do list.

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  • 4 weeks later...

This is going to be used in my upcomeing product. Thank you for makeing it. :)

Spoiler

 

"If a vegetarian eats vegetables,What the heck does a humanitarian eat?"

"I hear voices in my head, but I ignore them and continue on killing."

"You have forced me to raise the indifference warning to beige, it's a beige alert people. As with all beige alerts please prepare to think about the possibility of caring."

An optimist says that giving someone power DOESN'T immediately turn them into a sadist. A pessimist says that giving someone power doesn't IMMEDIATELY turn them into a sadist.

 

 
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  • 2 months later...

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