HelpExplorer 3.0 review

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HelpExplorer is a full-feature system of help for OS Linux

License: Shareware
File size: 10540K
Developer: KAMA Software
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HelpExplorer is a full-feature system of help for OS Linux. HelpExplorer project gives a wide range of capacities to customize the user’s interface and it can be easily integrated into your applications.

One of the main advantages of this system is 100% support of both MS-HTML Help 1.x (CHM) and WinHelp help file format widely used in OS Windows. It enables to use the same files of documents for applications of OS Linux and OS Windows.

Is a stand alone viewer for Linux, which enables to view and use in your applications files in MS-HTML Help 1.x (CHM) and WinHelp help file format. A full range of WinHelp API including macro engine, popup windows, quick links and others will be at your disposal. HelpExplorer has enormous capacities to customize the user’s interface.

You will be able to create and hide windows, to set up toolbar and main menu, to redirect dynamically demonstrations of pages and to activate programs from outside. All this will enable to provide your applications with a help system which is easily understood. HelpExplorer supports a full range of codes and international types which are set up in your Linux X-Server.

The program has two built-in search mechanisms: an indexed one and a common “key phrase” one. The first one is quicker and is based on information contained in *.hlp file. Every topic has associations with one or several key words. If you have chosen a key word which is meant in several topics then you will see a dialogue with titles of topics in which this word is meant.

You can either pass to the topic you are interested in or return to editing key words. A common search is more slowly and is based on consequent scanning of all topics. Key words should be entered with a space or a coma. This way of searching ensures you to find the very information you are interested in.

HelpExplorer – is a multi-window system of help. This means that there is one main menu and a number of additional ones. Additional windows are made by Help Tools. Every window is independent and has its own toolbar and a set of regulating buttons in it. Every window fixes its own list of histories and this list is navigated with the buttons History Back, History Forward.

Besides the above mentioned functions the main menu has additional capacities. The upper part of a window contains Main Menu with a set of standard functions. This includes functions of opening files, change of type size, activation of help and others. The main window exists always and the name "main" is assigned to it.

Besides it is possible to dock the dialogue Help Topics to the window with a docking mechanism built in the program. It can be done by clicking the instrumental button in the right upper corner of the dialogue Help Topics or by choosing the item of the Main Menu (Main Menu - Help Topics - Dock).

Here are some key features of "HelpExplorer":
Allows to open and work with WinHelp files.
Allows to open and work with MS-HTML Help v1.x (CHM) files.
Implemented in several operational systems. Currently it's Win32 and Linux.
Supports the function "Merge Files" for all formats.
The search function is implemented. The search is carried out on the content of the main file and files added by the function "Merge Files".
Supports the work with indexed keywords for all the supported formats of help files.
Supports the merging of the table of contents for several help files linked together. In the current version only for WinHelp.
Allows to work with macrolanguages. Uses the macro format from WinHelp for HTM- Help v1 (CHM).
Allows to demonstrate documents in several windows simultaneuosly for help files designed with the support of this function.
The proper user's interface gives you convinient work with the program. There is a support of the font size shift of document display, and the change of the viewer appearance. The major part of the functions on the interface regulation is carried out by hotkeys.
Supports the aliasing mechanism of files names. This mechanism allows to avoid the compatibility problem with files names in OS-Linux and OS-Windows.
Supports the aliasing mechanism of types names for the WinHelp format. This mechanism enables to avoid the compatibility problem with types names in OS-Linux and OS-Windows for the WinHelp format.
Allows to work with files of large sizes with the same performance as with files of smaller sizes.
Can be easily integrated in any application. You just need to link helpexplapi.dll (libhelpexplapi.so for Linux) to the application and invoke the InvokeHelp function inside it.

What's New in This Release:
MS-Help2 (.HxS) format is now supported.
WinHelp (.HLP) and MS-Help1 (.CHM) support was improved.

HelpExplorer 3.0 keywords