WELCOME TO Help Edit V1.4 FOR WINDOWS
-------------------------------------

This README file contains important, last minute information about
Help Edit V1.4


TABLE OF CONTENTS
-----------------
1. What is Help Edit
2. How to Get Help
3. Installation
4. Important Notes
5. Files on the Disk(s)
6. Why Register?
7. History

1. What is Help Edit
---------------------

Help Edit is a Windows Text Editor that you can use to produce Windows
Help files. Help Edit accepts simple ASCII files, allows you to create
Windows Help Topics, and finally produce an RTF (Rich Text Format) file for
input to the Microsoft Help Compiler. You can create Hypertext links, pop up
definitions, browse sequences, and include Bitmaps in your help file. Help
Edit supports the inclusion of various Fonts and Colours.

Help Edit manages all aspects of automatically generating jump labels, and
it even creates the HPJ project file required by the Help Compiler.

Once you have created your RTF files, Help Edit can call the Help compiler
from within itself, to produce a HLP help file. Finally Help Edit can test
the new Help file for you.

The Help file for Help Edit was written using itself, and so was the Tutorial.
All the Help material for a Demo help file is included so that you may study
it. In the registered version all the material for Helpedit Help and the
Tutorial Help are included.


2. HOW TO GET HELP
-------------------

If you have any problems, please read this file, and if you still have a
question and need assistance, help is available from the following source:

Write to me at the following address:

James Herron
29 Duncryne Place,
Bishopbriggs
Glasgow G64 2DP
Scotland
UK.

Alternatively call me on 041 762 0967 between 6pm and 9pm Mon - Fri, or any
time at Weekends (within reason!). Answering machine available.

If you have a modem you can leave me a message on the ShareWare Support BBS
on (0442) 890807.

If you are on Compuserve you can Email me at [email protected]
This is on the JANET network but can be accessed via internet.

3. INSTALLATION
----------------
There are two options for installation:

1. Hard Disk - This option allows you to copy all the files without
worrying about disk space. It allows faster program operation and is
recommended if you have a hard disk.

2. Single Floppy - It is perfectly feasible to run Help Edit from a single
floppy drive. In this case it is recommended that only the essential
files that you need are copied onto this disk.


You should read the rest of this README file to get further
information about this release before you do the installation.


To perform the installation insert the floppy in drive A or B and run
INSTALL from Windows.

This completes installation, you should now put your original disk(s) in a
save place. Start Windows and either run Help Edit from the Program Manager by
opening the File menu and selecting Run, or better still if you installed a
new group for Help Edit during install select it's icon for the application.

4. IMPORTANT NOTES
-------------------
o The Executable, Help and a few Document files in this package are
compressed. If you don't use the installation program or you need to
copy one of the original files onto your hard disk, use the UNPACK.EXE
file located on the distribution disk. This is a Windows application.

o As mentioned in the installation section,if you are running from a single
drive then you should only copy the essential files required to run Help
Edit. This means leaving off any *.doc files, and once you have run the
examples you could remove them also.

o At the time of writting the MicroSoft Help Compiler is available for
download from Compuserve, and as a free download from the MicroSoft
download service. It has been placed in the Public Domain.

o To make help files for the widest range of users, the help complier for
Windows 3.0 should be used as it is compatible with Windows 3.1. The
3.1 complier will not work under Windows 3.0. Therefore a v3.0 help
compiler is included. The Batch file HC.BAT calls this compiler, HC30.exe
and also redirects output messages to a file Helpedit.err.

o If you have a Windows 3.1 Help compiler you can set the Windows 3.1
checkbox when making a help file. You may have to edit HC.BAT to tell it
the name of your help compiler. HC.BAT has been set up to work with the
Help compilers HC30.EXE and HC31.EXE as supplied by Borland compilers.

o IMPORTANT refer to the online Help information about HC.BAT.


5. FILES ON THE DISK(S).(Registered Version)
---------------------------------------------

Disk 1

INSTALL EXE - Windows Install Program
INSTALL INF - Windows Install Script file
UNPACK EXE - Unpack Utility.
README DOC - This file
HELPEDIT EX$ - Registered version of Help Edit program for Windows
without unregistered copy notice.
HELPEDIT HL$ - Help File for and written by Help Edit.
TUTORIAL HL$ - Help File for Tutorial written by Help Edit.
DEMO * - All the files needed to make the Demo
HC BAT - Batch file to call help compiler
HC PIF - Windows Pif File for Help Compiler


Disk 2

HC30 EX$ - Microsoft Help Compiler for Windows 3.0
HC31 EX$ - Microsoft Help Compiler for Windows 3.1
HC31 ER$ - Error messages for HC31.EXE.
TUTORIAL * - All the files needed to make the Tutorial
HELPEDIT * - All the files needed to make the Helpedit Help.

*.BMP - Sample Bitmaps
*.DOC - Sample Help Document files
*.HLP - Sample Help Files
*.HPJ - Sample Help compiler Project files
*.PRJ - Sample Help Edit Project files
*.SHG - Sample Segmented Bitmap
*.TXT - Sample Help Text Files.

Professional Version.
---------------------

If you order the professional version which includes the Spell checker
Spelmate DLL then you will have the additional files Spelmate.dl$ and either
MainUK.di$ or MainUS.di$ depending on whether you requested the British or
American version.

The above listing is for 5.25 (360K) disks only. If you request 5.25 (1.2M)
or 3.5 (720K) you will only get one disk containing all the files.

NOTE: The Microsoft Help Compiler is copyright by Microsoft but has been
placed in the Public Domain. It is supplied for completeness, but no charge
is made or implied for it's use. The registration fee is only for Help Edit.


6. Why Register?
----------------

Registering brings with it a number of advantages.

First of all the Unregistered Copy notice will no longer appear.

Second you will have technical support should you have any problems.

Third, your support will encourage me to continue to improve Help Edit.

And Finally, as a registered user you will be entitled to FREE updates for
6 months, and to favourable price reductions on future versions after that
period. So make sure you complete the registration form as completely
as possible.

7. History
----------


18/2/93 V1.0
Initial release of Help Edit.

............................................................................

25/2/93 V1.1
Print Set-up and Print items added to File Menu.

Make Help item replaces Make HPJ,RTF and HLP menu option. Help Edit now reads
project file list and compiles only those RTF files that are new or have been
updated.

HPJ file now contains the information to make a context sensitive help system.

............................................................................

8/3/93 V1.2
Bug fix in editing of browse sequences.

Bug fix when trying to cancel Make Help

Fonts and Colour capability added.

............................................................................

16/4/93 V1.3
Bug Fix so that Topics without keywords do not cause missing Footnote
errors.

Bug Fix. If no edit text loaded and attempt to print, got run time error.
Print option disabled unless text in editor.

Bug Fix. If no printer selected in the Windows control panel and attempts
made to print, nothing happens, not even a warning. Help Edit now issues
a message that there is no current printer.

Bug Fix. Could add files to a new project, and if quit, project not updated.
Help Edit now warns that project has changed and should be saved.

Bug Fix. If changed a file and attempt to exit get save file - Yes, No,
Cancel. Cancel did not work.

Bug Fix. When making a Help file, if the Topic to be used as the Index or
Contents page happened to be the one already in the combobox, and the user
did not activate the combobox, then the Topic was never selected, and a run
time error occurs. This has been corrected.

Bug Fix. If selected more that 255 characters when changing fonts, the extra
text was lost. Corrected.

New Features - Modifications.
-----------------------------

Help Edit routes all Warning and Error messages from the Microsoft Help
compiler into a file called HelpEdit.err. It checks this file after
compilation and if any errors it invokes an editor of your choice to view
the messages. The default editor is NotePad, but you can use any other
Editor e.g. WinEdit, by selecting Choose Editor from the Options menu.

The Edit menu accelerator keys have been changed to CUA standard.

New Accelerator key have been added to the most commom used functions such
as make Topic and make Jump.

The right mouse button is used in making Topics and Jumps to speed things up
for experienced users.

The common dialog box for files is now used.

A number of menu options have been disabled if the editor does not contain
text or have text selected. These include Save, Save As, Print, Cut, Copy,
find, and replace.
Paste only works if the clipboard has valid text.


A Windows Pif file has been added so that the Help compiler can run in a
Window or as an icon. The default is icon.


A new HC.BAT file has been created.

IMPORTANT Refer to the online help about HC.BAT.
---------

Help Edit can call the Windows 3.0 help compiler or 3.1.


While the help compiler is running, Help Edit is disabled and becomes an
icon. This is to stop you altering files that the help compiler is using.

All messages moved to string tables.

If you change the editor text, then attempt to make a Help file without
saving the changes, Help Edit will ask if you want to save first. As
Helpedit uses the text on disk and not the editor, you should let helpedit
save the text if you want you changes to be part of the new make.

The Help Edit help file has been updated.

The Tutorial has been completely re-written.

............................................................................

26/5/93 V1.4
------------

1).
Help Edit can now make use of the Spelmate DLL. This is a DLL that adds
spell checking capabilities to any of your Windows applications. Both
American and British versions are available.

In order to keep file sizes down for users of BBS's the spelmate DLL is not
included in the version placed on BBS's, but can be obtained as a separate
file splmateX.zip where X is the current version number. At this time you
should look for splmate1.zip.

If you obtain Help Edit from a Software Library, Spelmate may be included.

Spelmate is a separate Shareware program in it's own right and requires
registration if you wish to use it. If you order the professional version
of Help Edit, then Spelmate is included at a discount price, and you can use
it in other programs of your own.

2).
The Options menu has been changed and now contains the items
Select Editor
Check Spelling
Windows 3.1

Select Editor is the same as for Verison 1.3.
Check Spelling invokes the Spelmate Dll if it is present, AND if you have
some text in the Edit window.

Windows 3.1 is used to replace the checkbox that you had to set every time
you wanted to make a Windows 3.1 Help file from the make Help dialog box.

If you select this menu option a tick mark is inserted, and your selection is
saved in the .INI file so you need only set it once. Help Edit needs to know
this information as it affects new features that are only applicable if you
are using Windows 3.1.


3).
The insert menu can now insert a program. This is only available if you are
using Windows 3.1 as it is a macro. Select text as you would to create a
jump link, but instead select insert program. You can then enter a program
name and command line parameters, and when the user clicks on this word or
phrase, the program will run. Note it is your responsibility to ensure that
the program exists, and that Windows will be able to find it.

4).
The insert Bitmap has been updated. Help Edit now allows the insertion of
.BMP, .SHG and .WMF files. In addition you can make these bitmaps active
Hotspots to jump links, Definitions or even run programs.

At the present time you can only preview .BMP files.

.SHG files contain their own jump links and program references. You must
create these using your own Hotspot Editor. If you use Borland compilers
this is called SHED.EXE.

You should create your topics and definitions as normal. Then after making
a Help file look at the [MAP] section of the .HPJ file to get a list of the
context strings assigned to your topics. Use these strings as the context
strings in your Hotspot Editor. Create the .SHG file, then go back and add
it at the appropriate place in the help file.

5).
The online help and Tutorial have been updated to reflect these changes.