Besides the work I've been doing with the sizing issues, I spent most of yesterday working on updating the new installer.
It now installs all the examples, the new CHM, PDF and EXE help (WIP) files in place of the current help files.
The free installer download hasn't been(and won't be) updated so the only person that can currently download it is the beta tester.
I did add a download link so that anyone interested in seeing where I'm going with the help can download it and look.
Click here to download the WIP help file.
Warning:
Do not unzip this file in the same folder
as your current help file.
They have the same name. (http://www.ionicwind.com/IWBDev2.5/usersguide.zip)
Also created a couple of make utilities:
One that copies the latest of the appropriate files to the folder I use for the release.
The other compiles the installer and zips the setup.exe and readies it for upload.
Now I will be working on the code for F1 / Find in Help
While working on my code for searching multiple help files(code I used in IWB+0 I discovered something.
If the keyword you are searching for is in multiple help files listed in your help menu the chances are you will be presented with only the results from the first help file it is found in.
I checked the source code for the current IDE and it works the same way.
Here's what happens:
Assume the keyword you are looking for is in 3 help files.
When you click F1 it looks in the IWB usersguide first.
A dialog opens with a listbox with the topics containing the keyword.
The user can do one of two things:
1.select one of the displayed topics
The help file is opened and the selected topic page is displayed.
When you close the help file that's it. The other two help files are ignored
2. If you don't select any topic and just close the dialog.
The next help file topic dialog appears and the process repeats its self.
The help file API doesn't give me a whole lot to work with.
But I THINK it gives me enough to be able to daisey-chain through all the files.
The one think that is going to be missing is like a global cancel button.
But no more often then it would happen I don't see it as an issue.
So that's where I'm at.
Finished the help search code.
Now, when you highlite a keyword it will search all the help files in the help file menu starting with the IWB usersguide.
It doesn't matter what action you take with the first file the keyword is in(select a topic and then close the help file; or cancel)
When that dialog is closed it will go to the next file where the keyword is found and repeat the process.
There is one small hiccup that I can't find a way around.
If one of the help files is already open and the keyword is not in it you can go through the above process and then close that window the seach process is repeated. The normal response would be to just cancel out each time.
Since the search time is so fact I really don't see it is a major problem for the gained benefit of making sure it searchs all the files.
If I ever come across a fix for it I'll do it.
And a reminder. A F1 / Find in Help search is not the same type of search as the Find in File search
The Find in File search searches the entire file looking for the specified string.
A F1 / Find in Help search looks through an index of keywords that were flagged when the help file was built.
That index is an integral part of a *.chm file.
I've added some more topics to the new Help file for the new IDE. No new text yet.
The help file has been updated.
I've made a first pass through the topics shown in the attached image.
The download link is at the top of this topic.
Completed the rewrite on two more sections.
I'm skipping the Debugging section until LarryS gives me the new debugger.
I didn't repost the help file for just this small update.
I'm now going to start on the Code Editor section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,222 Topics
15,523 Local hot-links
133 Graphics
The PDF version contains 811 pages.
Completed the Code Editor section of the Help file.
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the Form Editor section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,222 +9 Topics
15,523 +68 Local hot-links
133 +21 Graphics
The PDF version contains 811 +10 pages.
Completed the Form Editor section of the Help file.
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the Menu Editor section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,231 -1 Topics
15,591 +14 Local hot-links
154 +44 Graphics
The PDF version contains 825 +4 pages.
Completed the Menu Editor section of the Help file.
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the ? section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,230 -1 Topics
15,605 +2 Local hot-links
198 +21 Graphics
The PDF version contains 829 +6 pages.
Completed the following sections of the Help file.
Create Import Library
Register File Extensions
Tools Menu Editor
Help Menu Editor
File Cleanup
ColorPicker
Toolbar Paint
Messagebox Builder
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the Print Preview section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,235 Topics
15,634 Local hot-links
224 Graphics
The PDF version contains 841 pages.
When I bring up the help, all I get is: Navigation to the webpage was canceled
I can click on any subject and that screen just stays there.
Bill
Quote from: billhsln on December 14, 2012, 07:31:56 PM
When I bring up the help, all I get is: Navigation to the webpage was canceled
I can click on any subject and that screen just stays there.
Bill
Go to the location of the of the help file in Windows Explorer.
right click on the file name and select Properties
Unblock the file.
Try the help file again.
Thanks, Larry. That fixed the problem. Does this have to happen every time?
Thanks again,
Bill
It is not uncommon.
It happens.
Completed the following sections of the Help file.
Print Preview
Find in Files
(which completes the Utilities section)
ToDo Lists
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the How-To section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,247 Topics
15,689 Local hot-links
260 Graphics
The PDF version contains 855 pages.
Completed the following sub-sections of the How-To section of theHelp file.
Set Startup Preferences
Set Editor Preferences
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
I'm now going to start on the Set Compiler Preferences section.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,251 Topics
15,728 Local hot-links
266 Graphics
The PDF version contains 863 pages.
Completed the following sub-section of the How-To section of the Help file.
Set Compiler Preferences
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,278 Topics
15,793 Local hot-links
269 Graphics
The PDF version contains 869 pages.
Completed the following sub-section of the How-To section of the Help file.
Files
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,278 Topics
15,850 Local hot-links
287 Graphics
The PDF version contains 877 pages.
Completed the following sub-section of the How-To section of the Help file.
Single File Application
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,278 Topics
15,876 Local hot-links
298 Graphics
The PDF version contains 881 pages.
Hit a milestone this morning;
I'm almost through with the How-To section for Projects
and the pdf version of the Help file now contains 900 pages.
For comparison
the 1st version of IWB (v 1.737) had 657 pages
IWB 2.0 had 798 pages.
Sounds good, Larry!
...let us know when you have a fresh copy of either one that you want to share. :)
-Doc-
Hopefully it will be by the end of the week.
Completed the following sub-sections of the How-To section of the Help file.
Projects
Create a New Project
Set Project Options
Open a Project
Save a Project
Close a Project
Add Files
*iwb files
*.obj files
*.asm files
*.res files
*.lib files
Remove Files
Compile a Project
Run a Project
Resources
Compile a Resource
Convert from CBasic / IBasic
Why convert to IWBasic?
Getting Started
Subroutines - Local
Subroutines - Components
Subroutines - DLL Calls
Windows / Dialogs
Controls
Menus
Menus - Context
INSTR
2D/3D Graphics
Conclusion
Convert from EBasic / IBPro
Updated the download for those that may be interested.
Note:
The help file now contains:
1,294 Topics
15,990 Local hot-links
327 Graphics
The PDF version contains 919 pages.
Click here to download the WIP help file.
Warning:
Do not unzip this file in the same folder
as your current help file.
They have the same name. (http://www.ionicwind.com/IWBDev2.5/usersguide.zip)
Well, I'm finally starting on the
Windows Programming / Controls section of the help file.
This is the last portion I'm going to tackle.
I can't remember if I mentioned it before or not but I am reformating the info in the ControlPak help file and merging it into the main help file.
That way ALL the controls supported directly by iwb will have all their info in the Windows Programming / Controls section of the help file.
I spent yesterday and this morning getting all the basic info moved over and have massaged a good portion of it.
Right now, the help file has 1,029 pages
For comparison
the 1st version of IWB (v 1.737) had 657 pages
IWB 2.0 had 798 pages.
After a full week of not even thinking about the help file I found myself being rather slow at getting going again this morning. ::)
Back working on the Help file (until Bruce finds another bug in the 2.5 beta.)
This part is going slow.
1)I made a skeleton topic for every control that is currently available in IWB
2)I went through the appendix to make sure I had a list of every possible common control command.
3)I built a test program that contains every control.
4)Have now started through each control to get all the possible style flags, associated commands, and notification messages.
5)Now I'm going through each common control command and proving which control it will work with and which it won't.
As I do that I'm updating/rewriting the control's topic.
It is a slow process but I'm still making progress. So don't give up on me.
This help file is about to whip me.
I outlined in my previous post the setup I 'm using and how I'm going about things.
One of the things that I left out of the previous post was identifying the changes that having a manifest file will cause.
As an example, how many people know that the SETCONTROLCOLOR doesn't work on @SYSBUTTON controls UNLESS you have a manifest file where the command will use the background color value only and apply it to the border of the button.
So, in the beginning I thought I was going to knock the controls section out in no time. Yeah..., right.
First there were no sections in the current help file for specific info on buttons, checkboxes, radio buttons, and groupboxes.
There was some bits and pieces of info about them scatted here and there.
On top of that there is zero about region buttons in the help file.
so, although there is a lot of info in the current help file there is also a lot missing. What is there is really scattered around in some instances.
I really appreciate some of the complaints from the past about being able to find stuff and the need for it to be all in one place.
If I can EVER get through I think people will recognize the vast improvement in the revised help file.