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Controlling colour of LH Payne in MSHelp .HTMLProject
- Thread starter delphiman
- Start date
Hi delphiman
Select your 'Contents' Tab then click the top button (the properties button) select the 'styles' tab and then use the background button to set the colour of the left hand pane, I noticed that this does not change the background colour of the text in the window, I suppose you should do this with the Font property (on the general tab) but this is not a full font selector, i.e you cannot change the backgrond colour of the font, unfortunatly I think can't think of a way around this.
Steve.
PS There is a Forum on this site for help workshop,'Microsoft WinHelp and HTML help authoring systems' wher you can read some of my comments on the usability of MS helpworkshop.
Select your 'Contents' Tab then click the top button (the properties button) select the 'styles' tab and then use the background button to set the colour of the left hand pane, I noticed that this does not change the background colour of the text in the window, I suppose you should do this with the Font property (on the general tab) but this is not a full font selector, i.e you cannot change the backgrond colour of the font, unfortunatly I think can't think of a way around this.
Steve.
PS There is a Forum on this site for help workshop,'Microsoft WinHelp and HTML help authoring systems' wher you can read some of my comments on the usability of MS helpworkshop.
- Thread starter
- #3
>Select your 'Contents' Tab then click the top button (the >properties button) select the 'styles' tab and then use >the background button to set the colour of the left hand >pane
I get no effect from this whatsoever. Whilst in the RIGHT-hand payne I am able to control the colour by setting it in my script. (i.e. with <BODY BGCOLOR=yellow>)
I am using Version 4.74.8702 and there is no reference to the LH Payne to be found there. I only find options for:
Automatically track selection
Border
Dialog Frame
Draw lines between items
Plus/Minus squares
Show selection when focus lost
Start line from the root
Sunken edge."
I have tried "Dialog Frame" - with no effect.
Except that now the entire project refuses to compile anymore. :-(
After having worked perfectly before (except for the BackGround color) I now get the following exception ..
"HHC5003 Error. Compilation failed while compiling Help\MyFile.html" for all the files which I had laboriously added before!
>I suppose you should do this with the Font property (on >the general tab)
There I am confronted with "Default frame" and "Default window" without any idea as to what to enter there.
Any other ideas?
Meanwhile I'll visit ,'Microsoft WinHelp and HTML help authoring systems'
I get no effect from this whatsoever. Whilst in the RIGHT-hand payne I am able to control the colour by setting it in my script. (i.e. with <BODY BGCOLOR=yellow>)
I am using Version 4.74.8702 and there is no reference to the LH Payne to be found there. I only find options for:
Automatically track selection
Border
Dialog Frame
Draw lines between items
Plus/Minus squares
Show selection when focus lost
Start line from the root
Sunken edge."
I have tried "Dialog Frame" - with no effect.
Except that now the entire project refuses to compile anymore. :-(
After having worked perfectly before (except for the BackGround color) I now get the following exception ..
"HHC5003 Error. Compilation failed while compiling Help\MyFile.html" for all the files which I had laboriously added before!
>I suppose you should do this with the Font property (on >the general tab)
There I am confronted with "Default frame" and "Default window" without any idea as to what to enter there.
Any other ideas?
Meanwhile I'll visit ,'Microsoft WinHelp and HTML help authoring systems'
This is very odd
Under the box containing
"Automatically track selection
Border
Dialog Frame
Draw lines between items
Plus/Minus squares
Show selection when focus lost
Start line from the root
Sunken edge."
All of these refer to the Left hand pane options (your table of contents)
There should be 2 buttons headed foreground and background and labeled 'Change'
next to each should be 2 winows displaying the colours
I am using the same version HTML helpworkshop I even tried creating a new blank project (with a contents page)
The left hand pane is where your table of contents should appear.
Help workshop only refers to a table of contents and assumes the left hand frame is where it goes, that is why there is no reference to it (The Help in HTML Help is not very helpfull at the best of times)
The compile problem?
the most common reason for this is if you have not shut down the help session you are trying to compile other than that:-
Does MyFile.html actualy exist? your extension is odd I usually use a .htm extension.
Don't assume that the project you attempting to compile is the one you have just been editing you should always check you have the right one in the drop down list!!
You shouldnt need to put anything in default frame or default window the font selector should be under these.
also nothing you put in your HTML source files will affect the Contents Pane.
Hope some of this helps
steve
Steve
Under the box containing
"Automatically track selection
Border
Dialog Frame
Draw lines between items
Plus/Minus squares
Show selection when focus lost
Start line from the root
Sunken edge."
All of these refer to the Left hand pane options (your table of contents)
There should be 2 buttons headed foreground and background and labeled 'Change'
next to each should be 2 winows displaying the colours
I am using the same version HTML helpworkshop I even tried creating a new blank project (with a contents page)
The left hand pane is where your table of contents should appear.
Help workshop only refers to a table of contents and assumes the left hand frame is where it goes, that is why there is no reference to it (The Help in HTML Help is not very helpfull at the best of times)
The compile problem?
the most common reason for this is if you have not shut down the help session you are trying to compile other than that:-
Does MyFile.html actualy exist? your extension is odd I usually use a .htm extension.
Don't assume that the project you attempting to compile is the one you have just been editing you should always check you have the right one in the drop down list!!
You shouldnt need to put anything in default frame or default window the font selector should be under these.
also nothing you put in your HTML source files will affect the Contents Pane.
Hope some of this helps
steve
Steve
- Thread starter
- #5
> Help is not very helpfull at the best of times
Together with most software packages it seems. Where answers to the most obvious questions are often conspicuous in their absence. Hopefully mine will set a new predent.
>All of these refer to the Left hand pane options (your table of contents)
Correct.
>There should be 2 buttons headed foreground and background and labeled 'Change'next to each should be 2 winows displaying the colours.
Correct ...except that there is no indication as to WHICH of the two panes has reference and how to control it. Nor is their any indication as to what the difference is between "Foreground" and "Background".
The sum total of my problem. (See "SOLVED" below.)
One reasonably expects to be able to control the colour in EACH (LEFT and RIGHT panes) and indications as to how to do it.
As it happens these 2 buttons appear to do absolutely NOTHING for one .... unless one does something else. (See "SOLVED" below.)
>nothing you put in your HTML source files will affect the Contents Pane.
Correct.
>The left hand pane is where your table of contents should appear.
Correct .... but I preferred to change the colour to something other than White.
SOLVED! (Or so it seems
)
With all my fumbling around I have managed to control the colour of the LEFT HAND (Contents)
pane. As follows :-
1.Load (or create new) a Project.
2.Select the "Contents" Tab.
3.Click on the "Contents Properties" button.
4.Select the "General" tab.
5.Enter something (anything) in the window abelled "Default frame".
NB.Failure to do this seems to result in none of the following steps having any effect.
6.select the "Styles" tab.
7.Click the RH "Change" button (below "Background colour"
.
8.Click on the required colour.
9.Click on "OK".
10. Recompile.
Together with most software packages it seems. Where answers to the most obvious questions are often conspicuous in their absence. Hopefully mine will set a new predent.
>All of these refer to the Left hand pane options (your table of contents)
Correct.
>There should be 2 buttons headed foreground and background and labeled 'Change'next to each should be 2 winows displaying the colours.
Correct ...except that there is no indication as to WHICH of the two panes has reference and how to control it. Nor is their any indication as to what the difference is between "Foreground" and "Background".
The sum total of my problem. (See "SOLVED" below.)
One reasonably expects to be able to control the colour in EACH (LEFT and RIGHT panes) and indications as to how to do it.
As it happens these 2 buttons appear to do absolutely NOTHING for one .... unless one does something else. (See "SOLVED" below.)
>nothing you put in your HTML source files will affect the Contents Pane.
Correct.
>The left hand pane is where your table of contents should appear.
Correct .... but I preferred to change the colour to something other than White.
SOLVED! (Or so it seems
)With all my fumbling around I have managed to control the colour of the LEFT HAND (Contents)
pane. As follows :-
1.Load (or create new) a Project.
2.Select the "Contents" Tab.
3.Click on the "Contents Properties" button.
4.Select the "General" tab.
5.Enter something (anything) in the window abelled "Default frame".
NB.Failure to do this seems to result in none of the following steps having any effect.
6.select the "Styles" tab.
7.Click the RH "Change" button (below "Background colour"
.8.Click on the required colour.
9.Click on "OK".
10. Recompile.
Glad you have sorted it out.
The project where I tried a background colour change did have an entry in the default frame box!.
As this appears to make no difference to the compiled help (I think it should make your contents jump to that item at start up?) I assumed it wouldnt make a difference with your problem. Sorry about that.
You would think that a program designed to create help files would have a half decent help file itself!!
But then Microsoft dont give much away for free as we all know.
Steve
The project where I tried a background colour change did have an entry in the default frame box!.
As this appears to make no difference to the compiled help (I think it should make your contents jump to that item at start up?) I assumed it wouldnt make a difference with your problem. Sorry about that.
You would think that a program designed to create help files would have a half decent help file itself!!
But then Microsoft dont give much away for free as we all know.
Steve
- Thread starter
- #7
On which closing note I think everyone will enjoy the following:
A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of aircraft's electronic navigation and communication equipment. Due to the clouds and haze the pilot could not determine his position or course to steer to the airport.
The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritted sign and held it in the helicopter's window. The sign said "WHERE AM I"? in large letters.
People in the tall building quickly responded to the
aircraft, drew a large sign an held it in a building window. The sign said, "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER". The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map and determined the course to steer to SEATAC ( Seattle/Tacoma) airport and landed safely.
After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position. The pilot responded, "I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer".
A helicopter was flying around above Seattle when an electrical malfunction disabled all of aircraft's electronic navigation and communication equipment. Due to the clouds and haze the pilot could not determine his position or course to steer to the airport.
The pilot saw a tall building, flew toward it, circled, drew a handwritted sign and held it in the helicopter's window. The sign said "WHERE AM I"? in large letters.
People in the tall building quickly responded to the
aircraft, drew a large sign an held it in a building window. The sign said, "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER". The pilot smiled, waved, looked at his map and determined the course to steer to SEATAC ( Seattle/Tacoma) airport and landed safely.
After they were on the ground, the co-pilot asked the pilot how the "YOU ARE IN A HELICOPTER" sign helped determine their position. The pilot responded, "I knew that had to be the Microsoft building because they gave me a technically correct but completely useless answer".
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