Problem:
  • HelpMaker does not handle HTML-based documents well. Users have complained about it and prefer an integarated solution which works with HTML.

  • Examining third-party solutions, the majority uses the editor found in Internet Explorer, known as Trident layout engine.

    Trident is used by Outlook Express, Compiled HTMLHelp, Microsoft Outlook to name a few products.

  • Other Help Authoring Tools leverage on Trident layout engine and perform similar actions to what HelpMaker does.

Suggested Solutions:
  • Design and develop a Trident-based product which accepts a set of HTML web-pages and output compiled HTMLHelp out of it.
  • This solution can be a stand-alone or integrated into IE (as an Explorer bar). The solution should encapsulate major functionality found in HelpMaker, for example, to link to hyperlink topics, insert various pictures, simple project management.
  • How would you export from HTML to RTF?
  • How would you handle image exporting?
  • The final result should be complete and handle web-pages with an average of 500 or more pages converted to CHM correctly.

Terms and Conditions:
Please see our Terms and Conditions

Acceptance:
For this to be accepted as a completed solution, the contribution must:

a) Expose as many Trident-based functionality as possible:

For example:
  • File|Open compatible with IE
  • HTML raw-editing (using IRichEditHtml compatiblity layer exposed in IE)
  • HTML Print Preview
  • Trident editing facilities found in Outlook Express (e.g., Cut, Copy & Paste, Find and Replace).
  • View as HTML, View as sources
  • Various inserts, such as Insert Button, Insert Form, Insert Line, etc.
  • Absolute and page-based layout.
  • XML and CSS validation.
  • Web-server WebDav functionality.

b) Complete or make similar features found in HelpMaker v7 such that this solution can create a HTML help file.

c) Have features and functionality that exceeds or is equivalent to our competitors.

Notes:
We are developing our own Trident-based Help Authoring tool and we accept contributions to help accelerate the progress of this development.

We will leave this open until our own HAT tool is complete.