HWServer.DLL

Last updated: 09/Sept/2000 - See Change Notes

What Is HWServer.DLL?

HWServer.DLL is an ActiveX DLL (automation server) designed to extend the capabilities of the HTML Help window.  Please download and try it out. 

Got questions, suggestions? Contact us

Newsletter/Discussion group 

Web site: To Subscribe:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HWServer http://groups.yahoo.com/group/HWServer/join

Current Features

• Add custom toolbar buttons to any HTML Help window. Receive button click events via script.
• Add a Read button that launches an MS Agent Character to speak the selected text on the page.  If no text selected then read all page text. Requires that MS Agent, at least one Agent character and a Text-To-Speech engine be installed. Note: Windows 2000 already has these things installed.
• Various helpful functions. Read/write INI files and registry items from a CHM page. Extract files from a CHM and optionally run them using windows shell.

Download

Current version: 1.0.8
Last update: 7:15pm EST Melbourne Australia.

hwserver_inst.exe  (730KB)	HWServer installer. Installs HWServer.dll and support files. Required to run the Example help file.
hwserver.chm (82KB)	Example help file contains HWServer documentation and examples.
hwserver_all.zip (1.24MB)	Contains the above 2 files plus everything you need for development.  HWS_Readme.text. HWServer_inst.exe runtime installer. HWServer_inst.iss INNO Installer script. HWServer.chm examples and documentation. Additional files required for HTML.

Change Notes

30-Mar-2000

• Added 4 new CHM functions:
• ValidateLink(aPath, aRoot: String): Integer;
  Validates links.
• CHM_GetFileList(aChmPath: String): Integer;
  CHM_GetFile: String;
  Lists all files in a CHM file.
• ChmExtract(Path, DestFile: String): String;
  Extract a file from inside a CHM. Destination either string or file.

4-Aug-2000

ChmExtractFile()
Was producing I/O error. Fixed typo.

8-Sept-2000, HWServer.dll Ver 1.0.8

• The HW control folder can now be any name. The demo Chm now uses "\~HWServer\" (was \helpware\). The DLL searches first and secondary level folders in the CHM for the main control file "HWControl.INI". Once found that folder is used as the control folder.
• Agent button now disables correctly if a Chm Topic is loaded that does not access the HWServer.DLL. Before you could click the Agent button and nothing would happen.
• Now also includes HWScript.VBS as well as HWScript.JS. Under IE4 and above VBS has error trapping which means we can test for HWServer.DLL COM interface availability quickly. Before if the DLL was not available there was a noticeable delay in loading each page. Now a pre check is done by a VBS function.

Known Bugs

1. Agent Access Violation
   
   If an application opens help via the HH API, and that help is using HWServer, and the Agent is busy talking, and the application shuts down without closing help first --> Access violation.
   
   Work around
   
   Calling HH_API command HH_CLOSE_ALL before shutdown does not help. Attempting to terminating Agent before shutdown does not help. 
   
   HH API DLL and Agent DLL are sharing the same address space as the application. You should separate Application and Help into two separate processes. To do this launch help via HH.EXE. For finer control use KeyHH.EXE available free from http://keyworks.net/. KeyHH.EXE is single instance and supports such nuances as context calls, KeyWords and ALinks.