is it possible to create a custom 404 page for .chm help?

[Guest]

Hello,

I have a custom 404 "file not found" page that I use in web-based help outputs. I would like to be able to use it in compiled .chm help.

Does anyone have experience with this? Or is it not possible?

The scenario is that we have several related .chm files. All clients will have the help file for the base product but may or may not have the other help files, since those products require special licensing. We'd like to link the .chms. In old WinHelp days this would be easily done through the .cnt file, and clients just wouldn't see the external links in the .cnt if they didn't have the help system. But since I can't link the .chm help systems in this scenario without possibly having broken links, I'd like the broken link page to provide an explanation of why the user doesn't see help. If anyone has handled a similar situation, I'd be interested in your ideas.

Thanks in advance.

[Captiv8r]

Hi there

What you need to do is to investigate Merged CHM files. When you merge CHM files, you designate one to be the "Master" or "Parent". Then you include as many child or subordinate projects as you like. When you ship the content, the developers only install the relevant files. And the TOC and Index entries will then only include the relevant content.

It's worth noting, however, that some folks simply choose to include the help for all the modules. The view is that by having access to the help (even if you don't have the module) the end user can't really do anything because the module isn't present. But by being able to see what is possible, they may become intrigued by it and purchase access to the missing module.

Cheers... Rick

[Guest]

Unfortunately, someone already suggested the second idea to the powers that be at my company, and they made it clear they were not interested in that method of marketing. But I'll pursue the idea of merging the .chms. Thanks, Rick!

[Guest]

Hello,

I am experimenting with merged .chms. I got it so that you can see the TOC from one file inside another file, but if you click on an entry in the child file's TOC, the machine begins clicking like it is straining mightily to lift a heavy load, and if I open the Task Manager I see my Memory (Private Working Set) usage going up and up for the program hh.exe, with no end in sight, so I shut down the program.

I have a strapping young Windows 7 machine in the prime of life, so I can't believe it's a memory problem with my machine. Any ideas what I am doing wrong?

[Guest]

OK, never mind about that one! I did not have the Project Options set correctly. It's working fine now, with one exception: It does not merge the files in the order I wanted them to be merged in the TOC. It seems to be the compiler itself that is doing it - I went into the HCW.exe to test. Does anyone know what determines the order in which .chm files are merged? Thanks in advance.

--update:  Sorry, I figured out it's alphabetical. Is there a way to override this? Thanks.

[Willam van Weelden]

Please see:

http://www.grainge.org/pages/authoring/merging_webhelp/merging_method_rh9.htm#mergedchms

Does this provide you with the answer, or is there something not

described there?

Kind regards,

Willam

[Guest]

Hi Willam. Thank you for drawing my attention to that. I feel stupid for not noticing it before since I have benefitted greatly from Peter's work in the past. - Sandy