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Can you tell us what the two things were that you came up with?
Through the many years of being involved with CHM files and help type of information, the only conclusion I've ever seen is this.
ANY time you make content available in ANY form, you open yourself up to the possibility of copying and alteration. The only solution that works 100% of the time is to never make it available for anyone to see and keep it under lock and key. And well, that sort of flies in the face of "help" logic, eh?
Cheers... Rick 
This is what I have come up with:
Security -
The Digital Help File System is comprised of four (4) separtely compiled Windows CHM help files. They can be copied and decompiled in the appropriate program. To prevent this and secure the Digital Help File system on a workstation, take the following steps during installation:
PART I (making the help files hidden)
Step 1 - Create a new folder on the desktop by right mouse clicking anywhere on a clear area of the desktop and selecting the option from the drop down list that will appear.
Step 2 - Place the newly created folder in an isolated area of the desktop so that it can be easily accessed by rolling over it with the mouse in later steps.
Step 3 - Right mouse click on the new folder and select the properties option from the drop down list.
Step 4 - In the New Folder Properties dialog box, click on the Customize tab, then the Change Icon... button at the bottom of the dialog box.
Step 5 - Scroll through the icons available with the right moving scroll bar underneath, until a clear or invisible icon is presented. Select it, then click the OK button to close the Change Icon for New Folder dialog box. Then click Apply and the OK button to close the New Folder Properities dialog box.
Step 6 - The new folder becomes invisible on the desktop. Next, select and highlight the name of the new folder, which is still visible and press Alt+255 to make it invisible as well.
Step 7 - Remember where this folder is on the desktop, then drag the four (4) .chm files onto it. They will disappear from the desktop when pasted into the invisible folder.
Step 8 - In the windows file manager then invisible folder can be selected and moved to an unobtrusive area of the hard disk. Do not place it in a directory that routinely gets updates that might erase the directory with the files in it.
Step 9 - Redirect all callups to your programs from their new location.
PART II (use script in Master Page to prevent mouse over and cut&paste)
Step 1 - Access the Master page through the Project Set-up POD in RoboHelp 9. Switch to the HTML view and in the header, place this script.
Step 2 - At the bottom of the Body section of the Master page, place this script -
Rick, I know I'm sounding flippant here, but you seem surprised that RoboHelp offers nothing in the way of securing information.
All I can say about that is that RoboHelp and other HATs were never designed for working with secure information. What they WERE designed to do was work with content that is present to assist users. And when you think of assistance, security just doesn't come into the forethought, no?
We see it time and again here on the forums. We go back and forth trying to help someone and suddenly it reaches the point where we simply need a screen capture or to look at a project in order to troubleshoot further. And at that point an imaginary wall shoots up from nowhere. My most recent experience was someone reluctant to post a screen capture of a RoboHelp generation dialog. And I'm thinking, seriously? What could I possibly do to compromise your security by seeing what your output settings are?
What possible state secrets could someone obtain by looking at help file content?
I'm not saying you don't have an issue to contend with. I mean, I know it's your job to try and appease those signing your paycheck. But please also understand that most of us are just shaking our heads in disbelief and frustration when folks take the stance that the information MUST be protected at all cost!
Just some thoughts from the edge... Rick
I understand what you are saying. At my work, it is not so much as the content being secret, more proprietary, and that users should not be allowed to change content at will. There is a change board.
Yes, this is a help file, help in content, portability and fast turn around in revisions. Letting users make notes or annotations in the help file is one thing, giving full rain in editing is another.
Being compliant with Federal Aviation Regulations (FAR) and ISO standards means that your processes (which we have described in several CHM files) will be audited to and so must be controlled (security). These governmental groups come in and look at your documentation, keeping a set for themseleves, of practices and procedures the company has instituted and then audit you to them. You say you perform such and such with such and such equipment with settings at such and such, lets see if you really are. These government agencies look for old revisions of documents. They look for altered or counterfit copies of documentation.
These gov orgs look at every scrap of paper on the shop floor for release stamps and revision levels. They do the same for digital docs.
I am not faulting RoboHelp or the suite I am building with... just wanted to know if anyone else has come up with a more reasonable approach in fixing in place the content of a compiled CHM file, and that maybe there is a reason here that future versions of RH contain some security and maybe revision level controls.
On the revision level topic, I have had to just incorporate a footer on the Master Page with the current date. I can't seem to find any other control for that either.
I never tried that... Screen Cap programs do copy.
Hi Rick
Not trying to continue to thrash an equine that has ceased to be. I'm really not.
However, I'm puzzled by this statement you made:
"...Yes, this is a help file, help in content, portability and fast turn around in revisions. Letting users make notes or annotations in the help file is one thing, giving full rain in editing is another...."
The part that puzzles me is where you mention "giving full rain [sic] in editing".
That seems to read as if you are saying CHM format is similar to Microsoft Word, where folks are just able to select text and replace it at will. And I've never known that to happen with any CHM I've ever created. In fact, I'd be more than surprised to discover the typical user (even if that user were an Engineer) would be aware that they were able to decompile and change things in a CHM file.
Perhaps I misunderstood?
Cheers... Rick
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