HTMLHelp Links and Tools
Links
Many years ago Paul Wise (aka pabs) from Australia have written several free software projects related to HTML Help.
Unofficial (Preliminary) HTML Help Specification
This is chmspec-0.1.3. This document was generated 2005-03-06 03:32:17 +800. This is documentation on Microsoft's current (at time of writing) generation of help systems (HTML Help). HTML Help is a documentation system from MS that relies on HTML, XML and a filesystem that is used in storing multiple HTML & other files in a single file and involves LZX compression.
Tools
XCHM
xCHM is a convenient viewer for Windows help files. Windows help files in CHM format are relatively difficult to read. This program is designed to simplify this. It allows you to open and read CHM files, change the fonts and text and print individual pages. You can also set the program as the default viewer for CHM files.
Windows: XP, Vista, 7 and 8 License: Open Source Language: English File size: 1.41 MB
CHM Decoder
CHM Decoder quickly converts CHM help files to HTML
It’s been around since 1997, but Microsoft’s Compiled HTML Help (CHM) format is still often used for application help files, e-books and more. If you’re working on a PC then that’s no problem -- the files are easy to read -- but if you need to browse them on other platforms, then you might like to try CHM Decoder (Freeware Gridinsoft LLC).
Point this small, free and portable tool at a CHM file, and it will quickly convert this into the original HTML. Open the root page and you’ll be able to browse it just like the original file. Only now it’s in a format which you can access almost anywhere.
There are other ways to do something similar, of course. If you’ve installed 7-Zip, for instance, then you can right-click a CHM file, select 7-Zip > Extract… and it’ll also decompile the file for you.
Where CHM Decoder wins out, though, is that by default it’ll also create a root menu. That is, you’ll see a tree on the left hand side, much as in the regular Windows Help viewer, where you can see and expand chapters, view page names, and click on any individual page to view it.
This approach can introduce minor problems on its own. Open the page in Internet Explorer, say, and its scripting might result in the browser complaining that it’s "restricted this page from running active content" (depending on your security settings).
If that does happen, though, just click "Allow Blocked Content" and you’ll see the Help file menu appear, top left.
CHM Decoder is strictly a single function tool, then. But it does at least perform that function very well. And if you need to make CHM content more accessible then the program should be able to help.
CHM Editor
CHM Editor: A Solution for HTML Help Files from Gridinsoft LLC.
Work with CHM files rapidly and easily: it will be no trouble now to create a new document, add formatting, insert a picture or a hypertext link and see the result immediately! Furthermore, a document created by you can be open on every computer, functioning on the basis of the Windows operation system and you will never have to think again about the compatibility problem!
https://chmeditor.com/