Help+Manual News

Help+Manual and Translation Assistant v10.0.2 Update

We are glad to announce the immediate availability of Help+Manual 10.0.2 and Translation Assistant 10.0.2!

Help+Manual 10.0.2 Changes

  • Publishing Tasks: in dark mode, publishing multiple task entries created an error.
  • Insert Snippet dialog: mouse wheel support did not scroll the listbox of snippet topics.
  • The syntax editor always converted tabs to spaces. Syntax editors are used for XML topic source code and for HTML code in various dialogs.
  • German UI: visual glitches in Insert Link dialog and bullet list selection fixed.
  • Additional symbols implemented in Customize List Style dialog.
  • Config > Common > Text Variables: spacing of variables grid was larger than normal.

Translation Assistant 10.0.2 Changes

  • Side selection in session window did not work on a single mouse click: a single click on any tree column must activate this side.
  • Copying (new) topic sub-folders from one project to another had a small bug: the resulting topics were copied but not correctly listed under this folder in Help+Manual. Instead, the topic files were listed separately.
  • Dialogs updated to match Help+Manual 10.0.2 (Customize List Style, Insert Snippet, etc.)

All updates are available from our download page.

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Help+Manual Version 10 Maintenance Update

This is the first maintenance update for Help+Manual 10. In the last three weeks since the initial release of version 10 on September 4, we have implemented several bug fixes and generally improved the Markdown parser (this also affects the new ChatGPT plugin).

Update 10.0.1 Build 7421

New Features:

  • The Insert Link dialog shows a topic preview for external links
  • Docked windows (keyword index tool, search results) now remember size and position
  • Markdown handling improved:
    • Copy & paste of Markdown code: additional heading styles are auto-created
    • Load topic from Markdown file: auto-created heading styles and improved formatting
    • Create project from a list of Markdown files: improved formatting
  • ChatGPT:
    • ChatGPT prompt entry box supports Markdown as input
    • Improved text formatting when copying content from the chat window to the current topic
    • Online help updated: how to translate and edit topics with ChatGPT

Bug Fixes:

  • Bug fixes in Word (DOCX) Export
  • Publish dialog: if a project contained a lot of custom builds, some builds could not be selected
  • Reconnect repositories: when repository styles needed to be resolved, the German version (only) failed to display the resolve-styles window.
  • Move TOC items to the right: in some cases, selected entries were moved to the wrong position
  • HTML Help (.CHM) export: the option to highlight image hotspots was ignored, the CHM export used the corresponding setting of the Webhelp export.
  • Edit Table dialog: table style name was not selected
  • Publishing Tasks: creating a new publishing task caused an error on save
  • HTML Topic Templates: adding a new topic template created an error
  • Webhelp standard skins contained an invalid link to the help context numbers file
  • Several optical glitches fixed regarding dark mode, high-res monitors, German translation and in very rare cases flickering of the Publish dialog and Import dialog.

You can download the update directly from our Download Page.

 

V9 License Key = V10 License Key!

This is important to know: your current license key for Help+Manual 9 keeps working for version 10 as well!

After installation, please activate Help+Manual 10 with your current v9 license key. To do this, the license must have active maintenance (maintenance expires on or after September 27, 2025).

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Help+Manual Version 10 Launches with Integrated AI Support and New SVG Image Editor

Help+Manual, the renowned documentation software, has released its latest Version 10, introducing integrated support for ChatGPT, OpenAI Azure, DeepSeek, YandexGPT, and other compatible AI platforms.

While the interface may initially appear as a simple chat window, it offers much more: the AI integration can directly interact with the built-in XML editor. Users can now send formatted XML-text sections to ChatGPT for editing or translation and seamlessly reintegrate the revised sections back into their documentation. All formatting and metadata are preserved throughout the editing process. Generic responses from ChatGPT are converted from Markdown into the software’s proprietary XML format, ensuring smooth and consistent integration.

The AI interface is fully configurable and supports not only ChatGPT but also additional solutions such as OpenAI Azure, DeepSeek, and YandexGPT.

Version 10 also brings enhanced SVG support and introduces SnipSVG as its image editor. SnipSVG, our free and separately available image editing tool, offers powerful features for creating annotated screenshots. Images are saved in SVG format, allowing labels and annotations to remain fully editable.

With these new capabilities, Help+Manual Version 10 delivers advanced AI-driven editing features and robust SVG workflow enhancements for technical documentation teams and content creators.

 

New in Version 10:

  • New AI Assistants: ChatGPT and DeepL Write
  • SnipSVG Included
  • High-dpi User Interface supporting Dark Mode
  • Topic Editor Improvements
  • New Publishing Features
  • Translation Assistant v10
  • And a lot more…

For detailed information, please refer to the page What’s New in Version 10.

You can download the update directly from our Download Page.

 

V9 License Key = V10 License Key!

Important to know: your current license key for Help+Manual 9 keeps working for version 10 as well!

After installation, please activate Help+Manual 10 with your current v9 license key. To do this, the license must have active maintenance (maintenance expires on or after September 27, 2025).

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Maintenance Updates: Help+Manual 9.7.2 and Translation Assistant 9.7.2

We are glad to announce the immediate availability of Help+Manual 9.7.2 and an updated Translation Assistant. This is a small maintenance update with two bug fixes and one new feature.

Help+Manual 9.7.2 Changes

  • Link lists: new option to return results from the current module only (relevant for time-restricted link lists in modular projects)
  • Link lists sorted by date (e.g. changes of the last 14 days): results are still sorted by date, within the same date, results are now sorted alphabetically by title.
  • XML schema updated to 2.2.1 to acomodate new link list attribute “listtype”
  • Project Report: bug fix with help context numbers
  • Print Manual dialog: optical glitch with dropdowns fixed
  • Topic Editor: small glitch in Topic Options tab fixed

Translation Assistant 9.7.2 Changes

  • Link lists: new option to return results from the current module only (relevant for time-restricted link lists in modular projects)
  • XML schema updated to 2.2.1 to acomodate new link list attribute “listtype”

 

All updates are available from our download page.

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Quick Tutorial: WordPress Integration for HelpXplain

This is quick tutorial how to integrate HelpXplain presentations into WordPress.

Is this possible at all? Yes, it is. But you need little manual coding.

  1. Create your Xplain with HelpXplain and upload the data to your webserver.
     
  2. Test your Xplain online and note the full url.
    For example, this one:
    https://www.helpandmanual.com/snipsvg/help/xplain/_sharetohm.html
     
  3. Note the url of the Xplain loader script that HelpXplain creates automatically.
    This script is saved to the /js folder, relative to your Xplain HTML page: ./js/xploader.js folder.
    Write down the full url of this script (it’s the same for all Xplains that you are going to embed in the post):
    https://www.helpandmanual.com/snipsvg/help/xplain/js/xploader.js
    For details, please refer to the online help of HelpXplain
     
  4. Now we are ready to insert a <div> tag into our WordPress posting, that will host the preview of the Xplain. Switch the WordPress editor to raw code and insert the following code:

     

The HTML Code

You get the raw HTML code for integration from HelpXplain directly. Export in HelpXplain and let you show the actual embed code for your Xplain. This is the code we need to paste in WordPress. Right after the <div> tag, which acts as a placeholder for the Xplain, we add a <script> tag with a reference to the xploader.js script. This script will do the rest.

Here is the code example once again, with nice formatting:

The Result

This is a WordPress blog. So you can test the result of the code above right here:

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Help+Manual 9.7.1 Maintenance Update

We are glad to announce the immediate availability of Help+Manual 9.7.1! This maintenance update includes the new/updated screen capture tool from SnipSVG 2.0.

Screen capture with window-sizer

Have you ever tried to re-capture a screenshot and struggled to make it exactly the same size as the old one? This is what the new window sizer tool is for. It resizes a window that you want to capture to an exact pixel size. The function is right where you need it: it comes up with a right-click during the screen capture. Select from a list of predefined common sizes or enter the exact values you need.

Screen capture tool with window sizer

 

Screen capture with Windows 11 border trimming

Most application windows on Windows 11 have rounded corners and a translucent 1-pixel border around them. The updated screen capture tool trims the borders automatically, but you can switch this option on or off.

 

Minor Changes and Bug Fixes

  • PDF/Print: Manual Designer now supports transparent PNGs
  • Project > Config > Common > Languages page was not visible

 

All updates are available from our download page.

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Premium Pack 5.2.2 for SnipSVG 2.0

We have just released a small update to Premium Pack 5 that basically just adds compatibility with the new SnipSVG 2.0. All the skins in the Premium Pack now support the new animated SVGs and SVGs with embedded web video created by SnipSVG 2.0. There are just a couple of other small fixes.

How to get the update:

You can download and install the update with the link and credentials you received when you purchased. If you no longer have these, just contact support by email and we will help you out.

Changes in 5.2.2

  • SVG support:
    Adds support for the animated SVG files and SVG files with embedded videos that can be created with SnipSVG version 2.0 and above.
  • Videos with captions in lightbox mode:
    To comply with accessibility standards, Help+Manual now includes a <figure> tag around the video placeholder image. This prevented videos with captions from being displayed correctly in lightbox mode, which has now been corrected.
  • Link errors in V2 Modern skins:
    Some V2 Modern skins included debug code that displayed an alert when any link was clicked in a topic page.
  • Social sharing link:
    In individual skins, the social sharing link window opened could close instantly if it was opened a second time in a new topic.

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SnipSVG 2.0 Released

We are happy to announce the first major update of our freeware image editor SnipSVG!

This version 2.0 is really a big update, here are the new features at a glance:

  • Animations: create animated SVG images with SnipSVG
  • New objects: text tables, curved text, web videos
  • Create custom shapes by combining shapes
  • Updated screen capture with window-sizer

Read the rest of this entry »

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Two build updates with two bug fixes

Help+Manual 9.7.0 Build 6883

  • The updated HTML export in v9.7 caused a problem with pre-formatted source code examples. This has been addressed with an updated CSS stylesheet.
  • SNIPX command line converter 2.0 for animated SVGs included

Help+Manual Translation Assistant 9.7.0 Build 622

  • A DeepL error message in combination with bulk translations was not correctly displayed.

All updates are available from our download page.

More detailed information on the recent v9.7 update.

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eWriter Viewer v5.3.1 Update

This is a maintenance update for the eWriter Viewer 5 with support for Microsoft Edge.

Changes in Version 5.3.1

eViewer for Windows (32/64 bit)

  • One small fix for the Webview2 (Microsoft Edge) version.

Download of all packages:

https://www.helpandmanual.com/ewriter/

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