Archive for category Software Updates
Premium Pack 5.0.4 Maintenance Update
Posted by tim green in Browsers, CHM HTML Help, eWriter, Help+Manual, Skins, Software Updates, Utilities on April 27, 2023
We have released a small update of Premium Pack 5 to version 5.0.4 with some maintenance changes and minor improvements.
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 and Improvements:
- Toolbox Utility:
A silent error could occur when closing a project with the automatic help display activated, closing Toolbox as well as the project. This was never noticed because it looked like a normal program exit. - V3, V4 and V5 skins:
The base font was set to 95% by default instead of 100%, which could cause images to be displayed a little less clearly on old displays until the user adjusted the text size upwards in the hamburger menu. - All skins:
- The Search field is now activated automatically when the index or search pane is selected.
- Corrected a number of title and alt texts that did not have variables.
- Topic title font size variable added for print mode.
- Links in popups now open in the same window as the WebHelp on mobile devices
- V5 Minimalist Modern skins:
Variables for the topic title font size have been added to the Topic Pane group (TOPICTITLE_FONTSIZE_DESK / _PHONE / _PRINT / _TABLET) - V5 Cool Max skin:
The “Search” display text was not updated with a variable in some places
Help+Manual 9.1 Released
Posted by Alexander Halser in Help+Manual, Software Updates, Translation on April 8, 2023
We are glad to announce the immediate availability of Help+Manual 9.1 and Translation Assistant 9.1.
Help+Manual 9.1
- Insert Link Dialog: New checkbox implemented that indicates whether the link points to the current topic. Ticking the checkbox (if unchecked) changes to the current topic.
- Insert Table dialog: Checkbox added to tick all border sides of selected cells at once.
- Save Picture Dialog: The automatic unique file name suggestion (save as “clipXXXX.png”) includes the username and computer name into the suggested file name, if a project is under version control. With version control, it is otherwise very likely to generate identical file names on different computers
- Publishing tasks: In the Variables tab, import/export buttons for publishing variables have been re-implemented
- SVG images: Colors defined with an RGBA() color definition are now correctly rendered.
- Export dialog: The number of recently used skins is now limited to 15. The list was (unintentionally) not limited.
- Import: Improved memory management when importing large chunks of HTML files
- HTML Export: If an image contained one or more hotspots, had a caption, a flexible width and was centered on the page and did not use an image style with a border, the HTML written for the image contained one </div> tag too many and was invalid.
- eWriter Export: The udpated eViewer.exe version 3.4 is included. When creating an .EXE file, the output file is created in the Windows temp folder first, then customized, then copied to the destination, to avoid interference with Dropbox, OneDrive, AV programs interuptions.
- PDF Export: If the table of figures was printed before topics and the TOF spanned more than 1 page, the TOF entries after the first page did not contain page numbers.
- PDF Export: Some special characters such as the Ohm symbol (Ω) where rendered with a replacement character in certain cases.
- DeepL Plugin: Korean and Norwegian added.
Translation Assistant 9.1
- DeepL Plugin: Korean and Norwegian added.
- DeepL Plugin: Protected words (formatted with the lock symbol) were not correctly escaped in the processed XML and were returned including the <hmprtct> tags.
- Bulk translation: improved error handling and error report implemented.
eWriter Viewer 3.4
- eViewer 3.4 fixes a problem with topics that contain a “+” in the file name.
All updates are available from our download page.
Premium Pack 5.0.3 Maintenance Update
Posted by tim green in Browsers, Documentation Authoring, eWriter, Skins, Software Updates, Utilities on January 13, 2023
We are please to announce the release of version 5.0.3 of Premium Pack 5. This maintenance update corrects a number of minor issues discovered and reported since the original release and is recommended for all users.
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.
Important note for Cool Max skin users
This update includes improvements in both the standard and megamenu header menu systems in this skin. If you have made your own changes to these menus, please don’t overwrite the menu HTML and CSS files with your own ones this time, as that would eliminate the improvements.
Changes and improvements since 5.0.0
- Premium Pack installer:
Now also supports “only for me” option to allow installation without administrator mode, if Help+Manual 9 has also been installed in the same way. - Cool Max skins:
Small HTML error in Classic Header source corrected
The mobile logo image was referenced without a variable in one location
OPT_NOHEADERLOGO option added to the skin options
OPT_NOBREAD option was not enabled
Fine tuning in the MEGA MENU header menus system
Breadcrumbs were displayed in phone mode - All V3, V4 and V5 skins:
Additional filter to prevent conflicts with external code and browser extensions using PostMessage functions - Google Analytics support:
Removed a couple of irrelevant debug messages from the console log interface - Skins with project title in the TOC:
PROJECTTITLE_COLOR, PROJECTTITLE_FONT and PROJECTTITLE_SIZE variables now available - V5 Modern eWriter skins:
Corrected internal server reference added to the EMail feedback option - V5 Flexible Keyboard skins:
Focus switched to TOC when selecting the Previous / Top / Next buttons in the topic header - Both keyboard control skins:
A bug in the Chromium web engine made the focus outline for keyboard navigation in the TOC invisible after clicking in the TOC with the mouse. This has been corrected with a CSS workaround. - Multiple skins:
Improvement of CSS for formatting in the TOC - V4/V5 Flexible skins:
Tooltip text variables were not connected to the left/right and up/down button tooltips - Help update:
More flexible options for using WebHelp in SharePoint
December Updates
Posted by Alexander Halser in eWriter, Help+Manual, Software Updates on December 16, 2022
We are glad to announce the immediate availability of Help+Manual 9.02 and Translation Assistant 9.02.
Maintenant, Help+Manual parle français
Version 9.0.2 comes with an optional French user interface. This is a somewhat risky step for us, because nobody here speaks French and we neither can evaluate the quality of the translation, nor can we provide email support in French. But we wanted to give to a try, though. Please consider the French user interface as “beta test”, you can always switch back to English, if something doesn’t work. The translation is courtesy of Christophe Willefert, a French user of Help+Manual. Translation errors are courtesy of EC Software.
We expect this to be the last update for 2022 and wish all our customers around the world a happy and peaceful holiday season! Read the rest of this entry »
Help+Manual 9 – New Major Release!
Posted by Alexander Halser in eWriter, Help+Manual, PDF, Skins, Software Updates, Version Control, WebHelp on November 19, 2022
With great pleasure we announce the release of Help+Manual version 9!
This is a major release with plenty of new features, most importantly: support for GIT.
What’s new in Help+Manual 9
- Version Control with GIT Support
- Image Styles
- Figure Tables and Figure Links
- PDF Merging
- Premium Pack 5
- And a lot more…
GIT Support in Help+Manual 9
Click here to learn more about this major update!
If you are currently using Help+Manual 8…
Please note that version 9 uses the same license keys as Help+Manual 8 – your current license keys remain valid! Version 9 is a free update for all users of Help+Manual 8 with active maintenance.
How can you find out if your version 8 license still includes maintenance?
- Start your current version of Help+Manual 8
- In the Help tab, click “License and Maintenance”
- If maintenance includes November 19, version 9 is included as free update
- If it has expired, click “Extend Maintenance Period” to renew it
eViewer 3.2 for Windows – Maintenance Update
Posted by Alexander Halser in eWriter, Software Updates on October 1, 2022
We just released an update to the eViewer executables for Windows (both 32 and 64 bit). The installer of Help+Manual 8.5 has been updated as well to include the new eViewer exe. This is the second maintenance update for eViewer since the release of version 3 (see also: v3.1 update).
eViewer Version 3.2 for Windows
- Self-contained exe-ebooks created with Help+Manual did require the explicit file name in the command line syntax (e.g. myebook.exe myebook.exe 1234 to load a context number). This has been eliminated and the old syntax is supported again (e.g. myebook.exe 1234 to load a context number).
- When the viewer application was called with a file name that did not exist, it got stuck as an invisible task and did not automatically terminate.
- The app-button dropdown arrow is now hidden, if the app button does not have a menu.
- Internal file links from one .ewriter book to another .ewriter book: data file names without a full path are now expanded (based on the current source).
- Internet links in topics, that address other ewriter books with the “ewriter://” protocoll are now supported by the Windows viewer.
Downloads
eViewer 3.2 for Windows (stand-alone installers for 32 and 64 bit)
eWriter as Application Help (redistributables)
Help+Manual 8.5 as released per Aug 21, 2022
(Help+Manual remains unchanged but includes the updated eViewer.exe)
eViewer 3.1 for Windows – Maintenance Update
Posted by Alexander Halser in eWriter, Help+Manual, Software Updates on September 13, 2022
We just released an update to the eViewer executables for Windows (both 32 and 64 bit). The installer of Help+Manual 8.5 has been updated as well to include the new eViewer exe.
eViewer Version 3.1 for Windows
The viewer did not properly pick up the system-wide title bar accent color. Instead, the title bar of the viewer window remained dark gray. This bug has been fixed with the new version. Read the rest of this entry »
Help+Manual v8.5 Released: Support for Snagit and eWriter 3
Posted by Alexander Halser in Help+Manual, Software Updates on August 21, 2022
We are glad to announce a maintenance update for Help+Manual 8.5. If you are using version 8 already and your maintenance plan includes updates until August 21, 2022, just download the setup and run it to update your current installation.
Changes in 8.5 Build 5980
- eWriter Export Format: we recently released the redistributable eWriter Viewer 3.0 for Windows and MacOS.
Help+Manual v8.5 includes the new eWriter Viewer 3.0 (32 bit) to create stand-alone EXE e-books and the configuration page for eWriter export has new export options: a product logo (shown on MacOS and Windows) and menu options for MacOS.
Please note that some export options for the eWriter format are depricated with the updated viewer and have been moved to the new command line options.
- Snagit: we have added direct support for TechSmith Snagit® 2022 cross-platform file format “.snagx”. The .snagX format is the (editable) compound image format containing the original screenshot, annotations and modifications. Help+Manual can load a .snagX picture directly and treats it like a PNG file.
Please note: the new compound .snagX format is available with Snagit 2022 only. This file format is different to the old .snag file format.
- Publish dialog: the publishing tasks frame now responds to the mouse wheel
- Screen Capture tool (bugfix): when doing a screen capture on a different monitor than the primary monitor, the cursor icon was not included.
- Bulk Find & Replace: the “replace all” function (internally using an XML scanner) has unintentionally removed non-breaking spaces (#160) from the source.
Download
Help+Manual 8.5 is available from our download page:
eViewer for MacOS Released
Posted by Alexander Halser in Help+Manual, Software Updates, Technical Writing on July 26, 2022
We are happy to announce the immediate release of eWriter Viewer V3 for MacOS.
With this update, eWriter viewer version 3 is complete. The viewer is now available for end-users for Windows (Windows XP until Windows 11) and for MacOS 11 (universal binary for Intel/ARM).
Download:
https://www.helpandmanual.com/ewriter/index.html
eWriter Viewer on MacOS screenshot
eWriter as Application Online Help
If you use the ewriter format as application online help for your own software, the redistributable eViewer executables have been updated as well.
The developer package includes executables for Win32/Win64/MacOS for redistribution, a tester application for Windows and MacOS and the complete documentation. Please download the eWriter developer package from the link below.
Download:
https://www.helpandmanual.com/download/eviewer-v3-developer-redist.zip
eViewer Tester screenshot
eWriter Viewer v3 for Windows and More…
Posted by Alexander Halser in Help+Manual, HelpXplain, Software Updates, Utilities on July 14, 2022
We are happy to announce the immediate release of eWriter Viewer Version 3. This is an update to the Windows version, a MacOS version is coming soon.
What’s New in eViewer Version 3?
The updated viewer has a slightly redesigned and even more reduced user interface – it integrates the toolbar into the title bar. The UI supports Windows light mode, dark mode, high-contrast modes and, of course, high-dpi monitors.
Multiple languages: the UI languages English, German, French, Italian, Russian and Spanish are built-in. When you redistribute the viewer for application online help, you can supply a custom language file to match the language of your application. Further customization of the UI is still possible in Help+Manual.
Beneath the surface, pretty much everything is new.
There is a new application design: while the old version created one instance per .ewriter file, version 3.0 creates just one single instance but opens a separate window for each file displayed. This is a huge improvement, because when using the viewer to display application online help, you can close all help files that your application might have opened with one single call – a “/close” parameter.
The viewer also comes with a new command line interface. The old command line interface that you you might be using now is still supported – no changes required. The new command line interface offers additional features and is identical to the MacOS version – we’ll get to that later.
- Redesigned multi-language user interface with 6 languages built-in
- Individual localization possible with custom language file
- Single-instance & multi-window design makes it easier to control the app for displaying application online help
- New command line interface for application online help
- Windows 7 or higher
- 32 and 64 bit executables
- Compatible with all .ewriter books created with Help+Manual and HelpXplain, including old versions
- Customization in Help+Manual (eViewer app menu, app button color, book icon)
- Optional stand-alone EXE help files combining viewer and content
Download
Download the updated Windows eViewer directly from the eWriter website:
https://www.helpandmanual.com/ewriter/
Coming Soon…
We have been working on a MacOS version of the eWriter Viewer and it is getting close to release state. (Please contact support, if you are interested in testing the MacOS beta.)
Please watch this news feed for updates. The timetable for eWriter Viewer is approximately:
- Official eWriter Viewer v3 for MacOS (universal binary for Intel/ARM) in July 2022
- Developer package with redistributable viewers for Windows and MacOS including tester applications (Win/Mac) for the new command line interface. July/August 2022
- Help+Manual v8.5 with the updated Windows viewer and new/modified export options for eWriter files: August 2022