Home » Archimedes archive » Acorn User » AU 1997-12.adf » Regulars » StarInfo/Mellor/!HTML>Imp/!Help/ProgHelp

StarInfo/Mellor/!HTML>Imp/!Help/ProgHelp

This website contains an archive of files for the Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, Acorn Archimedes, Commodore 16 and Commodore 64 computers, which Dominic Ford has rescued from his private collection of floppy disks and cassettes.

Some of these files were originally commercial releases in the 1980s and 1990s, but they are now widely available online. I assume that copyright over them is no longer being asserted. If you own the copyright and would like files to be removed, please contact me.

Tape/disk: Home » Archimedes archive » Acorn User » AU 1997-12.adf » Regulars
Filename: StarInfo/Mellor/!HTML>Imp/!Help/ProgHelp
Read OK:
File size: 0717 bytes
Load address: 0000
Exec address: 0000
Duplicates

There are 3 duplicate copies of this file in the archive:

File contents
HelpReader
This is a small utility designed to display nice-looking Help files, not just normal boring textfiles.

Using it in your own programs
Simply copy the !Help application inside your own application and replace the HelpText file with the !Help file for your application. Please leave the ProgHelp file intact. Any textfile can be loaded by dragging it into the HelpReader window. You can also make HelpReader load any file if you provide it with a filename. If no filename is provided, then HelpReader will load "!Help.helptext" by default.

Syntax:
Run !Help -load <filename>

File format
The files are stored with the filetype plain text (&FFF), but contain several control codes which alter the appearance of the document. The control codes must be placed at the start of the line or paragraph you wish to apply the effect to. Note that to enter a code in Edit you must press the key-combination, not simply type the square brackets and number.

[14] (Ctrl-T) - Title / Sub-heading
[02] (Ctrl-B) - Bold
[09] (Ctrl-I) - Italic
[0b] (Ctrl-K) - Program coding (think 'Kode'!)

Only press Return to force a linebreak - eg. at the end of a paragraph. The program will automatically wordwrap all the text.

A limitation to the program is that currently it only handles up to 255 lines of formatted text. If this is a problem to you, contact me and I'll see if I can sort out an upgrade.

Boring legal gubbins
You are free to use and distribute HelpReader with your own programs, provided that no file (other than the 'Helptext' file) is modified, and that no charge is made for it (other than for media and distribution costs). If you are planning to use HelpReader in a commercial product then I would appreciate being informed about this.

� Philip Mellor 1997
	mailto: yr92pm4@hors4th.demon.co.uk
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00000010  20 69 73 20 61 20 73 6d  61 6c 6c 20 75 74 69 6c  | is a small util|
00000020  69 74 79 20 64 65 73 69  67 6e 65 64 20 74 6f 20  |ity designed to |
00000030  64 69 73 70 6c 61 79 20  6e 69 63 65 2d 6c 6f 6f  |display nice-loo|
00000040  6b 69 6e 67 20 48 65 6c  70 20 66 69 6c 65 73 2c  |king Help files,|
00000050  20 6e 6f 74 20 6a 75 73  74 20 6e 6f 72 6d 61 6c  | not just normal|
00000060  20 62 6f 72 69 6e 67 20  74 65 78 74 66 69 6c 65  | boring textfile|
00000070  73 2e 0a 0a 14 55 73 69  6e 67 20 69 74 20 69 6e  |s....Using it in|
00000080  20 79 6f 75 72 20 6f 77  6e 20 70 72 6f 67 72 61  | your own progra|
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000000f0  69 74 68 20 74 68 65 20  21 48 65 6c 70 20 66 69  |ith the !Help fi|
00000100  6c 65 20 66 6f 72 20 79  6f 75 72 20 61 70 70 6c  |le for your appl|
00000110  69 63 61 74 69 6f 6e 2e  20 50 6c 65 61 73 65 20  |ication. Please |
00000120  6c 65 61 76 65 20 74 68  65 20 50 72 6f 67 48 65  |leave the ProgHe|
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00000140  41 6e 79 20 74 65 78 74  66 69 6c 65 20 63 61 6e  |Any textfile can|
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000001d0  6d 65 2e 20 49 66 20 6e  6f 20 66 69 6c 65 6e 61  |me. If no filena|
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000001f0  74 68 65 6e 20 48 65 6c  70 52 65 61 64 65 72 20  |then HelpReader |
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00000220  66 61 75 6c 74 2e 0a 0a  02 53 79 6e 74 61 78 3a  |fault....Syntax:|
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00000240  64 20 3c 66 69 6c 65 6e  61 6d 65 3e 0a 0a 14 46  |d <filename>...F|
00000250  69 6c 65 20 66 6f 72 6d  61 74 0a 54 68 65 20 66  |ile format.The f|
00000260  69 6c 65 73 20 61 72 65  20 73 74 6f 72 65 64 20  |iles are stored |
00000270  77 69 74 68 20 74 68 65  20 66 69 6c 65 74 79 70  |with the filetyp|
00000280  65 20 70 6c 61 69 6e 20  74 65 78 74 20 28 26 46  |e plain text (&F|
00000290  46 46 29 2c 20 62 75 74  20 63 6f 6e 74 61 69 6e  |FF), but contain|
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000002e0  74 2e 20 54 68 65 20 63  6f 6e 74 72 6f 6c 20 63  |t. The control c|
000002f0  6f 64 65 73 20 6d 75 73  74 20 62 65 20 70 6c 61  |odes must be pla|
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00000360  63 6f 64 65 20 69 6e 20  45 64 69 74 20 79 6f 75  |code in Edit you|
00000370  20 6d 75 73 74 20 70 72  65 73 73 20 74 68 65 20  | must press the |
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000003c0  0a 0a 02 5b 31 34 5d 20  28 43 74 72 6c 2d 54 29  |...[14] (Ctrl-T)|
000003d0  20 2d 20 54 69 74 6c 65  20 2f 20 53 75 62 2d 68  | - Title / Sub-h|
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000004d0  6e 20 74 6f 20 74 68 65  20 70 72 6f 67 72 61 6d  |n to the program|
000004e0  20 69 73 20 74 68 61 74  20 63 75 72 72 65 6e 74  | is that current|
000004f0  6c 79 20 69 74 20 6f 6e  6c 79 20 68 61 6e 64 6c  |ly it only handl|
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00000510  65 73 20 6f 66 20 66 6f  72 6d 61 74 74 65 64 20  |es of formatted |
00000520  74 65 78 74 2e 20 49 66  20 74 68 69 73 20 69 73  |text. If this is|
00000530  20 61 20 70 72 6f 62 6c  65 6d 20 74 6f 20 79 6f  | a problem to yo|
00000540  75 2c 20 63 6f 6e 74 61  63 74 20 6d 65 20 61 6e  |u, contact me an|
00000550  64 20 49 27 6c 6c 20 73  65 65 20 69 66 20 49 20  |d I'll see if I |
00000560  63 61 6e 20 73 6f 72 74  20 6f 75 74 20 61 6e 20  |can sort out an |
00000570  75 70 67 72 61 64 65 2e  0a 0a 14 42 6f 72 69 6e  |upgrade....Borin|
00000580  67 20 6c 65 67 61 6c 20  67 75 62 62 69 6e 73 0a  |g legal gubbins.|
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000005f0  65 72 20 74 68 61 6e 20  74 68 65 20 27 48 65 6c  |er than the 'Hel|
00000600  70 74 65 78 74 27 20 66  69 6c 65 29 20 69 73 20  |ptext' file) is |
00000610  6d 6f 64 69 66 69 65 64  2c 20 61 6e 64 20 74 68  |modified, and th|
00000620  61 74 20 6e 6f 20 63 68  61 72 67 65 20 69 73 20  |at no charge is |
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00000640  65 72 20 74 68 61 6e 20  66 6f 72 20 6d 65 64 69  |er than for medi|
00000650  61 20 61 6e 64 20 64 69  73 74 72 69 62 75 74 69  |a and distributi|
00000660  6f 6e 20 63 6f 73 74 73  29 2e 20 49 66 20 79 6f  |on costs). If yo|
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00000680  6f 20 75 73 65 20 48 65  6c 70 52 65 61 64 65 72  |o use HelpReader|
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000006a0  20 70 72 6f 64 75 63 74  20 74 68 65 6e 20 49 20  | product then I |
000006b0  77 6f 75 6c 64 20 61 70  70 72 65 63 69 61 74 65  |would appreciate|
000006c0  20 62 65 69 6e 67 20 69  6e 66 6f 72 6d 65 64 20  | being informed |
000006d0  61 62 6f 75 74 20 74 68  69 73 2e 0a 0a 02 a9 20  |about this..... |
000006e0  50 68 69 6c 69 70 20 4d  65 6c 6c 6f 72 20 31 39  |Philip Mellor 19|
000006f0  39 37 0a 09 6d 61 69 6c  74 6f 3a 20 79 72 39 32  |97..mailto: yr92|
00000700  70 6d 34 40 68 6f 72 73  34 74 68 2e 64 65 6d 6f  |pm4@hors4th.demo|
00000710  6e 2e 63 6f 2e 75 6b                              |n.co.uk|
00000717