Updated HTML Help Builder with ToC Icons
One of the features that I've wanted to add to the HTML Help Builder is the ability to use map markers to assign Table of Contents (ToC) icons in the Help file. For each of pages in a CHM table of contents, you can assign one of 42 icons that will appear next to the page name. It makes sense that if help authors could use map markers in MindManager to assign the icons, it would be much easier to use them in help files. Here's what I did:
- I opened HHW.exe (the HTML Help Workshop application) in Visual Studio and found the bitmap that had all of the icon images.
- I copied each of the icon images to an .ico file.
- I made a Package Folder for Icons and put all of the icon files in it.
- Once they were in a package folder, I could see them in the MindManager Library
- I created a new map and put one of each of the icons in the map.
- I created a new icon marker set named "Help" in that map and moved all of the Single Icons to the new Help map marker set and gave each one a name. (Steps 2-6 were a bit tedious)
- I saved the map as a document template.
- The HTML Help contents file maps the icon images to indices 1-42 so I created a new map with 42 topics, one for each index and put the icon marker and index number (1, 2, 3 etc) in the text of the topic. I then saved that map with an .xmmap extension. This was to be my visual lookup table.
- I modified the XSL transform to create the .HHC table of contents file so that if an icon was in the lookup table map I would use that index in the .HHC file.
It was a bit of involved process but now that I did it, I am able to easily use the HTML Help icons in maps that then go to create the HTML Help files. I am using this now to create help files for the Mindjet Labs solutions that I build. In the software business, this is called dogfooding where you use your own software. Dogfooding is exactly why so many software companies use MindManager for software requirements, specifications, and project management, because we use it for those tasks as well at Mindjet.
I have updated the solution with this new feature and you can try it out today.
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About Michael S. Scherotter
Educated as an architect, Michael has made his career in software development about combining technology in interesting ways.
After getting his Bachelor's of Architecture from the University of Arizona, Michael received a Master's of Architecture from UCLA specializing in Design Tool Development.
From there, he joined Tartus, Inc., a sofware consulting firm specializing in building architectural sofware. At Tartus, Michael rose to the role of lead software architect for BC Framer, a custom CAD solution for Boise Cascade Corporation. In this role he designed and lead development of the software through six successful release cycles.
At Mindjet, Michael started by managing the software development teams for the first tablet-pc enabled version of MindManager and MindManager X5.
From 2003 to 2007, Michael was in business development and marketing roles as a Business Solution Architect and as the Solution Platform Product Manager for MindManger. Michael designed and built the first enterprise integration for MindManager, the Accelerator for Salesforce.com which served as a reference implementation for future enterprise integrations. In this role, he created, directed, and maintained the Mindjet Labs and became the evangelist for the MindManager Solution Platform.
Now Michael is a Developer Evangelist for Microsoft Corporation.
