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DanRRight · Posted: Fri Sep 18, 2009 11:16 pm Post subject: Clearwin+ hlp file ?

After installation of 5.30 I do not see Clearwin fortran hlp file in FTN95 directory. I see C cwpscc.hlp is there. Where is it ?

Also, i wrote already how first impression is important. User gets it from installation process. But it looks not only not very inspiring but worst of all it is confusing even for me who installed these compilers at least 100 times. This was always the case with these compilers from day one of FTN77. The FTN95 installation options/features look like they probably exist but nothing is really shown. Compare that to similar looking installer of older Microsoft Office which has tons of options. Options in FTN95 locked so it is impossible to chose among them.
I am sure for novice it is absolutely unclear what to install, not to install or install later. So the normal reaction is "let's install everything, all options" and see later if they are needed. But it is not possible to chose such option (as well as "install that later") so it is unclear what for such confuser, sorry, installer was chosen.

PaulLaidler · Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 8:33 am Post subject:

The help file is ftn95.chm and this should be in the same folder as the compiler ftn95.exe.

Plato (Plato.exe) provides easy access to the features of FTN95 for those who do not have Visual Studio or prefer not to use it.

DanRRight · Posted: Sat Sep 19, 2009 10:38 pm Post subject:

Thanks. So it is now incorporated into FTN95 help...
But it is something wrong there

Suppose i need to find which CWP format code prevents controls from sliding right when sizing a window. To search it I put word "sliding" into FTN95 help "Index" tab - nothing found.

aebolzan · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 5:50 pm Post subject:

Well, try now to search "%nr" in Silverfrost forums..you will obtain the same result. I guess there something wrong in the search engine of both, this site and the help files of the compiler.
Agustin

DanRRight · Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2009 9:37 pm Post subject:

I changed previous post a bit - i've made a mistake. By definition i expected "Search" doing search in realtime as you type like older CWPFTN.HLP was doing

Yes, forum does not search for any Clearwin+ codes like %ww. Probably because in the web constructs like %28 or %29 mean something different like '(' or ')' Can it be done - ?

DanRRight · Posted: Sun Oct 25, 2009 5:40 pm Post subject: Re:

PaulLaidler · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 3:38 pm Post subject:

When running the help file, the first item in the index points you to a list of format codes with "see ClearWin+ format codes".

The Microsoft search mechanism for HTML help does not work for %ac etc. Presumably % has some special meaning within their code. Leaving out the percent sign (e.g. typing ac for %ac) seems to work pretty well.

I have tried a few back handed approaches but so far I have not found a way to fool the Microsoft seach mechanism.

PaulLaidler · Posted: Mon Nov 02, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject:

It may be that the best solution is to search for *ac instead of %ac etc.
I know that it is a trick that you have to remember but I cannot find a fix at the moment. * is the wild card. Symbols like % are ignored by the Microsoft search engine. The same problem occurs in Google.

DanRRight · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:53 pm Post subject:

Probably in HTML such things like "%xx" mean something like xx=28, 29 mean left or right parenthesis.

But was your previous search mechanism in Help files different? I remember and just checked that previous older FTN95 Help file for Clearwin CWPFTN.HLP was able to search for %xx and by the way also had many examples and nice crossreferences on relevant controls and formats at the end so that you just click on them and you are there.

If Help ideally had pictures also (say on what you get from 20 different %ob options, how look %rb and %`rb etc) that would be just super-help!

PaulLaidler · Posted: Tue Nov 03, 2009 5:08 pm Post subject:

Yes *.hlp files are nolonger supported by Microsoft and, if you start afresh you have to download the corresponding WinHelp from the Microsoft website.

*.chm corresponds to the newer HTMLHelp which Microsoft prefers.
We still send out some *.hlp files that I need to convert. These will not run on Vista until you download WinHelp.