HELP files not readable in Win7_64 ?

By the way Windows7 complains that it can not display FTN95 help files and needs to install the older help reader WinHlp32.exe from 'Microsoft Help and Support' server. But i hope may be developers already have redesigned Help to work in Win7 ?

Hopefully new help format in Win7 will return back all the features which were possible in older Windows (2000, 95/97) and disappeared in later versions (like hypertexting symbols containing % etc). Just returning the older Clearwin Help CWPFTN with its related topics, 'See Also' and examples will tremendously simplify learning and using Clearwin+

As far as I know, you can read .chm files but not .hlp files. The main help file is ftn95.chm.

FTN95 installs 4 .HLP files, the contents of which are of interest because they contain materials not available in FTN95.CHM:

SCC Fortran77 Fortran90 CWPSCC

As Dan says, it is possible to obtain WinHlp32.exe from MS update, and once this is installed you can read the .HLP files by clicking on them. Moreover, once the WinHlp32 file is installed, FTN95 / Clearwin programs respond correctly to the standard callback 'HELP_CONTENTS'. However, as WinHlp32.exe seems to be installed without WinHlp32.HLP (on my system at least) then 'HELP_ON_HELP' fails.

Wasn't HLP replaced by CHM as long ago as Windows 98? My suggestion is that these files are converted to a more modern instantly readable format.

Perhaps the installer needs to associate .ENH (enhancement) files with NOTEPAD ? These files contain a lot of important information.

Is it time for some more standard callbacks, this time to invoke HH.EXE?*

Eddie

• Or however else one reads CHM files! Perhaps 'COMPILED_HELP' to start a CHM file, 'COMPILED_HELP_PAGE' followed by the appropriate reference as a parameter to open the CHM file at a specified location.

At the moment you can use a .chm file with HELP_CONTENTS but HELP_ON_HELP and HELP_FINDER produce the same outcome as HELP_CONTENTS for a .chm file.

I will see what can be done to improve this.

Eddie

I have implemented HELP_LOOKUP so that the following code will work via keywords in the .hhk file of a Microsoft project to compile a chm help file. HELP_CONTENTS already works fine. Is this what you want?

      WINAPP
      INTEGER i,winio@
      CHARACTER*129 file,new_file,help_file
      CHARACTER*80 keyword
      help_file='ftn95.chm'
      keyword='APPEND_STRING@'
      i=winio@('%mn[&File[&Open]]&','EDIT_FILE_OPEN','*.*',file)
      i=winio@('%mn[[&Save]]&', 'EDIT_FILE_SAVE','*.*',new_file)
      i=winio@('%mn[[Save &As]]&','EDIT_FILE_SAVE_AS','*.*',new_file)
      i=winio@('%mn[[E&xit]]&', 'EXIT')
      i=winio@('%mn[&Edit[&Copy]]&','COPY')
      i=winio@('%mn[[Cu&t]]&', 'CUT')
      i=winio@('%mn[[&Paste]]&', 'PASTE')
      i=winio@('%mn[&Help[&Contents]]&','HELP_CONTENTS',help_file)
      i=winio@('%mn[[Topic]]&','HELP_LOOKUP',help_file,keyword)
      i=winio@('%60.20eb','*',0)
      END

Paul,

HELP_LOOKUP looks like a really useful addition. That's fine (I imagine) for stuff I have coded. I suppose it is a good reason for moving up to the latest version - by the end of the year?

But, even from Plato, my Windows say I can't read the help files for SCC, FTN77 or FTN95 that are listed in the Plato Help menu. (v 6.10). Now those are really useful files if you can read them, as is CWPSCC (if you want to program Clearwin+ in C++) - and for that matter, the .ENH files that are a bit hidden in a standard installation of FTN95 are also really useful. ENH files are not referenced in the Plato Help.

Regards

Eddie

Yes you still need to download winhelp32.exe from Microsoft for the .hlp files referenced by Plato. The conversion to .chm is on my list of things that need doing.

Downloading is a pain but Microsoft will not allow us to distribute winhelp32.exe with our release.

As for reading the downloaded help .chm file in W7-64, I'm afraid your detailed instructions didn't work. Every time I open the file properties it needs to be 'Unblocked' all over again, and then all I see is 'Navigation to the webpage was cancelled' and I'm recommended to re-type the address - what address? No wonder you've locked access to that post on the forum.

You should have no problem reading any of the .chm files under W7-64.

You can search to find a number of such files on your machine. Try any one to see if you get the same problem.

If there is only a problem with ftn95.chm then try downloading it again.

JT,

You have to save a local copy of FTN95.CHM on your own machine, otherwise if you saved a link, your machine goes hunting on the web.

You should have a local copy of FTN95.CHM, whether you are using the free Personal Edition or a fully licensed copy, as it is part of the standard install. There isn't much point in going on the web for it, unless you deleted (or moved) your copy. The only other point on going on the web seems to me to be the case where you are using a very old version on your local machine, but in that case it isn't going to run on W7-64!

The original post was about an earlier kind of help file, of type .HHP, which needs a different (and obsolete) reader, that MS have helpfully omitted from W7-64. FTN95 still has some help files in that format. The reader for those old help files is Winhelp32.exe. CHM files are read with HH.EXE that comes as part of Windows, even W7-64.

My FTN95.CHM is accessed from the Start Menu, All programs and then it is in the Silverfrost folder and it opens straightaway.

Should you actually prefer paper, there are downloadable manuals in PDF form on the support pages of this Website, but it takes around 3 reams of paper to print the lot.

Eddie