Zugg Software :: View topic

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 10:52 am

Just curious, the other day I pointed out an error on the KB and the help file.
The error was for %zonevnum.
Both the KB and the help file had this as an example:
#LOOP %numzones(#ECHO %zonename(%zonevnum(%i))}
which is incorrect. Note the } that is at the end.

The correction was made to the KB and it is now:
#LOOP %numzones {#ECHO %zonename(%zonevnum(%i))}

Will the help file be updated, and is there a way to GET the updated help file?
Other than uninstalling, unregistering, downloading, reinstalling, re-registering?
Never saw a "Download the help file here" link anywhere on the site.
Tho, browsing thru the archived Zugg sites it looks like it USED to be an option.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 6:12 pm

Unfortunately, zMUD used a help system program (ForeHelp) that is no longer made. Vijilante was helping with the help files using a newer version (actually cracked, but I don't care since the company is out of business and won't be updating it). But since my hard disk crash back in February I haven't had a chance to find a link to this program again and get it working again on my system. Since the web based help files are a *lot* easier to keep updated (any of the Gurus have access to update them), I probably won't be creating any updates to the actual help file anymore.

The "Download the help file" is still there. If you just select the zMUD option from the Download menu at the top of this page you'll see the printable manual as the last download link on that page. Pretty easy to find. But that download link is probably for an even older version of the help files (whenever we last converted it all to RTF format).

I suppose it's possible that the DocViewer program in zApp could be adapted to handle the online zMUD help files someday. But since there are so few problems with the help file and most people playing MUDs can easily access the online help, it just isn't a big priority. I have a *lot* of other more important things for my time right now.

Wizard Joined: 14 Oct 2000 Posts: 1368

Isnt the help file kinda in html format? Sounds like htmlhelp to me Mr. Green

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Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 6:32 pm

So does that mean that when new things are added to new versions of zMud there's no help file with regards to it other than on-line?
That would explain a bit.

Posted: Wed Jul 20, 2005 7:01 pm

Yeah, basically new stuff is added to the online help first, and only to the offline help as time permits. Since there hasn't been much new that really required much help, I haven't added anything in a while. Some of the spellchecking might get added, but it mostly works as people expect it to.

Rorso, the current online help got into HTML in a very round-about method. The old ForeHelp system could generate HTML help files. Back with zMUD 7.0 I generated all of the HTML files from the Windows HLP file, which were then put on the web site as online help back then. When I got the new Knowledge Base up and running, I wrote a conversion program that could take the HTML help files and add them to the MySQL database used for the KB and convert the HTML into the BBcode used by the forums and KB.

So now the help topics live in the MySQL database in BBcode format, although since they were generated automatically, they are pretty ugly, especially with line breaks and stuff.

To use HTML help, the online database entries would need to be converted from BBcode back to HTML (which isn't that hard with the PHPBB code that I have) and then put into the HTMLHelp file. I don't know anything at all about the HTMLhelp file formats, but since we are talking about hundreds of help topics, it would definitely require some sort of automatted solution. If you have any links to tools that you think would help with this, let me know.

One of the tricky parts is the internal links within topics. Works great in the Knowledge base to link topics, but this would have to get converted into whatever link formats HTMLhelp needed. Then there is the contents and related topics pages on the left. Right now the Knowledge Base generates the list on the left "on the fly" using various SQL queries.

If you try the DocViewer that comes with zApp (or download it from the zApp page), you'll see that it handles all of this and also handles the Web Update feature to download any changed help files. It works really well with zApp and seems like a better idea than trying to force it into something like HTMLhelp that is harder to update.

Apprentice Joined: 16 Dec 2002 Posts: 114 Location: USA

Ok, so I thought I would go and get this ForeHelp.. went to the site, ForeHelp seems to have been replaced by help magician elite, which I now have on the system... I'll be rewriting the helpfiles manually using it and will send to anyone who wants it, it will take some time, as i am copying the online manual as completely as possible, but it may be a good way to get a bit more familiar with some of the functions ;)

SubAdmin Joined: 18 Nov 2001 Posts: 5182

I am still around. Just haven't been as active. I will make some time this week to put together all the updates I have done on the offline help and get it posted. What is going to take me the most time is going through both the change log for the offline help to bring the changes in to the KB. Then because I reset that log in between making a series of changes and Zugg creating the KB I will also have to go through the bug reports and find all the changes I made in relation to those reports and synch up the data. Lots of manual work. That is the main reason I haven't just posted a help update, that and I think last time I looked I couldn't find an upload link.