Re: manuals

[Mary Bernard <if10000>]

I've got a shareware program that I find useful for manual-less Windows
programs. It turns a Windows Help file into ascii text (you get to keep
your original Help file, of course).

Windows help files are often arranged in weird orders, and this program
can't do anything about that: closely related topics may be pages apart in
the resulting ascii file. So you have to edit it. But for me the effort
is often worth it.

The program is called SMARTDOC. My version is for W3.1, but there's
probably a W95 version. It's available from Oakley Data Services,
who in 1994 could be reached at:

Tel: +44 (0)1270 759739, Fax +44 (0)1270 765272, CIS 74774,1347

WWW: http://www.smartcode.com

These numbers/addresses are from my 1995 copy, so they may have changed.

There may well be other Helpfile-into-text programs around; this is just
the one I happened to stumble across. It's not ideal - there's no
substitute, I agree, for a good manual (and NB's are, or rather were, the
best going) - but it's better than nothing.

Best wishes

Mary

Mary Bernard
<if10000>