The HELPMAKE program can encode to create new help files or decode to modify existing ones. Encoding converts a text file to a compressed help database. HELPMAKE can encode text files written in QuickHelp, RTF, and minimally formatted ASCII format. Decoding converts a help database to a text file for editing. Regardless of the source format, HELPMAKE always decodes a help database into a QuickHelp-format text file.
You invoke HELPMAKE with the following syntax:
HELPMAKE {/E[[n]] |/D[[c]] |/ H|/?} [[options]]sourcefiles
The options modify the action of HELPMAKE; they are described in Section 11.3, “HELPMAKE Options.”
You must supply either the /E (encode) or the /D (decode) option. When encoding, you must also use the /O option to specify the file name of the database.
The sourcefiles field is required. It specifies the input file(s) for HELPMAKE. If you use the /D (decode) option, sourcefiles can be one or more help database files (such as PWB.HLP). HELPMAKE decodes the database files to the standard output device. If you use the /E (encode) option, sourcefiles can be one or more help text files (such as PWB.SRC). File names are separated with a space. You can use standard wild-card characters to specify a group of related files.
The example below invokes HELPMAKE with the /V, /E, and /O options (see Section 11.3.1, “Options for Encoding”). HELPMAKE reads input from the text file my.txt and writes the compressed help database in the file my.hlp. The /E option, without a compression specification, maximizes compression. Note that the DOS or OS/2 redirection symbol (>) sends a log of HELPMAKE activity to the file my.log. You may want to redirect the log file because, in its verbose mode (given by /V), HELPMAKE can generate a lengthy log.
HELPMAKE /V /E /Omy.hlp my.txt > my.log
The example below invokes HELPMAKE to decode the help database my.hlp into the text file my.src, given with the /O option. Once again, the /V option results in verbose output, and the output is directed to the log file my.log. Section 11.3.2 describes additional options for decoding.
HELPMAKE /V /D /Omy.src my.hlp > my.log