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OpenOffice.org Online Help
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<h1>Changes in Version 2.0</h1>
<img src="img/ooo_gulls.png" class="flowright">
<p>Beginning with release 2.0 the online help for <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span> underwent considerable changes
to allow for easier collaboration of the <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span> community in creating, maintaining,
and improving the online help files</p>
<p>All of these changes were introduced for several reasons:</p>
<ul class="olh">
<li>to finally put all the help files to open source</li>
<li>to allow easier collaboration of the community</li>
<li>to allow for easier customization of the online help</li>
<li>to streamline the build and localization processes to use well-defined and working processes</li>
</ul>
<h2>Help File Format</h2>
<img src="img/kruler.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, the help files were available in an unspecified, intermediate XML
format based on the <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span> XML format. Now, the help files are migrated to a
well-defined, easy and concise XML DTD which was discussed on and is available
from <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span>.<br>
The new extension for all help files is .xhp </p>
<h2>Help File Sources</h2>
<img src="img/package_editors.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, the nature of the help building process prevented the help
source files to be part of the product CVS repository. Now, all help source XML files
are part of the product CVS and available in the helpcontent2 module.</p>
<h2>Building Help</h2>
<img src="img/package_development.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, the binary online help files were built using a
complicated process inside Sun. Now, the help building process is part of the
building process of the application and in the hand of the release engineering.
Controlled by makefiles, online help can be built by using standard build and
make commands in the cvs module.</p>
<h2>Help Images and Icons Handling</h2>
<img src="img/kpaint.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, the help file set contained screen shots and application icons in
its own archive making it necessary to duplicate each icon used in the application. This also
made it necessary to compile a separate help set for differently branded products
(like StarOffice and <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span>).</p>
<p>Now, all application icons that are used in the help
are taken from the central icon repository that is also accessed by the application itself
to fetch the icons. In this way, the help always uses the same icons as the
application avoiding inconsistencies.
All images that are specific to the online help, like screen shots used in some help
files, are now in the helpimg folder of the res CVS module and are accessed by the help
in the same way as the icons.</p>
<h2>Help Authoring</h2>
<img src="img/ksig.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, authoring or editing the help files was virtually impossible
for the community since the source files were not available.
Now, there is an import and export filter for the <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span> help file format
for <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span>. Also, there is a set of macros that allows authoring and editing
of online help files right from within <span class="oooname">OpenOffice.org</span>.</p>
<h2>Help Localization</h2>
<img src="img/locale.png" class="flowright">
<p>Before release 2.0, localization followed non-standard process that involved
many manual steps to extract and reintegrate content.
Now, the localization uses the same process as the UI localization. All of this is
conducted by the release engineering. For more information about the UI/Help localization
process, please contact the corresponding release engineer
<a href="mailto:ihi@openoffice.org">Ivo Hinkelmann</a>.</p>
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<div id="olh_footer">last modified Feb 3, 2006 &#045; The nuvola icon set by David Vignoni (http://www.icon-king.com)</div>
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