How to build documents and images

Jump down to:

• Find out tool versions
• Edit text files
• Edit Distance icon
• Copy Distance icon for use in Visual Basic and release
• Create splash screen for new version
• Copy splash screen for use in Visual Basic and release
• Update user guide version number
• Build HTML Help
• Copy HTML Help for use in Visual Basic and release
• Build HTML Help from command prompt
• Update title slide with splash screen
• Build title page image
• Build user guide
• Build user guide from command prompt
• Add title page image to user guide
• Build user guide PDF
• Build user guide PDF from command prompt
• Copy user guide PDF for use in Visual Basic and release

Find out tool versions

Axialis IconWorkshop:

• Select Help => About Axialis IconWorkshop
• Version 6.70

ComponentOne Doc-To-Help:

• Select Help => About ComponentOne Doc-To-Help…
• ComponentOne Doc-To-Help Enterprise 2006.3
• Version 2006.3.0.313

Microsoft Word

• Select Help => About Microsoft Office Word
• 2003 SP3

Microsoft PowerPoint

• Select Help => About Microsoft Office Powerpoint
• 2003 SP3

Microsoft PhotoDraw:

• Select Help => About Microsoft PhotoDraw…
• Version 1.0

Edit text files

Text files used in Distance include:

• %BASE%\Interface\Help - rtf files for built-in help, information and text
  • This includes Authors.rtf and Sponsors.rtf
• %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\ReadMe\
  • This includes the ReadMe.rtf for each release

Edit text files with WordPad, not Microsoft Word - Word adds extra characters that can mess up the formatting of the files.

To edit a file in WordPad:

• Right-click file name
• Select Open With => WordPad

Edit Distance icon

• Open icon, ico, file in Axialis IconWorkshop:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Icons\DistanceProject2.ico
• Create new file:
  • Select File => Save As…
  • Browse to %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Icons\
  • Enter file name e.g. DISTANCE_ICON_FILE.ico

Copy Distance icon for use in Visual Basic and release

Copy %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Icons\DISTANCE_ICON_FILE.ico (for example %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Icons\DistanceProject2.ico) to %BASE%\Interface\Main\Graphics - Misc and General\DistanceProject.ico

Create splash screen for new version

• Open Microsoft Image Composer, mix, file, in Microsoft PhotoDraw:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\D62release.mix
• Create new file:
  • Select File => Save As…
  • Browse to %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\
  • For release, enter file name: DMNreleaseR.mix
  • For beta, enter file name: DMNbetaR.mix
  • M is the major version number, N is the minor version number, R an (optional) release number.
  • Click Save
• Update version number:
  • Click ‘version 6.2’ in image
  • Edit text in box on right-hand side e.g. ‘version M.N’
• Update release number:
  • Click ‘release 1’ in image
  • Edit text in box on right-hand side e.g. ‘release R’ or ‘BETA R’
• Save mix file:
  • Select File => Save
• Save mix file as a jpg:
  • Select File => Save As…
  • Select Save as type: JPEG File Interchange Format
  • Browse to %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\
  • Click Save to save image with name as mix file but with jpg extension

Copy splash screen for use in Visual Basic and release

Copy %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\DMNbetaR.jpg or %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\DMNreleaseR.jpg to %BASE%\Interface\Help\DistanceLogo.jpg, where M is the major version number, N is the minor version number, R an (optional) release number.

Update user guide version number

• Open Doc-To-Help, d2h, file, in ComponentOne Doc-To-Help:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\distance.d2h
• Update Distance version number:
  • In properties on left-hand side, click Help Targets
  • Click Name: distance Manual
  • For release, select Property: Title and update Value: Distance M.N Release R
  • For beta, select Property: Title and update Value: Distance M.N Beta R
  • M is the major version number, N is the minor version number, R an (optional) release number.

Build HTML Help

• Open Doc-To-Help, d2h, file, in ComponentOne Doc-To-Help:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\distance.d2h
• Build HTML Help:
  • In menu-bar drop-down build targets list, select distance HTML Help
  • Select Build => Make Target OR Press F5
  • To rebuild everything, select Build => Rebuild Target
• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\HTMLHelp\distance.chm

Copy HTML Help for use in Visual Basic and release

• Copy compiled HTML help:
  • Copy %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\HTMLHelp\distance.chm to %BASE%\Utilities\Help\
• Copy Visual Basic macro file for use in Visual Basic components:
  • This contains a list of constants giving shortcuts to the help pages and is used to provide context-sensitive help.
  • Copy %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\HTMLHelp\distance.bas to %BASE%\Utilities\Help\
• Note that compiled HTML help is not usable from the Help menu within development versions, but it is usable in release versions.

Build HTML Help from command prompt

• Start command prompt:
  • Select Start => All Programs => Accessories => Command Prompt
• Change into HTML Help folder:

chdir %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents

• Build HTML Help:

"C:\Program Files\ComponentOne\DocToHelp\C1D2HBatch.exe" -build distance.d2h "distance HTML Help"

• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\HTMLHelp\distance.chm

Update title slide with splash screen

• Start Microsoft PowerPoint:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Images\TitlePage\TitlePage.ppt
• Insert splash screen:
  • Select Insert => Picture => From File…
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\DMNreleaseR.jpg or %BASE%Extras\Graphics\Splash\DMNbetaR, where M is the major version number, N is the minor version number, R an (optional) release number.
  • Replace current splash screen image in slide with newly-inserted one
• Save title slide:
  • Click CTRL-S

Build title page image

• Start Microsoft PowerPoint:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Images\TitlePage\TitlePage.ppt
• Save as Windows Metafile, wmf:
  • Select File => Save As…
  • Select Save as type: Windows Metafile (*.wmf)
  • Browse to %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Images\TitlePage\
  • Click Save
  • If asked ‘Do you want to export every slide in the presentation or only the current slide?’ click Current Slide Only

Build user guide

• Open Doc-To-Help, d2h, file, in ComponentOne Doc-To-Help:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\distance.d2h
• Build Microsoft Word document:
  • In menu-bar drop-down build targets list, select distance Manual
  • Select Build => Make Target OR Press F5
  • To rebuild everything, select Build => Rebuild Target
• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.doc

Build user guide from command prompt

• Start command prompt:
  • Select Start => All Programs => Accessories => Command Prompt
• Change into HTML Help folder:

chdir %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents

• Build HTML help:

"C:\Program Files\ComponentOne\DocToHelp\C1D2HBatch.exe" -build distance.d2h "distance Manual"

• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.doc

Add title page image to user guide

• Start Microsoft Word:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.doc
• Insert title page image:
  • Select Insert => Picture => From File…
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Images\TitlePage\TitlePage.wmf
• Resize image so it is the same width as the black-bordered place-holder on the front-page
• Select the image and press CTRL-X (cut)
• Select the place-holder and press CTRL-V (paste)
• Save the document
  • Click CTRL-S

Build user guide PDF

• Start Microsoft Word:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.doc
• Check conversion settings:
  • Select Adobe PDF => Change Conversion Settings
  • Check Conversion Settings: Standard
  • Click OK
• Create PDF:
  • Select Adobe PDF => Convert to PDF
  • Browse to %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\
  • Click Save
  • If asked ‘Do you want PDFMaker to turn off tagging for this document?’, click No
  • This can take a long time!
• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\document-master.pdf
  • If the images do not look OK then try again with a higher-quality conversion setting

Build user guide PDF from command prompt

Note that using this approach results in non-hyperlinked cross-references.

This assumes that:

• Adobe PDF is the default printer
• Adobe PDF will not prompt for a file name or display the PDF. To configure this:
  • Select Start => Printers and Faxes
  • Right-click Adobe PDF => Printing Preferences…
  • Select Adobe PDF Output Folder: My Documents\*.pdf
  • Uncheck View Adobe PDF results
  • Click OK
• Start command prompt:
  • Select Start => All Programs => Accessories => Command Prompt
• Change into Manual folder:

chdir %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\

• Run:

start /WAIT "" "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office 2003\OFFICE11\winword.exe" distance-master.doc /q /n /mFilePrintDefault /mFileSave /mFileExit 

• Move file:

move "%userprofile%\My Documents\distance-master.pdf" %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\

• Check:
  • Double-click %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.pdf

Copy user guide PDF for use in Visual Basic and release

• Copy %BASE%Extras\External Documentation\Documents\Manual\distance-master.pdf to %BASE%\Utilities\Help\distance.pdf
• Note that compiled HTML help is not usable from the Help menu within development versions, but it is usable in release versions.