Key Information

Help & Manual Windows Exe eBooks are designed to be self-contained and have a built-in viewer. Use ePub, PDF or Word RTF if you want to generate eBooks that can be read on electronic eBook readers.

File extension:

.exe

Format:

A single executable file containing the viewer and all data

Platforms:

All Windows versions (Windows 95 and later)

Typical use:

Online CD ROM catalogs and documentation, stand-alone documentation, kiosk applications, eBooks

Table of contents:

Yes

Keyword index:

Yes

Full text search:

Yes

Context-sensitive help:

Limited support for context-sensitive help. It is possible to make direct calls to specific topics in the help but not recommended. (Instructions available on request.)

Popups:

Yes, formatted popups containing formatted text (bold, italics, fonts etc), graphics and hyperlinks to other topics are supported. No support for context-sensitive field-level popups in your applications.

Multimedia:

Flash videos are supported if support for playing Flash is installed on the user's computer. Other video formats are not supported.

Printable by user:

Limited printing function for single topics only

Pros:

Single file format. Look and feel similar to HTML Help (familiar and intuitive navigation). Runs immediately without installation of any additional files on all Windows versions. Password protection is possible. A number of viewer templates are available for different layouts and appearances.

Cons:

Not appropriate for application help because of the lack of competent context sensitive help support. No support for JavaScript or interactive features, only basic HTML and CSS support. Cannot be displayed on electronic eBook readers (use ePub, PDF or RTF for these devices, check the supported formats for your target devices first).