Extensible Help Project Plan

This page describes project details for the Extensible Help project. Main page: Extensible_Help

General concept

Extension developers should be able to include help content into the extension just by including xhp files (the help file format also used by the OOo help) into a help folder inside the extension. Multiple languages should be supported. English should be the fallback language. It shouldn't be necessary for extension developers to compile the help files at creation time. This will be done automatically when the extension is deployed (shared extensions) or used for the first time (user extensions).

Planning

Although the main tasks are listed as milestones they should not be seen in a strict sequence as some parts of earlier milestones may depend on progress in others. Example: The new HelpContentProvider mechanisms (M1) can't be finally tested and finished without a running HelpLinker mechanism (M2).

M1 Extend help runtime system

General target: Finished in week 36

• Extend HelpContentProvider to support help sources in extensions
  • For Extended tool tips (*.ht files), Done
  • For help content (*.db files), Done
  • For index content (*.key files), Done
  • Choose target index/indices (swriter, scalc, ...), Done
  • For tree content? To be discussed..., Open
• Multiple language support
  • Works automatically by name convention if language folder exists
    Done respectively compiler related problem
  • English as fallback, Open
• Check performance
  • Performance analysis, Done but uncovered...
  • Potential memory problem, Open

M2 Access HelpCompiler/HelpLinker to compile extension help content

General target: Finished in week 39

• Make new C++ HelpLinker available as library in OOo, Done
• Adapt HelpLinker to compile/link help content inside extensions, e.g. when called with a special option, Open