Reference > Help Formats

Although you output to XML by selecting Compile Help File and Run, XML is not actually a help format in its own right and the XML output files cannot be viewed or used as help files on their own. XML Export/Import is a "round-trip" function that allows you to export your project, edit or translate it with an XML-aware editor or translation tool and then re-import it to Help & Manual with all project properties, layout and settings intact.

Compiling to XML outputs the entire project in XML format, using Help & Manual's own XML schema. In addition to the XML files containing all the data, XSL stylesheet files are also generated to allow WYSIWYG previews in web browsers and XML editors that support XSL.

For full details see XML Export/Import in the Reference section.

About the Help & Manual XML Language schema:

The Help & Manual XML Language schema is fully documented and anyone who wishes to is welcome to write their own tools, templates and transformers for it. For full details on the schema and the format please see the separate help file (Helpman_XML_ref.chm), which can be found in the Help & Manual program directory.

IMPORTANT: Help & Manual can only process its own XML files!

Help & Manual can only process XML files created with Help & Manual. Currently you cannot export or import any other XML formats. Help & Manual uses its own XML schema known as the Help & Manual XML Language. This schema is designed specifically for exporting Help & Manual projects for external processing and then re-importing them, and it is the only XML schema with which this is possible.

The Help & Manual XML Language is fully documented in a separate help file included with the program (Helpman_XML_ref.chm in the Help & Manual program directory). The schema is fully open and you are welcome to develop your own applications for converting between the Help & Manual XML Language and other XML variants.