Latest version : 2025-06-10 16:51:04 (UTC)
). Tested on Windows 11 24H2 (probably won't work on Windows 7, but let me know if it does).
Please let me know if you find any issues or have suggestions.
Can you integrate translation?
If you or anyone else is interested, sign up to translate the manual page by page into the desired language (but not machine translation), of course.
Both manuals updated to v2025-07-08 16:41:59 UTC.
Both manuals updated to v2026-01-23 01:25:09 (UTC).
I have made some corrections to the process when generating the CSS compatible for the CHM, so they now look almost identical to the real site.
Thank you for your effort!
Thanks for the update!
The chm viewer I have can bookmark pages and after an update the bookmarks are gone/broken within the viewer. I think it's caused by the timestamps that are appended to some of the files/folders internally.
Which viewer are you using?
I extracted the chm and see the timestamps. Do you have multiple versions and keep them organized by timestamped folders? Maybe when you compile the chm those timestamps are carried over unintentionally.
ExtraCHM, their official webpage was taken down years ago.
Yes...
I don't have the program and it seems like it's paid (and almost abandonware). But you can repackage it and test it with another copy. Only the hhc and hhk files carry the timestamp.
I lean more toward the idea that it's probably because the filename changes (not the content inside).
I rename the chm file so it's simple and the same as the previous filename of the previous version.
Myabe you're right. I've reuploaded a version with no timestamps internally in its hhc,hhk files.
Thanks for doing that. I'll have to wait until the next updated manual release to see if it worked.
If after saving bookmarks in this latest version, you make a copy of the file, delete the original, rename the copy to the original name, and reopen the file, do the bookmarks stay?
Because I tried testing with kchmviewer, and doing that also made the bookmarks disappear, so there might be something else (not related to the internal composition) causing it to happen.
I am not sure how bookmarking works in these CHM viewers, but I have updated the CHM again, so it can now show the Favorites tab (in the regular Windows Help viewer), among other internal changes.
Yes, in ExtraCHM The bookmarks are there. I also tested with kchmviewer and they are there too.
With ExtraCHM the binary config files that are saved have some signature within the name. It seems when the chm file of a different size/hash (whatever it may be) is detected ExtraCHM saves the config file as a different file. For example one version of the chm file saves to DOPUS_~1.CHM.21392789.5.esd and another version as DOPUS_~1.CHM.1225540.5.esd. This will cause the bookmarks to disappear, but if I rename the original DOPUS_~1.CHM.21392789.5.esd file (that contains the bookmarks) to the new name DOPUS_~1.CHM.1225540.5.esd and reopen ExtraCHM the bookmarks will come back. But when trying to open the bookmarks the "page can't be found". I have no problem transferring/viewing bookmarks of chm files from other software. That's why I suspected it was the timestamps since that potentially could change the bookmark path.
That's very odd because at least here if I replace the original even with a copy, then the bookmarks are gone.
I don't think that might be the cause, it must be the actual HTML filenames that are changing for that to happen, not the hhk file. Maybe the internal CHM title as well. But now there are zero dynamic variables internally, so whatever is going on is because of that particular app. FWIW the built-in helper viewer can retain favorites even across versions.
I tested with ExtraCHM again by adding bookmarks with your old version of the chm file from June, 2025 and then updated to your latest version and renamed the extrachm config file as pointed out above and the bookmarks work. Now I don't think it's timestamp related either because looking in the extrachm config file I see no timestamp references. Thanks again.
Edit:
I think you adding favorite support in the chm/built-in viewer is what made the bookmarks work in ExtraCHM.
@errante THANK YOU for continuing to provide this VERY HELPFUL resource!
Amazing work.
Just in case:
Official offline documentation for JScript and VBScript in chm format:
script56.zip (1.2 MB)