PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

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LateJunction
Posts: 3
Joined: December 8th, 2024, 7:00 am

PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by LateJunction »

I'm running Picture Window Pro Version 8.0.468 under WINE on Linux Mint 23, without problem so far, aside from the help facility not showing any of the detail information below the top level headings - see the attached screen shot. This is almost certainly my error on how I have installed and set-up PWP. Can somebody, who has this type of configuration running, give me some advice, please?

PS Hmm, seems like screenshot image is not being displayed - is .png format supported?
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jsachs
Posts: 4448
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by jsachs »

I seem to recall someone else reported this problem quite some time ago and it appears it still exists. You can view the help file manually by double-clicking on the file:

C:\Program Files\Digital Light & Color\Picture Window Pro 8\Picture Window Pro.chm

it can also be downloaded as a PDF from the Downloads page of the web site.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
LateJunction
Posts: 3
Joined: December 8th, 2024, 7:00 am

Re: PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by LateJunction »

jsachs wrote: December 8th, 2024, 8:08 am You can view the help file manually by double-clicking on the file:

C:\Program Files\Digital Light & Color\Picture Window Pro 8\Picture Window Pro.chm
Conceptually yes; in practice: no.

Reason: PWP8 is not installed there. Under Linux/Wine the equivalent location is (on my install) is /home/tony/.wine/drive_c/Program Files/Digital Light & Color/ BUT PWP8 is not there (PWP7 is).

I couldn't find PWP8 anywhere I expected it to be, but an examination of the 'start program' link on my desktop (created during the set-up of PWP8) revealed an install location of (copied from an examination of the link-file properties):

C:\\users\\tony\\Local\ Settings\\Application\ Data\\Programs\\Digital\ Light\ \&\ Color\\Picture\ Window\ Pro\ 8\\PWP\ 8.0.exe

Wine then transforms this Windows address to:
/home/tony/.wine/drive_c/users/tony/Local Settings/Application Data/Programs/Digital Light & Color/Picture Window Pro 8

and there I can click on the .chm help file. Unfortunately, I get the same result: no details are shown. I assume this must be a defect in Wine's handling of Windows Help files. Browsing to a downloaded .pdf, as you suggested, works partly: none of the links within this pdf are active under any Linux native pdf reader that I have tried. This makes accessing the help information too painful to be of practical use.
jsachs
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Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by jsachs »

I built a Web Help version of the current help file and uploaded it to our web site. You should be able to access it at the following URL:

https://www.dl-c.com/Documents/WebHelp/index.htm

There is also something called xchm which might work to view chm files.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
LateJunction
Posts: 3
Joined: December 8th, 2024, 7:00 am

Re: PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by LateJunction »

jsachs wrote: December 8th, 2024, 11:21 am You should be able to access it at the following URL:

www.dl-c.com/Documents/WebHelp/index.htm

There is also something called xchm which might work to view chm files.
Thanks for these immediate responses - that's beyond my expectations. Following the link results in "No route found for "GET /www.dl-c.com/Documents/WebHelp/index.htm" (from "viewtopic.php?p=14494")

However if I just access <www.dl-c.com/Documents/WebHelp/index.htm> directly, the results is as you intended. The html version is very easy to use.
jsachs
Posts: 4448
Joined: January 22nd, 2009, 11:03 pm

Re: PWP8 under Linux/WINE: help topic details not displayed

Post by jsachs »

I fixed the link.

https://www.dl-c.com/Documents/WebHelp/index.htm

I don't normally build a new version of the WebHelp files every time I edit the help file, but the one I uploaded is up to date now should still be useful for some time even if it does not include every update.

While CHM files have been deprecated by Microsoft for several years, Windows still supports them, but I can see why Wine might opt not to.
Jonathan Sachs
Digital Light & Color
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