Visual CHM Editor's Review

Visual CHM is a tool, which helps you create a Compressed HTML Help file (CHM). It can also decompile CHM files, transforming them into HTML pages. The program is simple to use and has a good user interface. You don't have to know everything about how CHM files work, to get your work done.

The easiest way to create a CHM file is to create its structure using HTML pages and import these pages into the program. As you may know, whenever you open a CHM file a navigation bar is displayed at the top. Visual CHM allows you to select which of the navigation buttons are enabled. At first, I was a little bit confused, because when the program displayed all these navigation buttons, they look just like a toolbar. I realized later that any selected button on this "toolbar" also appeared in the navigation bar of the generated CHM file.

Pluses: The program allows you to define two extra navigation buttons. These buttons can be used to direct the user to any page of your help file.

Drawbacks / flaws: I tried to change the background color of the "Contents" window. After I compiled the CHM file, I saw that the background color of the text in this window was not changed.

In conclusion: Visual CHM is easier to use than Microsoft HTML Help Workshop and is able to decompile CHM files as well.

version reviewed: 4.0