One of the best (in my humble opinion) features of the Baan IV tools is the ability to document your tables/form/sessions right away when implementing them and have your hypertext user online help just two mouseclicks away, because it was gerated automatically from those help texts. Document a table field, and you have that help when the user help-clicks on any field of any form that displays that table field.

Now, in SSA LN (and also in Baan V?), the help is no longer maintained in the tools (if I understand that correctly). So, the question is: How is the (now XML-Based) Web help generated? What tools is SSA using, are they generally available, and if not: How can we create own web help (for add-ons, customizations etc.) that seamlessly integrates with the existing standard web help? Any ideas / informations anyone?

Uli

Dear collegae,

When looking at your problem i refer to the SSA WEbtop 4.0 for ERPLN docno U8715A US chapter 6.1 and solution 142197.
After you followed these instructions please start session ttams1110m000 User Template and us template code DEFAULT. In the field Help-server please enter <servername or ip-adres>:8080/webtop. 8080 is used when your webtopserver is running with Tomcat Apache-server. Then execute a Runtime DD.
When using LN via Worktop or Webtop the help-functions should be available
now.

Succes,
Rumaca

Sure, I know this - but the question was not how to *read* the web help, but how to *create* it ;-)

Uli

Refer to the threads -

Custom Help files for Webtop use (http://www.baanboard.com/baanboard/showthread.php?t=24746&highlight=ttadv8900m000)

ttadv8900m000 on Baan ERP (http://www.baanboard.com/baanboard/showthread.php?t=6062&highlight=ttadv8900m000)

Sure, I know this - but the question was not how to *read* the web help, but how to *create* it ;-)

Uli

In the documents i described is exactly written how to 'create' the xml-help for LN.
Within the webtop administrator you must define a directory where the compressed help-file is located. After that you can create help for LN.

Good luck :-)
rumaca.

I'm missing something. There must be a program to create this help, but it's not delivered or on the CD. I would open a case with Baan to see if it exists and we can have, but by now I'm about done. If you want, feel free to do so, or if someone knows of the program, let us know!

Here's what I did, it can't be the best method.

1. Find the standard xml help files. I was looking for the 'bp' package. On our server they were at:
C:\webservername\webapps\webtop\help\baanerp\B61a\en\bp

There is a 'stnd' help directory as well, but I found using the B61a was best.
Take a look at those files. To get help on your own session, copy one of those and rename it to your session ID. This will then pull up that help. So, you can see, you can manually modify one of the current xml helps to be for your sesssion.
This is pretty tedious, but they have the nice tags and it sure looks nice. If you don't know XML/HTML, you may still be able to follow it and substitute your help, but it will be hard. THERE SHOULD BE A PROGRAM THAT MAKES THESE.

2. okok, that's a big pain. I have a lot of my help on Baan V for the same stuff. So I was able to run the Baan V session: ttadv8900m000 "Export BaanERP Help to XML". This worked ok, I had to rename the files to have the full session name in there, because my original help did not, but once I had them named for the session I was able to copy them to the Webtop directory mentioned above, and they DO come up for the sessions. Not NEARLY as pretty as the help that's there already, but functional and much faster than retyping it all.

Notes on field level help. When the field level help is written for the standard, it's included in a 'glossary' xml file, you should see it poking around the webtop help directories. The standard Session help refers to the glossary.xml for the field help.
When the help is generated from the Baan V session, it only generates session level help, and imbeds the field level help inside. Unfortunately it has the Baan V package combination imbedded in there too, so more manual updating of that help file from Baan V is required to get the field level help.

Whew, hope someone finds a better way, hope that helps someone!

FYI, to update this post, I did receive some information from SSA. It appears that they use an XML editor directly to create these files. They have some translation utility that they are not releasing that helps them move from a Utility they have into this format, but they are not or at least have not released that.

They sent a .chm file that you can request from them, titled:

"lN Help Creation.chm"

They explain the above in more detail, suggest an XML Editor (XMetal) and some methods, but state that they are not releasing a tool that they use, so better to just make your own using an editor. They do explain the tags and where to place your files.