Using PDF for help --- with spotlight search?
Using PDF for help --- with spotlight search?
- Subject: Using PDF for help --- with spotlight search?
- From: Russ <email@hidden>
- Date: Thu, 20 Nov 2008 17:35:14 -0800 (PST)
I think this is an "old feature" request. I have a large existing PDF help file --- many hundreds of pages. Fact: it's not getting re-authored in Apple Help. Even Apple does not use Apple Help for products such as Motion --- very few pro apps do. So we work with what we've got.
I do have a large flat HTML version. I can launch the PDF or HTML from the Help menu fine.
The catch is the Spotlight search box on the help menu --- users expect it to search the help file regardless of the file format, with considerable justification. The current "Apple help" features seem to be set up exclusively to do things only the one true Apple way --- with a folder containing a html web --- CFBundleHelpBookFolder.
But, I've found references to an older deprecated NSHelpFile tag, which sounds a lot more like what I need --- just to be able to tell Spotlight where to pick up the help file for the search box. I don't need any runtime support from cocoa for the menu items. Any chance this still works and will be kept around?
Failing this, I'd like to know how to *remove* the search field menu item from my help menu. I don't put it there for sure! If it is searching the wrong thing (the system help), then that is a (user expectation) bug and it should be removable.
Final note--- the CFBundleHelpBookFolder stuff looks to want the help file/folder buried deep inside the app bundle's resources. That's definitely uncool, users regularly ask tech support where to find the help file; they expect to be able to find and look at it themselves without running the app.
So, I am planning to change my app to have /Application/myApp be a plain folder containing the help and support files plus the myApp.app At present I have that stuff in /Library/Application Support/myApp and it is widely overlooked/confusing --- a customer expectation mismatch. If there are any non-religious arguments against that I'm listening.
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