From: MERC::"uunet!WKUVX1.BITNET!MacroMan" 20-JUL-1992 17:42:57.35 To: info-tex@SHSU.BITNET, texhax@tex.ac.uk CC: macro32@WKUVX1.BITNET, info-vax@sri.com Subj: PPHLP (VMS Documentation Tool) on FILESERV/Niord Norman Gray kindly forwarded me a new package which assists in creating a single file which may be used both for hard-copy user documentation, as well as input for the VAX Librarian utility. Attached is thee description file for this package. If you need information on FILESERV, include the command HELP in the body of a mail message to it; the command SENDME FILELIST will return a brief annotated listing of packages available. Regards and thanks to Norman for his contribution, George %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% George D. Greenwade, Ph.D. Bitnet: BED_GDG@SHSU Department of Economics and Business Analysis THEnet: SHSU::BED_GDG College of Business Administration Voice: (409) 294-1266 P. O. Box 2118 FAX: (409) 294-3612 Sam Houston State University Internet: bed_gdg@SHSU.edu Huntsville, TX 77341 bed_gdg%SHSU.decnet@relay.the.net %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% PPHLP ----- The PPHLP package includes the files Norman Gray's PPHLP utility system for producing both VMS help libraries and printed documentation from a single file, which has LaTeX commands embedded within it. This is achieved by redefining certain LaTeX commands to begin with "!" rather than "\", as well as by providing a few environments specific to the package. It is possible to directly specify LaTeX printout variants for certain names (such as "\LaTeX") while providing ASCII support for the associated word (in this case, "LaTeX") within the created VAX Librarian help file. Additionally, it is possible to specify in the input file words to be highlighted in the VAX Librarian help files, as well as different typefaces for the same words in the LaTeX printed output. In general, a single document may serve as both system-level help, as well as printed user documentation -- a very nice consistency extension for VMS product developers, as well as system managers. Although it is fairly specific to VMS, the format of help library modules is simple, and the system could probably be translated fairly easily to take advantage of another format with a similar heirarchical structure. The system is not dissimilar to the GNU texinfo format. As this is a package of primary interest to VMS sites, the package has been bundled into a two-part VMS_SHARE distribution. To retrieve the package, include: SENDME PPHLP in the body of a mail message to FILESERV@SHSU.BITNET (FILESERV@SHSU.edu). The returned VMS_SHARE archive includes: PPHLP.README A README file, with examples. PPHLP.TEX The file which is actually LaTeXed, by ... PPHLP.COM DCL com-file, which acts as a `front-end' to the package. PPHLP.HELP A help file. It can either be turned into an .hlp file by processing it with helpproc (below), or into a .dvi file by invoking the com-file. HELPPROC.PAS A preprocessor, which strips out some constructions. [HELPPROC.PAS was written by Krish Singh] PPROC.CLD A .cld file for the preprocessor. HLP.LSE An LSE file which defines the language `hlp', and adds adjustments designed for the `folding editor' capacities of LSE, by allowing elision of the help text as you write it. PHUTGUIDE.STY The documentstyle in which the help documents PHUTGUIDE11.STY are set. A ZIP archive file of this package is available for anonymous ftp retrieval from Niord.SHSU.edu (192.92.115.8) as [FILESERV.PPHLP]PPHLP-V1_0.ZIP; the individual sources, as well as the HELPPROC.EXE (linked under VMS 5.5) and HELPPROC.OBJ are available in [FILESERV.PPHLP.SOURCES] on Niord. Files in this package: (1 Block = 512 bytes) File Blocks ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PPHLP.1OF2 79 Concatenate to PPHLP.SHAR; @PPHLP.SHAR will unbundle PPHLP.2OF2 70 to PPHLP.README, PPHLP.TEX, PPHLP.COM, PPHLP.HELP, HELPPROC.PAS, PPROC.CLD, HLP.LSE, PHUTGUIDE.STY, PHUTGUIDE11.STY Approximate total blocks in full PPHLP package = 149