Improve Dark Help for TC

Discuss and announce Total Commander plugins, addons and other useful tools here, both their usage and their development.

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Improve Dark Help for TC

Post by *petermad »

2AntonyD
But what about coloring: https://ibb.co/5GjMJYn ?
is that - what you expected to get from the dark theme?
it's the TotalcmdDark2.chm. Its "brother" - simple TotalcmdDark.chm - has white content of Tab "Content" - this is more-or-less suitable variant, but this "black-and-white" content.....
It is because of a known bug in Windows Help, that it is not possible to get a totally black background in the left section of the help window - that is why I offer two versions, because personally I find the version with partly black background worse than the the all white version. See also: viewtopic.php?f=6&t=58110

Moderator message from: white » 2023-07-26, 09:01 UTC

This thread is created from posts split from a bug report thread. This starting post is a response to this post.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *AntonyD »

2petermad
It is because of a known bug in Windows Help, that it is not possible to get a totally black background in the left section of the help window
Really? https://i.imgur.com/o9hO2u4.png
This is A dark version of AutoHotKey.chm
Released at 10 August 2011!

https://ibb.co/w7BwZ3K
this is how it loos like the latest version of this help system. Amazing! Definitely we should somehow to repeat such view!
Last edited by AntonyD on 2023-07-24, 12:26 UTC, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *petermad »

2AntonyD

Could you please send that AutoHotKey.chm to me at tcmd @ madsenworld.dk - maybe I can find a solution for Totalcmd.chm

Interesting that the whole dialog including the navigation bar is dark.
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Try: TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *white »

petermad wrote: 2023-07-24, 12:29 UTC Could you please send that AutoHotKey.chm to me at tcmd @ madsenworld.dk - maybe I can find a solution for Totalcmd.chm

Interesting that the whole dialog including the navigation bar is dark.
The screenshot seems to be from the thread BlackHelp - A dark version of AutoHotKey.chm (the help file) on the archived AutoHotkey forum.
The adjusted css file seems to be no longer available is probably here.

The new AutoHotkey help files are created differently:
white wrote: 2023-07-22, 22:44 UTC I also know that the CHM file of AutoHotkey is compiled with the same Microsoft Help Compiler, but AutoHotkey uses scripts to generate source files that doesn't use the Table of contents, Index and Search feature of the help compiler, but it's own custom made Table of contents, Index and Search tab.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *AntonyD »

2white
The screenshot seems to be from the thread BlackHelp - A dark version of AutoHotKey.chm (the help file) on the archived AutoHotkey forum.
The download seems to be no longer available.
You are absolutely right! But that and was the essence of my post! Already at those ancient times they were able to create a proper dark themed CHM file!
Btw - IF you have a login on that forum - maybe you can ask there for uploading again that CSS which created a proper dark theme? But I would like to treat this as a backup plan! Personally I prefer the new look of this CHM, which is "created differently"!
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *white »

AntonyD wrote: 2023-07-24, 13:25 UTC IF you have a login on that forum - maybe you can ask there for uploading again that CSS which created a proper dark theme?
No need, I think I found it. I updated my previous post.
AntonyD wrote: 2023-07-24, 13:25 UTC Personally I prefer the new look of this CHM, which is "created differently"!
It's very nice and also available online here. However, it is less compatible because it uses more modern techniques (see here), I think it will be a lot of work to port it and I don't know if license issues will be problematic. BTW, the project Documentation for AutoHotkey is here.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *petermad »

Thanks. I tried it - one disadvantage is that you have to set dark mode from inside the UI of the AutoHotkey.chm file - then a chm_config.js file is written to the same directory, and when you close and reopen AutoHotkey.chm it will be in dark mode. That means that all .chm files of this kind in that directory will be shown in dark mode (because there is only one chm_config.js file), so it is not possible to have a .chm file that is used When TC is in Normal mode, and another that is used when TC is in Dark mode.

It could be dealt with if TC modified the chm_config.js every time TC is changed between Normal and Dark mode.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *AntonyD »

2petermad
To be honest, I don't think that people who want to see a dark theme will suddenly start abruptly switching to a white one and then also call for a help file and demand white there, too. If I really want dark, then immediately and for a long time and everywhere.
And in the same help, the switch button is RIGHT at hand! on the panel! That is, even if you want to quickly get a different color - just click on the button - you will get the result and your dream will come true!
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *petermad »

the switch button is RIGHT at hand! on the panel!
Thanks - I didn't notice that - I went via the gear-wheel button.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *white »

2petermad
Did you also examine the css of the old dark version of the old AutoHotkey.chm? (see my post)
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *hi5 »

@white @petermad
just in case, the latest AutoHotkey docs are here https://github.com/AutoHotkey/AutoHotkeyDocs/ incl a dark theme
https://github.com/AutoHotkey/AutoHotkeyDocs/blob/9e3bfa64bbf1277d70bff78ad02c01690ada1ac6/docs/static/dark.css#L4

The look & feel of the current AutoHotkey help are entirely different compared to the "older style" TC help (and old AutoHotkey help files)
F4MiniMenu (Forum) - Open selected file(s) from TC in defined editor(s) - A (minimalistic) clone of F4Menu
Source at GitHub (AutoHotkey). TCSyncComments (copy file comments)
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *petermad »

white wrote: 2023-07-24, 16:12 UTC 2petermad
Did you also examine the css of the old dark version of the old AutoHotkey.chm? (see my post)
That file is just a default css file for the main pages.

In totalcmd.chm the content of the left side of the window (the index) is in the file hsc6C4.hhc (hsc679.hhc in the German help). I have tried all kinds of css on that page, to not have the background of each index item colored white, but it is not possible, and I have found several references around the net, that nobody has succeeded getting rid of the white background of the items. Don't ask me for references for that now - it is more than 2 years since I searched the net for that.
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TC 3.50 on Android 6 & 13
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *hi5 »

@petermad the AutoHotkey docs are the same online as in the CHM, great advantage if you ask me also for TC so you can actually link to online help from the forum https://www.autohotkey.com/docs/v2/lib/index.htm just toggle light/dark mode via that "circle" icon
F4MiniMenu (Forum) - Open selected file(s) from TC in defined editor(s) - A (minimalistic) clone of F4Menu
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *white »

petermad wrote: 2023-07-24, 17:47 UTC
white wrote: 2023-07-24, 16:12 UTC Did you also examine the css of the old dark version of the old AutoHotkey.chm? (see my post)
That file is just a default css file for the main pages.
Yes, you're right. I didn't look into it.
petermad wrote: 2023-07-24, 17:47 UTC In totalcmd.chm the content of the left side of the window (the index) is in the file hsc6C4.hhc (hsc679.hhc in the German help). I have tried all kinds of css on that page, to not have the background of each index item colored white, but it is not possible, and I have found several references around the net, that nobody has succeeded getting rid of the white background of the items.
Yeah, that's why his screenshot is weird. I guess we will never know what he did if we don't get our hands on his hhc file or chm file.
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Re: [TC 11.00rc1] Crash when using Help > Index > Keyword

Post by *petermad »

2white
that's why his screenshot is weird
Which screenshot are you referring to?
License #524 (1994)
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TC 11.03 32+64bit on Win XP 32bit & Win 7, 8.1 & 10 (22H2) 64bit, 'Everything' 1.5.0.1371a
TC 3.50 on Android 6 & 13
Try: TC Extended Menus | TC Languagebar | TC Dark Help | PHSM-Calendar
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