Technical documentation, online help and manuals are increasingly distributed as HTML on CD or DVD, or installed locally together with the software. The HTML-based "WebHelp" generated by modern documentation tools like Help+Manual, RoboHelp and Doc-to-Help comes with powerful navigation, search and other features and displays in standard web browsers, making it very user-friendly and accessible.
The problem is that browsers are increasingly implementing security features that prevent WebHelp from running properly when it is opened from local drives or optical media without a web server. It used to be possible to get Internet Explorer to run JavaScript locally with the help of proprietary tags. However, the latest versions of modern browsers like Google Chrome are now making it all but impossible to use scripts that communicate between the frames or iFrames needed to display a scrolling table of contents, topics and other elements on the same page.
Help+Manual 2 Go Start Screen
Help+Manual 2 Go is the solution for local WebHelp!
Help+Manual 2 Go is a mini web server that solves this problem: It consists of a single file that contains everything needed to serve a complete WebHelp system to the local browser - even when opened from optical media. The browser sees a normal web server and behaves accordingly, opening the WebHelp with full functionality. You just need to store the HM2GO.EXE file on the CD or install it along with your software and start it together with the WebHelp documentation.
Users then get all the benefits of full-featured interactive WebHelp locally in their standard browsers, instead of laboriously searching through PDF files or putting up with the creaky and ancient interface of the HTML Help CHM viewer. Featuring intelligent caching, the mini server is just as fast, or even faster, than loading the HTML files directly from the hard disk or CD.
Help+Manual 2 Go runs on all versions of Windows from Windows 2000 and higher and is available as a completely free download. The license expressly permits distribution as long as no charge is made, also with commercial software.
Help+Manual 2 Go works with the WebHelp systems of all major help authoring and documentation tools. It supports:
- Help+Manual WebHelp
- Robohelp Browser-based Help including AirHelp
- Doc-To-Help
- Madcap Flare WebHelp
Help+Manual 2 Go is free
Help+Manual 2 Go is free for private and commercial use. You are allowed to use and redistribute the application royalty-free with your own Webhelp content.
Help+Manual 2 Go does not require installation on the target system, either. It just runs, even from CD. Simply download, install and copy the HM2GO.EXE executable.
Help+Manual 2 go is included in Help+Manual.
If you download Help+Manual, it installs Help+Manual 2 Go for internal Webhelp testing.
Version 1.3 Build 70, updated July 26, 2021
System requirements: Windows XP or higher
License and terms of use
Help+Manual 2 Go Server is a portable and redistributable webserver for Windows, provided by EC Software GmbH, the makers of Help+Manual. By downloading and using the product, you agree to be bound by the following terms:
Copyright (©) 2015 EC Software GmbH. All rights reserved. Except where otherwise noted, all of the documentation and software included in the Help+Manual 2 Go Setup package is copyrighted by EC Software GmbH.
This software is provided "as-is," without any express or implied warranty. In no event shall the author be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to redistribute it, provided that the following conditions are met:
1. All redistributions in binary form must retain all copyright notices and web site addresses that are currently in place (for example, in the About screen).
2. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software to distribute a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
EC Software GmbH
Salzburg, Austria
Help+Manual 2 Go Server is a portable and redistributable webserver for Windows, provided by EC Software GmbH, the makers of Help+Manual. By downloading and using the product, you agree to be bound by the following terms:
Copyright (©) 2015 EC Software GmbH. All rights reserved. Except where otherwise noted, all of the documentation and software included in the Help+Manual 2 Go Setup package is copyrighted by EC Software GmbH.
This software is provided "as-is," without any express or implied warranty. In no event shall the author be held liable for any damages arising from the use of this software.
Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose, including commercial applications, and to redistribute it, provided that the following conditions are met:
1. All redistributions in binary form must retain all copyright notices and web site addresses that are currently in place (for example, in the About screen).
2. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software to distribute a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be appreciated but is not required.
EC Software GmbH
Salzburg, Austria