Does anyone know if there is, or will be, a help file for the portable version as there is for the desktop version?
New: Kanri (Oct 09, 2024), Platform 29.5.3 (Jun 27, 2024)
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For now, I don't think it's probable that help packs will be portablized. It's possible to use original help packs by extracting their contents instead of installing them.
You can read more about in this thread:
https://portableapps.com/node/31671
No typin th las lette ca sav yo plent o spac
I have created a .paf.exe installer for LibreOffice English language help and it is available for download here.
I have not posted it in the "Beta Testing" section for at least two reasons:
1) I am not a developer and I have neither time nor skills to do this professionally. I can't commit to invest further efforts into developing even something as simple as this package.
2) I am not quite sure if plugins development test are also supposed to be posted in that forum.
The simplest way to install the help pack is using "Install a New App" (under Apps) in the PortableApps.com Menu. If you don't use the menu, you have to point the installer to the folder containing your copy of LibreOffice Portable.
If you are interested in another language help pack, I may package and upload them.
As mentioned above, I don't intend to invest much effort into developing this and anyone wanting to do that is free to take what I created and, if useful, develop it further. Until that time I will probably upload help packs for new versions of LibreOffice.
One further notice: the help pack has been tested very poorly, so I can't guarantee that it is going to work as expected or that it won't mess up, for instance, your LibreOffice Portable. I created and uploaded it hoping that someone might find it useful.
No typin th las lette ca sav yo plent o spac
What does the "help pack" offer beyond that included in the PDF User Guides? Just wondering.
Help pack offers the same functionality you would otherwise get from LibreOffice's online help system, in this case it is for offline use.
When compared with PDF User Guides, the main advantage is that the help system is much more interactive: if there is a dialog box with several options, you can click the "help" button for a short explanation of all the options. You could probably find the same information in the PDF User Guide, but it would certainly take you more time.
Help files are possibly also more up to date. For example, the latest PDF User Guide for Calc is for version 3.4.
No typin th las lette ca sav yo plent o spac
Thank you for your efforts!
1) The mentioned installer file (.paf.exe) seems to have disappeared from the linked URL. Where is it now?
2) Does it contain the extended help as available for non-portable LibreOffice as a package?
3) Will the contents be linked to the Help menue item in LibO Portable?
4) What version number?
Thanks again!
1) I am sorry about that. It seems that the service removes the files once there have been no downloads in 30 days. I have now uploaded the new version (4.0.3 English) and it can be found here. I don't plan using other hosting services at this moment, so this link will expire, too, if no one downloads the file in 30 consecutive days.
2) It contains the same help contents that you would have after downloading and installing the help pack for the installed version.
3) Yes, the contents will be linked to the help menu in the LibO Portable, as well as accessible through existing help buttons.
4) Now it's 4.0.3 US English.
No typin th las lette ca sav yo plent o spac
@SakiTC : Thank you very much for your efforts. Please excuse the long delay.
It seems the PortableApps developers will not support the offline help, and I understand. A package for all the supported languages would be to big, and choosing a few would always be (or seem) biased in a sense.
As I still prefer the offline help over the online html-version, I'm going now another way. This is easy in my case because I also maintain a Win-installed version of the software on my local system. I simply copy the proper language subfolder from the help folder of that installation and paste it into the appropriate path of any PortableLibreOffice (superficially regarding the version). It works immediately.
I fully agree with you about the difficulties of supporting the offline help. I also do not intend to create any more unofficial packages.
As for the use of offline help copied from the installed version, although I am aware that many users may also have LibreOffice installed, there may be others for whom having to install it would defeat the purpose of the software being portable. These users might find this thread interesting:
https://portableapps.com/node/31671
Also, for those who would like to use the search within offline help, the pastebin link provided in the above thread should not be used. Please use this one instead: http://pastebin.com/etqvhrvR
In version 4.2 packaging was somewhat changed and this thread might be helpful if: https://portableapps.com/node/39317. However, it seems that they have returned to the "old way" now, so you can disregard it, unless you are installing 4.2.8 where it is still relevant.
No typin th las lette ca sav yo plent o spac
As I keep some older versions of LibreOffice as PortableApps for the purpose of testing with respect to requests in a few forums, I also need to have offline help for all these versions available. In other words, I am installing offline help on a regular basis for LibOPortable.
Recently I wrote a detailed guide on the topic. Due to my poor English it may be too verbose and a bit clumsy. Nonetheless I give a linke to the guide here: http://psilosoph.de/LibOPortableGuide/LibOPortableOfflineHelp.odt . Comments welcome!