Us non-geeks are always in desperate need of help files!
The Gimp help can't be accessed within Gimp Portable. It's an .exe file that needs to be downloaded separately (over 20 MB) and, when started, doesn't find a registry entry if Gimp is not installed regularly. I didn't manage to make it load within Gimp (a geek or gimp should know how to, though, and please let the non-geeks know!). But, I finally got at the help file anyway. Not bad for a non-geek, eh?
Here's how to: Get an extractor (like "Universal Extractor") and extract with it the gimp-help-2-0.9-setup.exe. You get some file and a folder named "{app}". Click yourself through that folder to your language. The help is there in many .html files. You start out best by double-clicking on "ch01.html", as this is where the help file begins. From within it you can navigate to all the other .html files, e.g. by clicking on the "next" links in each page. That's it.
Here is where the help file is that I used (gimp-help-2-0.9-setup.zip):
http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=121075
This is where to get UniExtract (itself portable, too):
http://www.legroom.net/modules.php?op=modload&name=Open_Source&file=inde...
The binary version (1.75 MB) is the one without install.
Addendum: just found out that you can even navigate through the entire help file when you just put a shortcut of, for instance, the ch01.html file on the desktop and start navigating from within that file.
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I'm doing a portable installer for the GIMP help files (one English-only, the other multilingual with instructions for removing the others). I was in Arizona and without my primary PC, so I couldn't get it done in time for today's launch.
Sometimes, the impossible can become possible, if you're awesome!
Thanks, glad to hear that. The help file for The Gimp is really important. It's also unusually intelligently made up (for a help file) and even aesthetically pleasing. Am just finding out, with it's help, what a gorgeous and professional program The Gimp really is. Was quite confused with all the strange buttons, menus, settings, etc. Finding out about everything with that fine help file is really fun.
Someone posted a method for this already...
https://portableapps.com/node/1433
Vintage!
I saw that thread. But I had tried a similar trick before (putting the extracted help file in its proper location) and I couldn't get at the help from within The Gimp. I almost suspect that getting at the help from *within* Gimp as described there, only works when The Gimp exists already in an installed version on the same computer. And the guy who applied that trick DID have The Gimp (from which he had copied the help file) fully installed.
Anyway, I'm even happier with my solution now, as I don't have to carry the over 20 MB of the help file around.
Yep, worked perfectly. I was able to download extract and properly place the files needed into the correct directory and it works from within the gimp without any problems.
Ok, I just tried and downloaded the guy's *copied* (not extracted) help file from his website and unzipped the folder to its appropriate place. Still wont work from within The Gimp, here, for whatever reason. But no harm done ;-). As I said, I prefer the help file outside of The Gimp now.
Don't forget to copy the "images" folder as well. They have all the screenshots.