Help Menu doesn't access Help!

LibreOffice, like OpenOffice.org before it, uses web-based help. No help is included in the app itself by default (because it's huge).

I have found a dirty hack for using LibreOffice's US English helppack with LibreOffice Portable. It may or may not work for other languages.
Also keep in mind that it may break LibreOffice Portable: I can only say that it works for me (so far).
I am not affiliated with either PortableApps.com or The Document Foundation. I also know nothing of inner workings of either LibreOffice or the PortableApps.com Platform. I am not a programmer. I am sharing this hack hoping that it may be of some use to someone, but without any guarantee.

If you're fine with all of that, you may continue reading this comment ;-). To add US English help to LibreOffice Portable:

1) Download the US English helppack for your version of LibreOffice from www.libreoffice.org/download (for version 3.4.3, the filename is "LibO_3.4.3_Win_x86_helppack_en-US.exe").

2) Extract libreoffice1.cab from the file you've downloaded in step 1 (You can do it with 7-zip Portable or PeaZip Portable).

3) Create a subfolder named "en" in your "X:\PortableApps\LibreOfficePortable\App\libreoffice\Basis\help" folder, where "X" is the drive letter where your PortableApps.com platform is installed (provided LibreOffice is installed to the default location).

4) Extract the contents of libreoffice1.cab into the "en" folder. For LibreOffice 3.4.3 this folder should now contain 81 files (about 20 MB).

5) Within the "en" folder, create subfolders named "sbasic.idxl", "scalc.idxl", "schart.idxl", "sdatabase.idxl", "sdraw.idxl", "simpress.idxl", "smath.idxl" and "swriter.idxl".

6) Move the following files to the following subfolders of "en":
"_0.cfs", "segments.gen" and "segments_3" to "sbasic.idxl";
"_01.cfs", "segments1.gen" and "segments_31" to "scalc.idxl";
"_02.cfs", "segments2.gen" and "segments_32" to "schart.idxl";
"_03.cfs", "segments3.gen" and "segments_33" to "sdatabase.idxl";
"_04.cfs", "segments4.gen" and "segments_34" to "sdraw.idxl";
"_05.cfs", "segments5.gen" and "segments_35" to "simpress.idxl";
"_06.cfs", "segments6.gen" and "segments_36" to "smath.idxl";
"_07.cfs", "segments7.gen" and "segments_37" to "swriter.idxl".

7) Remove numbers 1-7 from filenames "_0x.cfs", "segmentsx.gen", and "segments_3x" (where "x" is 1 in the folder "scalc.idxl", 2 in "schart.idxl" and so on). There's nothing to change in "sbasic.idxl". When you finish this, each of the eight ".idxl" folders should contain the files named "_0.cfs", "segments.gen" and "segments_3".

8 ) Start your LibreOffice Portable. You should now be able to use help.

Note: I don't know what exactly happens when you update LibreOffice through the PortableApps.com Platform: I guess the "en" folder would be deleted in the process together with the rest of your installation. If that is not so, you may want to delete the "en" folder manually before updating.

John, Thanks for all the hard work you do in bringing all these portable apps to the world!

That being said, I am writing this to clarify some prior comments.

1) Built-in/Offline LibreOffice help IS available for version 3.4.3.

2) The downloadable (US) helppack, at 8 MB hardly qualifies as 'huge'. It is available here: http://www.libreoffice.org/download

3) This helppack was easy to install and I was able to access built-in help from both Calc and Writer.

When running the helppack installer, be sure to install into the \LibreOfficePortable_3.4.3\App\libreoffice subfolder, NOT the top level \LibreOfficePortable_3.4.3 folder. If it installs correctly it should add or modify the *help* folder: \LibreOfficePortable_3.4.3\App\libreoffice\Basis\help (check this *help* folder date - it should reflect the helppack install date/time).

Hopefully someone could take a few minutes to update the PA LibreOffice FAQ section to clarify the above. Future users will be very grateful for this.

And special thanks to SakiTC and solanus for all your work also!

If this works please let us know.

I tell you a simpler way under winXP (maybe other Win) op.system:

1/ I upgraded the previous version to LibreOffice 3.4.3, OOO340m1 (Build:302). The target path: X:\LibreOfficePortable

2/ I downloaded the LibO_3.4.4_Win_x86_helppack_en-US.exe file form here: http://www.libreoffice.org/download

3/ I run the previously downloaded file to get unpacked files: libreoffice1.cab, libreoffice34.msi, setup.exe, setup.ini (I cancelled the program when it unpacked these 4 files).

4/ I started the setup.exe then I changed the target-path, but I got a message "Error 1317 : an error occurred while attempting to create the directory". Here you are: the built-in Help made by setup.exe is not really portable because the installer needs the administration rights! (My dear developers, it would be better to tell the truth! Misleading is not a correct method!) However I don't let me be forced so I gave a path to a temporary folder on C: drive that was good for the setup.exe. The result was the folder: C:\Temp\Basis and some subfolders.

5/ I copied the whole C:\Temp\Basis\help\en subfolder to the subfolder X:\LibreOfficePortable\App\libreoffice\Basis\help

6./ I started the LibreOffice and the built-in help works!

7/ I started the setup.exe again and it offered 2 options: Repair / Remove. I chose: "Remove" so the setup.exe cleaned the entry in the list of installed programs (Add or Remove Programs in the Control Panel), and also the temporarily installed files from the C:\Temp - except the (empty) file-structure! I deleted it manually.

That's all my dears
Great struggle, satisfying result!