S7 - Write your own block help file

http://support.automation.siemens.com/WW/view/en/23174950

According to this Siemens support article, it's possible to create help files for blocks that you create yourself which are accessible in the same way as the inbuilt blocks (via the F1 key ).

However, the 2 help creation tools mentioned, RoboHelp & DocToHelp are very expensive for what would be (in my case anyway) a rarely used utility.

Has anyone here ever had any success creating their own S7 help files using either of these (or maybe other) help creation tools?

TIA for any responses.

Kevin H

I used RoboHelp at my old job for writing help files for Delphi apps. I now use Help and Manual for writing help files. Its a good add in for my HMI and it will export to a PDF. Its a great way to create manuals.

Here is a link to a free help maker that I used for a while.

http://danish-shareware.dk/soft/shelpm/

Here is a link to Help and Manual that I use now.

http://www.helpandmanual.com/

Thanks Charles...

the 'Help & Manual' software looks promising...

I'd still be interested to hear if anyone's actually tried this though...

I have put my own messages in the diagnostics buffer - just to see the look on someones face when the entry that came up was "Don't Press that big Red Button"

I too would be interested if anyone else has implemented their own F1 help though.

All these help files work the same way. When I create a file in Robo help I have to tell it what it will be used for. (C++, Delphi, VB, standalone etc...) It will then generate a file for that application. For example if its Delphi (Pascal) it will create a PAS file to add to the project. All this file has is a list of Topics that are assigned to a number. You select the object on the screen you want to apply help to and give it the number from the file created in the help maker. Then when F1 is pressed it will pull up the selected topic in the help file. If no number is applied to the object then it brings up the first topic. The other thing you have to do is tell it the name (path) of the help file.

They all work the same because you have to compile the help file using Microsoft help file generator. So I would say if Siemens could tell you how to assign a help file name (path) to the FB then when you press F1 it would open your file not the Siemens standard help.

If you can find out how to do this you can send me what you want to say in a word doc. I can make it into a help file and send it back for you to try.

Kevin - I have just downloaded Shalom Help maker from CharlesM's link (the Danish shareware), created a small help file and successfully added it to Step7 by following the Siemens instructions. The only correction required to the Siemens instructions is that path for the help file is C:\Program Files\Siemens\Step7\S7LIBS\mylib (for my installation of Step 7)

Regards, Simon

Charles - Thanks for the offer but Simon has shamed me into having a go at it myself!

Simon - Thanks for the heads-up on the pathing requirements


I managed to get a sample block help working without too much trouble


Initially I used the 14 day demo version of the 'Help & Manual' software from Charles' second link but it's a lot more 'featured' than the 'Shalom Help Maker' from the first link and hence a steeper/longer learning curve.

If anyone fancies having a go at this the 'Shalom Help Maker' is more than up to the job...(and as Charles says - it's free)

Thanks for the input...

Kevin

So today I also got this working. (Thanks for the info!)

Now I want that when I archive an library and retrieve on an other computer the help file is automatically transfered to the new computer.

Anybody know how to do this?

I found out that when I retreive an Archive on an other computer the files are stored in the S7Proj directory instead of the S7Libs directory. The file is seen as an archive and works like one. Is this a know bug in Siemens?

Sorry I missed that you can select the directory. I though libraries were automatically stored in de S7Libs directory. Apperantly you have to select this manually.

The only thing that know is still not automatically is adding the register keys to the other computer.