The image hierarchies' root editing menu
HelpSetMaker allows the inclusion of images into the texts. Two types of images are supported: Stand-alone images and inline images. Both types are rendered from PNG, JPG, or GIF files.
The image files can be put everywhere on the disk. HelpSetMaker works with the concept of so-called "image libraries", of which an arbitrary amount can be attached to a help set.
Image libraries are identified by their root directory. These root directories have to be set through the project's according dialog:
The image hierarchies' root editing menu
For editing, a new window opens which shows all attached image library root directories as a list. You edit this list with the buttons on its right. Note that order is important, images with the same name below their respective root directory are always found in the hierarchy which comes first in the list.
The image library root dialog
After pressing "OK", the changes are taken and all image libraries are rescanned.
HelpSetMaker scans each image library for all available pictures. These scans are done recursively through all subdirectories (without any directory named ".xvpics"). From the STML document, an image is always addressed by its path relative to the according image root directory.
HelpSetMaker shows all images it founds below the image root directories for the project as icons at bottom of the project window. An image can be included by simply dragging it from there into the editor of the current document. HelpSetMaker automatically creates the STML code for either an inline image which is put into the text or a stand-alone image which is printed between two paragraphs and has a caption.
Image inclusion by drag'n'drop
You can change the thumbnails' size either from the menu or by right-clicking into the thumbnail area. Recomputation starts immediately and backgrounded so that you can continue editing. The recomputed thumbnails are shown as soon as their computation has finished.
If you add, remove, or change pictures, you have to tell HelpSetMaker that it has to rebuild the thumbnails. Do this by the project's menu entry "Image Library > Rebuild image hierarchies".
If you, for whatever reason, cannot use the drag'n'drop mechanism for image inclusion, you can also insert the images directly into the STML source code. As HelpSetMaker addresses images relative to their root, you have to give the path appropriately: Assume the image file's absolute path to be /tmp/piclib/icons/ok.png and the respective library's root directory /tmp/piclib. Then, the images identifier within the STML source is icons/ok.png.
See also the image description in the STML manual.
If you have added or (re)moved images and rebuilt the image libraries, you should also run an explicit integrity check of the document to become aware of any image link problems.
Explicit integrity check