# CHM files? **URL:** \ **Category:** Ruby\ **Created:** [July 31, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665 "2006-07-31T08:56:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Clifford_H)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665/1 "2006-07-31T08:56:05Z")
In Debian Linux, there’s a group of “libchm” packages that offer an API and tools to unpack Windows Compiled Help Module files. A lot of EBooks are delivered this way, including the Ruby Book, and it’s always bugged me that I have no Linux option for reading them (I know the Ruby book is available as HTML, but it isn’t as easy to use as the Windows help viewer). Anyhow, I unpacked an EBook using “extract\_chmLib”, and found the .hhc file which contains the table of contents. It’s just an HTML file with a set of nested lists, and each - contains an . The objects have parameters for Name and “Local”, and I translated them to Name, and got a working table of contents. Add a little bit of framery, and I have a working EBook, sweet. Ok, my question. Would anyone be interested in a Ruby or Apache module that provides a normal HTML interface to a CHM file? Because it looks pretty feasible, and I don’t think it’s been done. Clifford H… ---
**Author:** ![Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Clifford_H)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:08am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665/2 "2006-07-31T09:08:15Z")
On 7/31/06, Clifford H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Ok, my question. Would anyone be interested in a Ruby or Apache > module that provides a normal HTML interface to a CHM file? > Because it looks pretty feasible, and I don’t think it’s been > done. I’m not sure about debian, but ubuntu has libchm-bin package which comes with chm\_http application. It does exactly what you want and no apache is required. ---
**Author:** ![Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Clifford_H)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 9:27am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665/3 "2006-07-31T09:27:23Z")
Kent S. wrote: > I’m not sure about debian, but ubuntu has libchm-bin package which > comes with chm\_http application. It does exactly what you want and no > apache is required. Ahh, I thought it should have been done. Debian has it too, I just hadn’t found it. Excellent start… needs a bit (ok, a lot) of work though. Then all it needs is an Apache module for it and I’ll be laughing :-). ---
**Author:** ![Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Clifford_H)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 11:01am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665/4 "2006-07-31T11:01:23Z")
On 7/31/06, Clifford H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > Ok, my question. Would anyone be interested in a Ruby or Apache > module that provides a normal HTML interface to a CHM file? > Because it looks pretty feasible, and I don’t think it’s been > done. Have you looked at [mod\_chm download | SourceForge.net](http://sourceforge.net/projects/modchm/) ? ---
**Author:** ![Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Clifford\_H](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/Clifford_H)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2006, 10:45am UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/chm-files/100665/5 "2006-07-31T10:45:51Z")
On 31/07/06, Clifford H. [removed\_email\_address@domain.invalid](mailto:removed_email_address@domain.invalid) wrote: > In Debian Linux, there’s a group of “libchm” packages that > offer an API and tools to unpack Windows Compiled Help Module > files. A lot of EBooks are delivered this way, including the > Ruby Book, and it’s always bugged me that I have no Linux > option for reading them (I know the Ruby book is available as > HTML, but it isn’t as easy to use as the Windows help viewer). You could use xchm, which is very much like the Windows viewer: > **[Best Open Source Image Viewers 2023](https://sourceforge.net/directory/image-viewers/)** > > Compare the best free open source Image Viewers at SourceForge. Free, secure and fast Image Viewers downloads from the largest Open Source applications and software directory (Note for OS X users: xchm works on OS X, but chmox is better: [http://chmox.sourceforge.net/](http://chmox.sourceforge.net/)) Paul.