[Info-vax] Enhancements or replacement for current VMS HELP ?

[Baldrick]

On Tuesday, 20 June 2017 01:37:36 UTC+1, Simon Clubley  wrote:
> Are there any plans to enhance or replace the current version of
> the HELP command ? Trying to use the current HELP interface is
> very, very, frustrating.
> 
> For example, it would be nice to be able to search the HELP database
> for various keywords.
> 
> It would also be _really_ nice if we could have a HELP UI which doesn't
> assume it's being run on a teletype. Something like GNU info or a
> character cell browser interface is the kind of thing I am thinking
> about.
> 
> Something where you could use the arrow keys or navigation shortcut
> characters to easily move around and follow a tree of related help
> nodes.
> 
> Would it also be better not to dump every single qualifier into it's
> own help node but to have fewer help nodes overall with content
> combined up into these fewer help nodes ?
> 

Many years ago on a DECUS tape before there was even a GALAXY or
an Alpha, there was a bit of software called (if I remember rightly)
SHELP which was an SMG interface into HELPLIB.HLB. We're going back
to mid 80's and I think it was written in PASCAL. I will dig out the
references and post here. It came off a reel to reel DECUS library
tape.

Basically it threw up a screen of all the topics and you used the 
cursor to navigate it, page up / page down and so on.

I'll extract the source code [content of the program etc.] and maybe
someone can look at porting it to IA64?

Baldrick