My responses are given in-line with your original message.

-------- Original Message  --------
From: David Allen
To: documentation@global.libreoffice.org
Date: Wed, 24 Jun 2015 18:44:57 -0400

> Hi Jonathon and Jean (and everyone else),
> I've been using LibreOffice for years as a PortableApp (from
> PortableApps.com), and I never knew there was local online help. It
> apparently doesn't install with the Portable version.

For obvious reasons they try to keep their program sizes down to a
minimum. As you are aware, even the standard install doesn't include the
in-built help file. There are separate help installation files in many
languages, including English variants. The original OOo incorporated the
help files as part of the installation package, which is still the case
for AOO installations today.

> Do either of you (or anyone else) know where this online help comes
> from?

Jean, or someone who has been involved since the days of OOo might know
more, but since the in-built help files are closely linked to the source
code it can be assumed that they originate from the developers.

> Who is responsible for it? 

With open source projects like LO, no ONE person has overall
responsibility for any aspect of the software or project. It works
(surprisingly) on a collaborative basis, where anyone can put forward a
proposal for review by their peers. In much the same way as our "User"
documentation is created/edited and submitted for review(s) before
publication.

> How it is created?

Painfully :) The dev guide to creating help files can be found here:
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/HelpContent
and a somewhat dated edition here:
http://www.openoffice.org/documentation/online_help/

> It's totally different from the pdfs.

Yes, two different groups of people create the in-built help and the
"User" documentation. The in-built help is compiled from a specifically
structured tagged XML format (see links above), whereas the "User"
documentation is authored in ODF. The in-built help is mainly intended
as short summaries of the software's functions, but the "User"
documentation tries to offer a more detailed overview about using the
software.

> Thanks,
> Davidaa

BTW. We are all subscribed to this list, so cc isn't necessary.

Regards
Dave



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