Copyright: Copyright ©1996 Dipl. Ing. Bernd Herd


! Overview
Herd Software Development

Herd Software Development
Dipl. Ing. Bernd Herd
Rudolf-Virchow-Str. 8
68642 Bürstadt
Germany

eMail: herdsoft@aol.com
CompuServe: 100545,3001

Tel: +49-6206-79222	(changing in February 1997 to +49-6206-707775)
Fax: +49-6206-79222	(changing in February 1997 to +49-6206-707776)

Software Development

In times when powerfull Software is available everywhere around the corner it seems there is no lack of Software in this word. But if you look a bit closer, you'll see that you won't find anybody able to "repair" a Software-Bug like you would find someone to repair your broken car.

So buying Software straight from the developer gives you a chance to get what you intended to pay for. All products advertised in this catalog have been developed by our team. If you encounter any problems, send us an eMail-Message or fax. If you'd like to have a modified program Version we can offer to develop it for you based on a consulting price of $US 60 per hour.

We are specialized in providing unique, powerful tools for developers which combine innovative ideas and careful attention to detail.  Our clients can speak for our support record... our software will speak for itself.

Standard software products

Hypertext/Helpfiles/Multimedia

Help to RTF : The WinHelp printer and Converter

ThinHelp : The Hypertext Edge for WinHelp authors

Programming libraries

LZAPI : Your doorway to the Archiv. Use ZIP/ARJ/LZH... Archives in your own Windows Application!

ASetup : The professional free Setup

LHALIB : Free LHA-Decompression DLL


ASetup : The public domain Setup

A fast, effective and free installation and setup development kit for Windows.  The ideal companion to ThinHelp’s license key copy protection technology.  It’s the least expensive, least-disk-and-archive-space method for developing quality installation packages for disk-based or downloadable distribution.  ASETUP includes multilingual German/English/French support, its own LZH decompression scheme, the ability to create self-starting .EXE installation packages, compatibility with Windows 95, bitmap splashes, definition of custom dialog boxes, access to AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS as well as WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, and -- a must for Windows 95 distributables -- access to the Windows registry.  All this with as little as 35k of overhead in a compressed archive.

Archive name:	ASETUP.ZIP

Internet FTP (650kb):	To be announced

CompuServe:	GO CIS:HYPERTEXT

Copyrighted freeware; freely redistributable, includes source code.


Help to RTF : The WinHelp printer and Converter

The ultimate decompiler and helpfile printing utility.  Help to RTF converts Windows helpfiles compiled with HC31, HCP.EXE and HCRTF.EXE and Multimedia Viewer compiler into RTF-formatted document files compatible with Word. WordPad and other common word processors.  The converted RTF documents include the associated BMP, WMF, SHG and HPJ files, permitting easy modification and recompiling.  A unique feature of Help to RTF is its ability to convert embedded window bitmaps and controls into inline images right in the RTF, offering the highest degree of compatibility with helpfiles that use custom DLLs and Windows API calls.

Help to RTF provides intelligent handling of Help-specific information not needed for printouts and document conversion.  All Help-specific information which isn’t needed for hard copy is omitted from the output, providing clean, printable documentation complete with all graphics and custom controls.  This makes Help to RTF the ideal maintenance tool for both documentation specialists and those needing complete printability from their helpfiles.

It’s also the perfect tool to provide with your application to eliminate the need for separate documents and manuals...your helpfile can be printed right from the user’s computer complete with all screen shots and illustrations, or only those graphics you specify.

Pro and standard versions

The standard version is included with several of our evaluation and shareware releases to give you a clear picture of what it can do.  The pro version (available in Fall of 1996) offers these additional features:

HTML-Export

Export-to-database of topic information

Localization features

Facility for authoring non-printable text in helpfiles for true two-in-one, helpfile-and manual distribution for space and paper savings

embedded window print support for 32-bit DLLs

Archive name:	HLP2RTF.EXE

Internet FTP (190KB):	ftp://members.aol.com/herdsoft/demos/hlp2rtf.exe

CompuServe:	GO CIS:HYPERTEXT (English)

Price:   	$US40
(Developer licenses to custom builds for distributing Help to RTF with applications are also available.)


LHALIB: Free LHA Decompression DLL

LZH archive extraction in a thimble

If your application needs some simple data decompression, for example to install an optional file or export a registration key or new module, LHALIB.DLL is a simple, ultra-compact 3.5KB DLL with assembly language source code which you can add at no cost to your project.  When used in custom install programs for online or Internet distribution it can reduce the size of your project’s compressed distributable archive by as much as 25 percent over files expanded with LZEXPAND.DLL.  And best of all, it’s free.

LHALIB Supports application callback-funtions to decide if files shall be extracted, list the files contents and many many more. Also useable directly from macro-languages like WinHelp, Word or Visual Basic.

Archive name:	LHALIB14.ZIP

Internet FTP (70kb):	ftp://www.leftjustified.com/leftjust/binlib/lhalib14.zip'

CompuServe:	GO CIS:HYPERTEXT (English, German)

Copyrighted freeware; freely redistributable, includes source code.


LZAPI : Your doorway to the Archive

ZAPI is a set of redistributable DLLs you can include in your applications to allow a wide range of compatibility with archive formats, including ZIP, ARC, LZH, ARJ, RAR, ZOO and TAR.  Look for the shareware version of LZAPI if you need an LZH archive manager for ThinHelp.  Versions are available for both 16-bit and 32-bit Windows development environments.

Functions available to all Archive-Formats supported:

L Listing the Contents of an Archiv

E Extracting files from Archives

A Adding Files to Archives

R Removing Files Archives

Most functions are provided by included DLLs:

ZIP: LEAR

LZH: LEA (32-Bit also Remove)

ARJ: LE

ZOO: LEAR

ARC: LEAR

For Functions not found in this List, LZAPI automatically shells to DOS.

ZIP additionally supports long filenames and Directory recursion. Scrambling with paasswords and multivolume-Archives are not supported.

Archive names:	LZAPI300.EXE, LZAPI32.ZIP

Internet FTP(16-bit, 300kb):	To be announced

Internet FTP
(32-bit, 730kb):	To be announced

CompuServe:	GO CIS:HYPERTEXT (English)

Price:   	US$99
DM150


Select Language : Herd Software Entwicklung
Herd Software Entwicklung - Software „Made in Germany”

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Note that informations on german-only produkcs are not contained into the english Catalog.

Display Informations in German

Herd Software Entwicklung
Dipl. Ing. Bernd Herd
Rudolf-Virchow-Str. 8
68642 Bürstadt
Germany

eMail: herdsoft@aol.com
CompuServe: 100545,3001
Tel: +49-6206-79222	(changing in February 1997 to +49-6206-707775)
Fax: +49-6206-79222	(changing in February 1997 to +49-6206-707776)


ThinHelp : The Hypertext Edge

One of the most exciting developments in Help authoring in years, and exciting addition to any Viewer author’s toolkit, and one of the most varied and useful packages any Help author could ask for.  This catalog demonstrates only a very small part of ThinHelp’s true creative potential.

ThinHelp is one of the most versatile and useful packages available to Help authors.  Its utilities can dramatically reduce your workload, giving you the time to explore its unique creative potential.  ThinHelp could forever change the way you look at Help.

The core of the package is the ThinHelp extension DLL, which offers a truly unique range and depth of functionality:

depressable bitmap buttons

two types of transparent bitmaps (indexed and masked)

embedded window animations

hotspotted JPEGs and 256-color bitmaps even in 16-bit Help

intelligent dithering for all screen resolutions

full print support

dramatically reduced compiled filesizes

macro-controllable watermarks and background textures

Windows API compatibility macros

embedded window JPEGs

intelligent dithering algorithms and palette control

JPEG caching for the fastest, lightest TrueColor display in the industry

compressed .WAV audio support

sophisticated registry key detection and copy protection features

a range of bitmap display options unmatched in the industry

the first-ever third-party embedded window DLL interface for ForeHelp users

one of the most extensive and informative authoring guides ever produced for an authoring extension

full duplication of all WinHelp controls, embedded windows and features in both 16 and 32-bit DLL versions

tested on Windows 95, Windows 3.1 and Windows NT for the maximum possible degree of cross- platform compatibility

a special treat for ”expert” Help/Viewer authors and hackers... documentation and demonstration of a range of unsupported features

all this in a DLL that weighs in at as little as 35K in your distribution

But that’s only the start.  ThinHelp also includes Push, the first real alternative to SHED, featuring intelligent scaling filters for reduced-size screenshots you can actually use, image enhancement filters, import/export of a range of popular bitmap formats, SHG conversion, and a zoom function for precision hotspot control.

There’s still more.  Push includes an integrated version of HelpDebug Lite, a Help project error-checker designed to trace and report a wide variety of Help statistics and pick out errors which were previously discoverable only by manual testing.  It’s indispensable for testing multi-file Help systems and sure to save hours of debugging in any large Help project.  (The Lite version is designed exclusively for 16-bit Help but can still be used for a variety of diagnostic functions in 32-bit Help that the compiler doesn’t handle.  HelpDebug++, coming later in 1996, will be fully compliant with 32-bit Help.)

And there’s even more...including a 16-bit DLL that allows you to extract LZH-compressed Help baggage from your helpfiles, giving your Help and Viewer binaries all the flexibility of a simple software installer.  You also get a free, no-bull self-extracting installation/setup creator designed to produce ultra-compact distributable installations in just minutes, and if you’ve got a taste for adventure you’ll have to sample our unique application of Help-based paning.  (This feature is supplied as unsupported due to its tricky authoring requirements, not due to any bugs in the software.)  Finally, you’ll receive Knit Picker for ThinHelp, a ready-made selection of thousands of specially-prepared bitmaps designed for use in Help projects and specially processed for ThinHelp’s transparency feature.

Archive name:	THDEMO.ZIP (English)
Internet FTP:(Very Many KByte)	To be announced

CompuServe:	GO CIS:HYPERTEXT (English)
Price:   	US$169
DM249

Related Links:

http://www.ff.com ForeFront, makers of ForeHelp