SDK - Documentation - Accessing multiple pages concurrently (SP2/FSXA)

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Have a dislike, or strong-hatred, of the SP2 compiled SDK documentation format ?
Wish to open and cross-reference multiple SDK pages ?

Here's a quick & easy solution,
allowing you to access multiple SDK documents concurrently,
whilst still maintaining valid internal links.

Overview

The documentation for the SP2 SDK, (for FSX Acceleration and SP2 users only),
is now supplied in a compiled help file format, (.chm).

CHM Drawbacks

You can only view one page at any time,
(without opening multiple copies of the .chm, and then navigating through the sub-pages).

Workaround

This workaround is suitable for all SP2 SDK pages,
without the need to manually decompile the fsxsdk.chm,
and then navigate through sub-folders to find the relevant pages.

Instructions

This is a one-time task.

In your web browser -

  • Right-click on any existing IE favourite or Firefox bookmark.
  • From the context menu - Left-click Copy.

Minimize your browser so you can see the desktop.

  • Right-click on the desktop.
  • From the context menu - Left-click Paste Shortcut.

The shortcut will now be displayed on your desktop.


Now edit that desktop-shortcut's properties.

  • Right-click on the shortcut.
  • From the context menu - Left-click Properties.

The shortcut's properties dialog will be displayed.
On the General tab,

  • Set the title to - FSX SDK Overview.

For a default SDK location

If you've installed the SDK to the default folder location.

On the Web Document tab -
set the URL to - 

mk:@MSITStore:C:\Program%20Files\Microsoft%20Games\Microsoft%20Flight%20Simulator%20X%20SDK\SDK\fsxsdk.chm::/core/src/sdk/DocSource/sdk%20overview.html

Click OK to save the changes.

For a non-default SDK location

If you've installed the SDK to a non-default folder location.
replace the string - 

C:\Program%20Files\Microsoft%20Games\Microsoft%20Flight%20Simulator%20X%20SDK\SDK\fsxsdk.chm

with your SDK installation's equivalent location path.
Click OK to save the changes.

SDK Overview Page

Launching the shortcut will now display the FSX SDK Overview in your web-browser.

All links in the FSX SDK Overview to sub-pages, and any contained therein, incorporate the appropriate .chm decode string.

SDK Sub-Pages

Right-clicking on any link -

  • Either as Open in a new window or Open in a new tab, will now open the selected document as required.
  • Optionally for those frequently accessed pages, you can create shortcuts directly to those pages,
    by right-clicking and copy shortcut, then paste-shortcut.
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