[Preemptive]

This is a thread to fix the on device help.

We have the files, we just need to work out how the device accesses them and hopefully can either fix the app or deliver the information via another channel (e.g. web).

It has been suggested that the files are 'hard-coded' and are accessed directly by the help app rather than delivered by a server-side system. This should mean that doing a HOSTS file tweak in webOS could easily redirect the app to a new location as long as the structure of the content remained the same.

So for example, a file formerly hosted at help.palm.com/device-specific-file could be moved to help.newlocation.com/device-specific-file and be accessed simply by redirecting links to the original base domain so they go to the new domain.

It seems there is some cgi code, but this may simply be for the search function and a copy of the code has been archived, so it's possible this function can also be restored.

[Preemptive]

If we are able to fix the help system easily, we maybe able to add to the files, updating as webOS itself has been updated.

There is a possibility that the function could be extended to LuneOS if that project builds an app that works in the same way.

[Preemptive]

Here is a sample root index.json from Mazzinia

{
"title": "Tips",
"icon": "file:///usr/palm/applications/com.palm.app.help/images/tips.png",
"sort_by":["category"],
"json_result" : "",
"items": [

{
"category": "Basics",
"english_app_name": "Basics - RoadRunner WorldReady",
"app_name": "basics",
"icon": "file:///usr/palm/applications/com.palm.app.help/images/basics.png",
"text" : "Basics",
"url" :

"http://help.palm.com:80/en-ca/c000-01/d100-04/toc/18574/index.html",

"link_number" : "1: 1.100"

},

{
"category": "Basics",
"english_app_name": "Phone",
"app_name": "phone",
"icon": "file:///usr/palm/applications/com.palm.app.phone/icon.png",
"text" : "Phone",
"url" :

"http://help.palm.com:80/en-ca/c000-01/d100-04/toc/22198/index.html",

"link_number" : "2: 1.100"

[mazzinia]

My bad, I'm late.

Correct, that's an example of the json on the phones/tablet. It shows how things are handled on the device side, and at the same time shows how the structure is/was on the palm/hp side.
Now, all the help, including the videos, are archived :
help.palm.com
downloads.help.palm.com (all the instructional videos)

So in theory one solution would be setting the hosts on the device to redirect those 2 to a different ip , or patch a lot of files on the devices.

On the help.palm.com , aside the help in different locales and for all the devices, there are css , some javascript files, and a cgi for searches

[Preemptive]

help_2019-10-09_160204.png
It seems to me that a simple test can be done.

1. Put a few sample pages on a test domain, with a same folder tree (it seems videos are in a different folder or subdomain.) These probably need to be 'landing' pages of the main page of the app.
2. Make a change the the HOSTS file so that the base domains (or subdomains) point at the new base locations.
3. Check if it works.

If it does, then it should be a simple matter to host all the files (they are already hosted, I think) and simply make the HOSTS change to that domain. It may even be possible to reinstate the search function.

If not, then we will have to look at the app to see how it finds content. Either the app is doing something or it was done on the server side.

IIRC, the files were divided into language folders, then presumably by model and software version where that was relevant. I'm pretty sure this stuff was fairly basic instructions for users on how to operate most functions of the devices.