15 August 2009

Django 1.1 help file CHM version

This is a funny story.

I happen to think Microsoft's proprietary CHM format is lovely. So I went looking for a CHM version of docs for Django, and google found it for me on this blog. I duly downloaded it, tried to to open it and... it wouldn't display. I could only see the TOC, but not the actual documents. I thought this might be a corrupted version, and it was for an alpha release of Django anyway, so I though I'd compile a version myself. After all, these docs are built with Sphinx, which apparently can generate all sorts of formats...

So here's the procedure to compile django's docs:

1. download and install Sphinx.

   Easy_install Sphinx

   was all I needed. Hurrah for Python.
2. Run Sphinx to generate the initial files:

   cd Django-1.1/docs
   mkdir _build/html
   %PYTHONDIR%\scripts\sphinx-build.exe -b htmlhelp -d _build\doctrees . _build\html
   

3. Download and install Htmlhelp.exe from the Microsoft site. This will give you the HTML Help Workshop.
4. launch the workshop, File -> Compile..., select the file Djangodoc.hhc which should now be in _build/html, and this will produce the chm.
5. ...??? Profit!

... Then I found out the reason that downloaded CHM didn't work was a stupid patch from Microsoft. Ouch.

Anyway, if you need it, here's the file: Djangodocs 1.1 in CHM format. If it doesn't work, make sure you follow this suggested procedure, and save yourself some time...

Labels: chm, django, GeekDiary

posted by GiacomoL @ 10:19 AM   2 comments links to this post

10 August 2009

Apparently, US bureaucrats hate bilingual kids

Bilingual children surely must be stupid. The reasoning behind the process is typical of laws promoted by George W. Bush: if you are not a white man from a privileged "amurrican" background, you surely must be stupid. In this case, it's the "No Child Left Behind" act, which results in "subtle" discriminatory practices towards children of immigrants regardless of their actual skills.

Labels: discrimination, personal, racism, whyIhavedoubtsaboutmovingtotheus

posted by GiacomoL @ 11:31 AM   0 comments links to this post