What is a .CHW file?
The .CHW file extension refers to a Compiled Help Index File. This type of file is created when you combine several Compiled HTML Help (.CHM) files into one. Essentially, a .CHW file contains a master table of contents that links together all the individual help topics from the merged .CHM files. It also keeps track of where each .CHM file is located. Every time you update any of the .CHM files included in the .CHW file, you need to recreate the .CHW file to ensure that the table of contents remains accurate and up-to-date.
To open and work with .CHW files, you can use specific software programs designed for handling such files. One popular option is The Helpware Group's FAR software. This program not only lets you open and view the contents of a .CHW file but also provides tools to manage and edit these files. To use FAR to open a .CHW file, you would start the program, go to the "Authoring" section in the menu, select "Help File Explorer," and then choose the .CHW file you want to view.
.CHW files can become quite large because they are not compressed. However, using programs like KeyCHW or FAR, you can compress these files, which helps reduce their size significantly, making them easier to manage and quicker to load.
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