Using this documentation offline

Set up your own information center, including the product documentation. First, obtain an information center, which is the viewer for IBM documentation distributed in "plug-in" format. This is similar to obtaining Adobe Acrobat Reader to view files in PDF format. Next, download one or more documentation plug-ins from the library page for this product. Note that PDF versions of this documentation also are available on the product library page.

The online version of this product documentation is the supported version. The documentation is provided in supplemental formats for convenience. Although the following procedure has been used successfully in practice and is well-documented, installing an information center as described here is neither formally tested nor supported. As of February, 2010, these instructions have been spot-checked with a documentation plug-in from each WebSphere Application Server release: Versions 5.1, 6.0, and 6.1.

These instructions require Internet access and a machine running on a Windows®.

  1. Download the Toolkit for Custom and Reusable Solution Information.

    This procedure focuses on how to use the toolkit to obtain an information center for viewing the product documentation offline. The toolkit offers many more capabilities, which are documented in a series of IBM developerWorks articles:
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter1/index.html

    The toolkit is available from IBM alphaworks:
    http://www.alphaworks.ibm.com/tech/tkcarsi/

  2. Test your ability to export a simple information center from the toolkit.

    Use the information in the first article to create and export a simple information center:
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter1/index.html

    As described in the article, your first information center can include as little content as a single file from somewhere on your file system. Technically, this step is optional, but it could be a good idea to perform this step.

    Note that the second article describes how to import sample information center projects that are included as downloads with the article. Consider using a sample to start your own information center, pre-populated with some useful content and links:
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter2/index.html#N10095

  3. Download documentation plug-ins from the product library page. Download the IBM WebSphere Help System plug-ins of your choice from the product library page.

    For example, to download Version 6.1 plug-ins, go to the V6.1 product library page. Look for the entry named IBM WebSphere Help System plug-in: Express. Click the download file link to save the plug-in that contains the Express documentation for Version 6.1. Technically, in many cases, you will be downloading a set of plug-ins, each of which is a directory starting with "com.ibm..." and with a plugin.xml file inside winthin the directory.

  4. Add the documentation plug-ins to the toolkit, then include the documentation in the navigation view of your information center.

    This article describes how to import documentation plug-ins:
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter2/index.htm.

    Specifically, refer to the section, "Add plug-ins containing IBM product documentation":
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter2/index.html#N101CA

    The section includes how to drag and drop the documentation into the navigation tree of your information center. Earlier, when you tested your ability to export a simple information center from the toolkit, you learned how to start or import a solution information center project. Among other things, the project provides the navigation tree for your information center.

    Pay special attention to the note in step 4: "If there are nested com.ibm.... directories, select the innermost directory, as shown in Figure 10." Also, the ZIP files that you download from the product library page contain multiple plug-ins. For example, a plug-in download from the library page might contain all of the following directories, each of which is a documentation plug-in.

    com.ibm.business.doc
    com.ibm.etools.ejbbatchdeploy.doc_version
    com.ibm.etools.wrd.freeform.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.express.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.help.glossary.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.home.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.installation.express.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.installation.factory.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.migration.express.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.pmc.express.doc_version
    com.ibm.websphere.wim.doc
    

    After you add the documentation plug-ins to the toolkit, they become available for use in every information center project that you create. Note also that you can export a solution information project from your toolkit and provide it to colleagues to import it into their own toolkits. This way, documentation gathered by one teammate can be shared with others.

  5. Export and start your new information center.

    Refer to this section of the first article:
    http://www.ibm.com/developerworks/opensource/library/os-eclipse-infocenter1/index.html#N102D6