HTML Executable 4.8

HTML Executable can pack complete websites into standalone e-books. In this respect, three different types of publications can be created. A self-extracting site copies the contained files to a temporary folder and uses your default web browser to display them. An IE publication uses the WebBrowser ActiveX Control included with Windows to create self-running websites, and it has the limitations that only websites compatible with Internet Explorer will keep all their functionalities. Finally, HTML Viewer applications do not need any external web browser so they behave as completely standalone programs compatible with any Windows version.

The program has a very nice interface and, although configuring this type of project would normally require a lot of work, the learning curve is incredibly minimized by the use of a wizard. Therefore, with just providing a few data, your project will be ready to be published, unless it requires further customization.

The resulting publications are highly customizable. So, if you´re an advanced user, you can benefit from changing skins, using splash screens, compiling a table of contents and configuring a default search engine. Extended functionality is also possible with the addition of scripts and Java applets, although the latter will require a Java machine installed on the target computer.

In general, HTML Executable is probably one of the best programs of this type. As seen above, it is both easy-to-use and sophisticated. The resulting publications work just as its developers claim, regardless of the complexity of folder structure and file types. For an example of how well the program works, just open its excellent built-in help file, which happens to be created with the application itself.

Pedro Castro

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