I have just downloaded and installed 4.2 plus the offline help extension. Despite both loading successfully I can’t get Help to load when selected.
Can you edit your question to indicate the language of your LO User Interface (UI) and the language of the downloaded help pack? Also indicate more clear exactly what is happening: Is there no response or does the website help continue to be loaded? Thanks.
The contents of a downloadable and locally installed help pack will only display if the User Interface (UI) is set to use the same language as the help pack.
Thanks! this solved my problem. can I change the language of the help pack?
can I change the language of the help pack?
No. Help is language-specific.
Well, just curious: did you only download or did you also install the offline help?
It’s really quite simple. Well-designed software has an offline help file as the default. LibreOffice fails badly by this standard. The web help is decent, but the cheap way out. Too bad, as it is a good piece of software, although I do prefer the portable apps version as I use it with multiple locations on usb sticks and have convinced a few nonprofits to use it also. But this failure of will is a deal breaker IMO.
Most software does not: (a) contain as much help as LO; (b) come is as many languages as LO; (c) have the same degree of multi-platform installation capability. You are right that it is “really quite simple” - the solution is to learn the product and install the required help and language files.
I also am not sure. I have over some time successfully installed successive versions of LibreOffice and the associated help files. That is up to the abortive attempt to install version 4.4.2 which failed pretty swiftly with garbled math symbols.
Attempting to revert to version 4.4.1.2 and subsequently 4.3.6 as an approved “still” version both left me with help files that did not link in.
I can only assume that the defunct 4.4.2 has left something lying around when uninstalled.